Cornell's Broadest
Health Care Conversation

Learn about all the different facets of health
and get inspired to improve American health care.

CORNELL UNIVERSITY Health Care Symposium

April 8-15, 2010

The Cornell Undergraduate Health Cooperative is an umbrella organization designed to foster cooperation and communication between Cornell's many health-related undergraduate clubs. Each relevant club may request to send 1-2 board members to CUHC monthly meetings.

Sick in America 2010 Board Members

Josette Pierre A&S '11 Co-President	Josette Pierre is a junior in the College of Arts and Sciences, majoring in Biological Sciences. She joined CUHC because she believes that adequate health care is a right to every human being. CUHC gives her the opportunity to bring awareness about prevalent health care issues in society. She is also a Public Service Center Scholar at Cornell and an American Medical Student Association Health Equity Scholar. In her spare time, she loves to dance and sing.
Kristen Welch CHE '10 Co-President	Kristen Welch is a senior Human Development Major, with a concentration in Biology and Human Development. Next year she will be attending a pre-medical post-baccalaureate program at Washington University in St. Louis or Harvard, before continuing on to medical school. She is very interested in holistic approaches to health and making sure all humans have access to health care.
Susan Li A&S '11 Treasurer	Susan is a junior biological sciences major in the College of Arts and Sciences with a concentration in nutritional science. She is also minoring in education. She became a part of Sick in America because of her interests in health care reform and medicine. She is also the treasurer for B-Aware, a health outreach organization dedicated towards raising awareness of hepatitis B and liver cancer among the disproportionately high-risk Asian and Pacific Islander community. In the future, she hopes to go into public health and become a pediatrician. During her free time she likes to bake, watch movies and volunteer.
Allie Plichta CHE '11 Secretary	Allie is a junior majoring in Human Biology, Health and Society, and plans to attend medical school after Cornell. Her coursework and experiences have emphasized that familiarity with science can make a competent clinician, but awareness of the social, economic, and political forces that are in play in the practice of medicine—something Sick in America really focuses on—can make you an outstanding doctor. In her spare time, Allie enjoys trips to New York, froyo, and doing organic chemistry research.
Emily Taub CALS '10 VP of PR	Emily Taub is a senior Biology major in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, with concentrations in Neurobiology & Behavior and Gerontology. She joined CUHC to help her peers become more aware of health care's relevancy to their lives -- even if they are currently healthy. Next year, she will be attending medical school, and is particularly interested in neurology. Emily also enjoys her research in the Laboratory for Rational Decision Making, socializing with other premedical students in PATCH, reading novels, and spending time with friends and family.
Jee Lee CALS '11 PR Assistant	Jee Lee is a junior in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and is currently majoring in Biology with a minor in Communication. She became involved with Sick in America’s marketing team because she enjoys designing as a hobby. She was the past newsletter co-coordinator and is now the Outreach Coordinator of Cornell Elderly Partnership. Other organizations that she is involved with includes, Project Ayiti, Biology Scholars Program, EARS, and Chinese Bible Study, Jee is currently a research assistant at one of the three baby labs located on campus in the Department of Human Development. In the future, she hopes to complete a master degree in a field of interest and become a successful physician. In her free time Jee enjoys playing sports of all sorts, listening to music and volunteering to the local communities.
Anna Barker A&S '10 Team Leader, Health Care Reform	I’m a senior double majoring in biology and chemistry. I became interested in health care policy while studying abroad in the United Kingdom. Ultimately, I am interested in a career that intersects both clinical medicine and research.
Melissa Quick CHE '10 Team Leader, Health Care Reform	Melissa Quick is a Senior Biology and Society Major with minors in Global Health and Policy Analysis and Management. She is one of the co-team leaders for an event on health care reform. Melissa first became interested in health care after taking a pre-pre medical course in high school, but after coming to Cornell, she discovered that her real interest was in the health care industry and in public health strategies. Melissa is currently interested in studying health inequalities both domestically and in international settings. Specifically, Melissa would like to research and explore various policy alternatives to ensure better access to health care and utilization of preventive services. Upon graduation, Melissa hopes to work for a few years either in nonprofit work such as in community health projects or doing research, and then eventually going back to graduate school for a Masters in Public Health.
