Officers

Welcome to the University of Washington SNMA webpage! I would like to take this time to introduce the 2014-15 leadership team. Although our chapter holds its own in the Pacific Northwest, we are a motivated and enthusiastic group that looks forward to gaining more visibility as well as recognition within the region and national chapters. We are excited to continue our commitment to service within communities of color this year through service and mentoring. Please consider this site a resource if you are: pre-health, a medical student, or just generally interested in health care issues related to the underserved. If you would like to be a part of this group or have mentoring/service opportunities that you would like to share with SNMA, please do not hesitate to email any of the officers.

Sincerely,

Kimeshia

snma@uw.edu

MSI - University of Washington School of Medicine

UW SNMA President

   President - Kimeshia Thomas
    I am a first year medical student from Southern California, who graduated from the University of California,
    Berkeley with a B.A. in Interdisciplinary Studies. Prior to medical school I worked in East Oakland as an Academic
    Counselor for middle schoolers, and volunteered at San Francisco General Hospital as a doula, or labor and
    delivery coach. I am extremely passionate about preventative care and Family Medicine, specifically child and maternal health. It is my desire to eventually become a Primary Care physician in a community health clinic. In my free time I enjoy exploring Seattle with my friends.

   Vice President - Japjit
    I am a first year medical student at the University of Washington, and am a West Seattle native. I attended the
    University of San Francisco and graduated with a B.S. in Biology, and minor in Biochemistry. My research and
    clinical interest thus far lie in infectious disease, however, as a first year I am enticed by almost all specialties I encounter. Outside of school, I am extremely passionate about youth advocacy and empowerment for underserved and/or disadvantaged students in the Seattle region. During my free time, I try to take advantage of living in the beautiful Pacific Northwest as much as possible. I enjoy snowboarding, rock climbing, cheering for the Seahawks, and exploring various dessert shops around Seattle.

   Treasurer - DJ Gaines
    I am a first year medical student the University of Washington. I grew up in Spokane, Washington and spent my
    undergraduate career at the University of Washington where I earned my BS in Physiology. After I graduated, I
    spent 2 years in Chicago, enjoying the working life and relaxing before medical school. Currently, I have a strong interest in primary care, though I do not know at the this time what specific field I want to get into. When I'm not studying, I am usually at the gym and playing sports with friends. I love trying out new restaurants and pubs on the weekends.

   Secretary - Desiree Sanchez
    I am a first year medical student at UW and was born and raised in Delano, California. I graduated from UCLA in
    2010 where I earned a B.S. in Psychobiology. After graduation, I joined a translational medicine laboratory where I     got to work with patient brain tumor specimens and contribute to individualized, patient-tailored treatment.
During my free time I enjoy playing basketball, spending time with friends and exploring new restaurants. I
am excited to discover where my career in medicine will take me.

   Public Relations - Joy Thurman
    I am a first year medical student at UW and was born and raised in Seattle, WA. I attended Western Washington
    University in Bellingham, WA and earned a B.S. in Cellular Biology, and also earned a Master in Public Health at
    Emory University in Atlanta, GA. As a first year medical student, I find almost every specialty interesting in some
    way and am excited to learn more about each. Right now, at the top of my list are Family Medicine, Emergency Medicine, OB-GYN, and Radiology. When I'm not buried in books, I love spending time with my daughter, husband, family and friends. Trying out new restaurants and new activities are also things I enjoy.

   Parliamentarian - Stephanie Varela
    I'm a first year MD/PhD student here at UWSOM. I'm originally born and raised by mother and grandmother in
    Stockton, California. I attended UC Berkeley, majoring in Molecular and Cell Biology with an emphasis in Cell
    Developmental Biology. After graduating in 2009, I began working in industry, spending 3 years in at biotech company in Emeryville, CA. My work with the company involved procuring monoclonal chicken antibodies to difficult and elusive therapeutic targets. Outside of the lab, I volunteered my time at low-income HIV clinics and with the Shanti organization in San Francisco, CA. My experiences with research and underserved HIV positive populations, lead to me to pursue an MD/PhD, with an interest in specializing in Infectious Disease and earning my PhD in Immunology. In the future, I hope to serve a culturally and socioeconomically diverse patient population, while developing novel and affordable therapeutics for infectious diseases.

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