Michael Graw A&S '13 Day Coordinator, Health Care Reform	Michael is a freshman biology and history double major. He is on the health care reform team, and is interested in looking at the proposed changes in the American health care system from a socio-economic point of view.
Eric Woods A&S '12 Day Coordinator, Health Care Reform	Eric is a junior Biology and Society major in the school of Arts and Sciences. He has interests in addressing health disparities at local and international levels. As a participant in the Sick in America Conference series over the past two years, he has had the opportunity to analyze some the factors that purvey health problems in the United States. This year he is helping create an event about health care reform—a topic with a lot of national attention because it can potentially create systemic change for the better.
Joseph Wu CALS '11 Day Coordinator, Health Care Reform	Joseph Wu is a junior in CALS. With a background in business, policy and science, he is interested in a career in the health care sector. He is interested in exploring the roles of different organizations such as insurers, pharma, and hospitals. Joseph enjoys playing soccer and watching movies to relax.
Mariana Giron A&S '10 Team Leader, Health Care Disparities	Mariana Giron is senior in the college of Arts and Sciences majoring in Anthropology with a minor in Global Health. She is excited to be working with CUHC because it gives her the opportunity to work with peers who are also passionate about improving health in the Unites States and abroad. She is also the secretary of the Science Organization of Latinos, a member of the Cornell University Colombian Students Association and is currently writing an honors thesis on the political, social, cultural and scientific aspects of traditional medical practices in the Dominican Republic. Mariana is planning on going to medical school after taking a gap year. She is interested in primary care, especially on developing and implementing interventions for chronic disease prevention and the elimination of health disparities. Aside from studying, Mariana also enjoys running, traveling, dancing, backpacking and hanging out with her friends.
Chinomnso Nnodum CHE '10 Day Coordinator, Health Care Disparities	I am a senior in the College of Human Ecology, majoring in Human Biology, Health, and Society. I have always been interested in health care and in helping people. In my time at Cornell, my interests have evolved towards the public health sector, where I have an opportunity to help people on a population level and learn about and therefore prevent behaviors that lead to health problems. I am still in the stages of exploring my interests and truly defining what I want to do after Cornell. I am also excited to be on the CUHC board and to be around other students who share my interests in health care and bring so many great ideas and energy. I look forward to a great conference!
Melissa Murray Hotel '11 Day Coordinator, Health Care Disparities	Melissa Murray is a junior in the Hotel School pursuing minors in both Information Systems and Policy Analysis & Management. She has a strong interest in international health care issues and their relevant policies. She will be studying in Washington D.C. for the spring semester researching chronic diseases in children and adolescence. She enjoys painting, rowing and reading.
Evan Bander A&S '11 Team Leader, Drugging America	Evan Bander is a junior in the College of Arts and Sciences where he is pursuing a major in Biology and a minor in Law and Society. He is the Executive Editor of The Research Paper. Last summer he traveled to Honduras with Cornell's Global Medical Brigades where he helped set up and run free medical clinics to diagnose and distribute medicine to the local Honduran community members. In addition, he is currently conducting research on Alzheimer's disease in Prof. Schaffer's Biomedical Engineering lab. After graduation, he hopes to go to medical school and become a doctor. In his spare time he enjoys playing golf, watching baseball, and traveling.
Sidharth Puri A&S '11 Day Coordinator, Drugging America	Sidharth is in the Class of 2011 and in the College of Arts and Sciences. He is a Biological Sciences major pursuing medicine. Sidharth spends his spare time hanging with friends and catching up on stuff in the world. He loves to volunteer at the Children's Hospital in his hometown of New Orleans.
Naina Vohra A&S '11 Day Coordinator, Drugging America	Naina Vohra is a junior biology major with a concentration in Neurobiology and Behavior. She was drawn to CUHC because she wanted to be involved in educating her peers about the healthcare system, and the problems and concerns that need to be addressed. Naina is a pre-medical student who is currently very interested in neuroscience and is hoping to pursue a career in that field. Outside of school, Naina enjoys music, reading, and painting.
Stephanie Leonard CHE '10 Team Leader, International Health	Stephanie Leonard is a senior majoring in Human Biology, Health and Society and minoring in Global Health. She is interested in maternal and infant nutrition, particularly in disadvantaged communities. She has taken part in research projects aimed at helping enable rural Bangladeshi mothers as caregivers, as well as helping overweight and obese American mothers overcome barriers to breastfeeding. She plans to pursue a career in women’s health and nutrition.
Nathan Franck A&S '10 Day Coordinator, International Health	Nathan Franck is a senior Biology major concentrating in Microbiology in the College of Arts and Sciences. He is a member of Cornell Elderly Partnership, an undergraduate teaching assistant, and is involved in research in the fields of biophysics and microbiology. Currently he is finishing an honors thesis focused on E. coli genetics. Nathan is part of the team organizing an event focused on global health for this spring's Sick in America week. He plans to attend medical school after taking a year off to work in the health care field. In his spare time he enjoys sailing, windsurfing, and running.
Anna Kepley CALS '11 Day Coordinator, International Health	Anna Kepley is a junior double majoring in Biology and Nutrition and minoring in Policy Analysis & Management in the College of Agriculture & Life Sciences. She was exposed to challenges of the US Health Care System in 2006, when her uninsured single mother was diagnosed with cancer. After taking a course on the US Health Care System at Cornell, Anna decided to go abroad to Copenhagen, Denmark, where she is currently studying European Health Care Policy. Anna was drawn to CUHC due to her interest in promoting a broad discussion of issues in health care. Following graduation, Anna plans to attend medical school. In her spare time, she enjoys pilates, yoga and reading.
Hailey Love CHE '10 Team Leader, Team Leader, Health Fair	Hailey Love is a senior in the College of Human Ecology where she majors in Human Development. She first became interested in Health Care after taking a Child Policy class in which they discussed how health care disparities affect child development. Besides serving on the executive board for CUHC and being the team leader for the “Sick Around the World” event, Hailey is also an Events Associate Coordinator for Cornell Health International and Co-President of SAEPE, a pre-med club. Following graduation, Hailey hopes to spend a gap year continuing her research on infant cognition, and then attend medical school to become a Pediatrician. In her spare time, Hailey enjoys volunteering, watching movies, and playing in the snow.
Amanda Vondras CALS '11 Day Coordinator, Health Fair	Amanda Vondras is a junior Biology major and Viticulture and Enology minor. She became interested in CUHC because she has a passion for health and fitness. She feels that there hasn't been enough dynamic, objective discussion about the implications and consequences of the most recently proposed healthcare reform and thinks that the Sick in America Series is the perfect venue for educating and stimulating productive dialogue about such an important issue. Amanda loves wine, grapes, the beach, dancing, basketball, and hanging out with her friends, who mean the world to her. She currently is a lab assistant, working with yummy tomatoes. She dreams of having her own vineyard someday, and/or being responsible for growing the grapes to be used in the next vintage of Dom Perignon.
Antony Kironji CHE '10 Day Coordinator, Health Fair	Antony is a senior Human Biology Health and Society major with a concentration in Global Health. He wants to be a doctor who serves under privileged communities and low-income families who are marginalized and don’t have access to good health care. He also wants to use public health to better the living conditions of poor people with very little health care. Antony grew up in Kenya and has seen hardships that people should not have to go through. He wants to lessen those hardships by improving the health of communities that have been over-looked by society. In his spare time, Antony enjoys photography, playing the guitar, and running.
Esther Park CHE '11 Day Coordinator, Health Fair, Outdoor Display Crew	Esther Park is a junior in the College of Human Ecology where she majors in Policy Analysis and Management. She became interested in health care after taking the U.S. Health Care System course, where she learned about the issues that revolve around health care. With an interest in business and global health, Esther is also involved with Cornell Health International. In the near future, Esther hopes to go to graduate school to acquire a MPH/MHA. In her spare time, she enjoys volunteering, cooking, and reading in cafes.
Valerie Pocus A&S '11 Team Leader, Mental Health/Stress/Obesity	Valerie Pocus is a junior in the College of Arts and Sciences, majoring in Biology and Society. In addition to being a Team Leader for the Mental Health event during the CUHC symposium, she is also involved in Women in Public Policy and the Immigrant Farmworker Initiative. During her summers, she has worked in the cardiac unit of a hospital as a technician and at a live-in camp for cerebral palsy patients. She is interested in public health, and hopes to ultimately pursue a career in health administration. In her spare time, she enjoys watching movies, chocolate, and playing with her dog.
Minella Capili A&S '10 Team Leader, Mental Health/Stress/Obesity	Minella Capili is a pre-med senior in the College of Arts and Sciences and she is majoring in Biology & Society. Last semester she helped plan an event for The Triple Helix entitled Healthcare ’08, in which two speakers talked about the current status of healthcare, the problems facing the system, the plans Obama and McCain had for the healthcare system, and their views of what needed to be done. In addition to taking minutes, writing up the constitution, and processing any necessary paperwork as Secretary for the CUHC, Minella is also the group leader for the event on translational medicine, Bench to Bedside. She is the Director of Science Policy of the Cornell chapter of The Triple Helix, and is also involved with other organizations such as the Slope Day Programming Board and Voices Magazine. She hopes to become a pediatrician someday soon, and when she’s not running around going to meetings, TAing, or doing research, she likes to frequent Youtube, cook Filipino food, and just dance.
Ruth Chan CHE '12 Day Coordinator, Mental Health/Stress/Obesity	Ruth is currently a sophomore Policy Analysis and Management major from New York City. She has been involved in several groups on campus, such as Chinese Bible Study, EARS, and Campus on a Hill. Currently, she is hoping to either pursue a career in law or public policy. Her interest in health care is mostly due to the widespread effect it has on people of all walks of life as well as the ways in which it spans through many sectors of industry, economy, and government. In her spare time, Ruth enjoys playing the guitar, listening to music, and reading.
Muneeb Khan A&S '13 Day Coordinator, Mental Health/Stress/Obesity, Outdoor Display Crew	Muneeb Khan is freshman in the College of Arts & Sciences considering to double major in Physics and Astronomy. Living in Pakistan for the most, he was exposed to a health care system very different from the one in USA. A chance to analyze this strikingly different system was what drew him to CUHC. Along with pursuing his interest in physics, Muneeb is also a pre-medical student and is fascinated by the principles of Biology, which have helped man understand much of the human body’s complexities.
Dan Petkovsek A&S '12 Day Coordinator, Mental Health/Stress/Obesity, Outdoor Display Crew	Dan Petkovsek is a sophomore Biology major. He was drawn to CUHC because of his interest in promoting constructive discussion about a wide range of health care issues. He also hopes to inspire others to take action where they can to help solve the problems that plague health care systems all over the world. A pre-medical student with a concentration in biochemistry, Dan is especially fascinated with sensory systems and is currently conducting research on vision. Dan enjoys his studies, but takes time to enjoy music, sports, and occasionally recreational writing.
Kate Belser A&S '10 Title	Kate Belser is a senior Biology major with a concentration in Neurobiology and Behavior. She became involved with Sick in America because she wanted to learn more and raise awareness about the pressing issues that are currently affecting our society, from a health care standpoint. Kate is a pre- medical student interested in public health. She hopes to pursue both fields in her medical career. Outside of school, Kate enjoys music, reading, running and skiing.
Kara Kubli CALS '11 Title	I am a junior studying Biology in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences here at Cornell University. I am interested in the medical field and am, therefore, hoping to pursue a career as a medical doctor. My interest in medicine and will to help others has sparked my desire to get involved in Sick in America as well as Pre-Medical Society. I am from Canandaigua, NY where I spent time last summer volunteering at the VA Medical Center as well. Aside from my studies, I have enjoyed figure skating since I was 8 years old, participating in lessons, competitions, and testing sessions. Also, I am a huge tennis fan and have been a lifetime supporter of the Buffalo Sabres! Above all, I am dedicated and devoted to my family, friends, and studies.

CUHC Member Groups

AIESEC

Present in over 800 universities in over 100 countries and territories, AIESEC, the world's largest student organization, is the international platform for young people to discover and develop their potential so as to have a positive impact in society.

B-Aware

The Cornell Chapter of National Team HBV, dedicated to raising awareness of hepatitis B and liver cancer among the high-risk Asian and Pacific Islander community.
Contact: Amanda Wong (ajw54)

Cornell Health International

Cornell Health International helps raise awareness of global health issues at Cornell University and help develop student-led service projects in international health. Contact: Anushree Ray (ar355)

Cornell Minds Matter

Cornell Minds Matter is an undergraduate student organization that has been working on the Cornell campus for 3 1/2 years to help Cornell students deal with stress, and promote understanding of the value of caring for one's own mental health.

Cornell Student Society for Public Health

The Cornell Student Society for Public Health is an organization created to discuss and promote awareness about healthcare infrastructure issues and epidemiological trends that are affecting countries around the world.

Cornell Elderly Partnership

The Cornell Elderly Partnership (CEP) is a student-run program that addresses the needs of the elderly in the Ithaca community.

Cover Africa

Cover Africa was founded in December 2006 because we felt that Cornell University, a premier university dedicated to producing globally conscious students, needed to take a more active role in prevention of a disease that takes the life of one African child every thirty seconds.
Contact: Kristen Welch (kmw49)

InteMed

The Integrative Medicine Club at Cornell, created to raise awareness about the developing field of integrative medicine, to expand the current medical perspective, and to familiarize the community with alternative and complementary medical practices often used hand in hand with Western medicine in our society and beyond.
Contact: Cynthia Peng (crp34) & Kate Peng (xp26)

Center for Health

The Center For Health, located in downtown Ithaca, is a group of licensed professionals committed to providing excellent patient-centered healthcare. In addition to patient care, the Center is a resource for reliable information on integrative medicine. In addition to presenting at "Sick in America," the Center offers a variety of free community education events throughout the year. Licensed practitioners of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine Abigail Thomas-Costello and Sadie Hays willl provide acupuncture demonstrations and safe Chinese herbal medicine samples. Massage Therapist Ron Floyd (Structural Integration) will offer chair massage and small group workshops. Osteopathic Physician Maria Budner-Gentry will present on osteopathic medicine and answer questions for attendees.
Contact: info@ithacacenterforhealth.com or call 607-274-7520

Ithaca Free Clinic

It is our mission to facilitate access to health care for all with a focus on the needs of the uninsured. At Ithaca Free Clinic we offer 100% free conventional and holistic healthcare services for anyone without health insurance.
Contact: clinic@ithacahealth.edu

SAEPE

SAEPE stands for the Society for the Advancement of Pre-Medical Education. It is an organization comprised of Cornell pre-med students interested in learning more about medical school, lab research, and the field of medicine in general. At each bi-weekly meeting, SAEPE hosts a different speaker to talk about their background and medical specialty. SAEPE members also engage in research opportunities and philanthropy activities that benefit the Ithaca community and beyond.
Contact: Hailey Love (hrl3)

Unite for Sight

Unite For Sight is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that empowers communities worldwide to improve eye health and eliminate preventable blindness.

Cornell's Broadest Health Care Conversation

InteMed

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Cornell's Broadest
Health Care Conversation