Who are we
and how can you join?

We are a broad, interdisciplinary group of
students, passionate about improving health.

April 20-24, 2009

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 2009 Board Members

Nicky Chopra A&S '09 Co-President and Founder	Nicky Chopra is a senior in the College of Arts and Sciences where she studies Biology and Religious Studies. Last summer she worked with two health care non-profits in New York City as part of the Cornell Urban Scholars Program. There she learned first hand the issues of health care disparities and rising medical costs within the U.S. health care system. Through these experiences and the guidance of mentors, Dr. Robb Burlage, Dr. Richard Kiely and Dr. Laurel Southard, she created the Sick in America series and co-founded the Cornell Undergraduate Health Cooperative (CUHC). As well as serving as Co-President for CUHC, Nicky is also the Executive Editor-in-Chief of the Triple Helix, an International undergraduate science journal published at 23 top universities around the world including Brown, Harvard, Cambridge, UChicago and National University of Singapore. Following graduation, she plans to spend a gap year before medical school founding the Healthy Hair -- Healthy Hearts Partnership: a health care outreach program that works with community hair salons to screen women of color for high blood pressure. In her spare time Nicky enjoys making ceramic pottery, working with her hands and walking backwards as a Cornell tour guide.
Nishant J. Trivedi CALS '09 Co-President	Nishant is a senior in CALS, studying Neurobiology. During his tenure at Cornell, he has developed an immense appreciation for the innermost workings of the mind and the neurophysiology that makes our consciousness come alive. As The Triple Helix Science Policy Director for the last two years, Nishant has overseen such events as a lecture on the ethics of Parkinson’s disease treatment, and a panel discussion of the viability of the 2008 presidential candidates’ health care reform plans. Nishant enjoys writing, and has composed articles for The Triple Helix and for the Cornell Synapse. As co-president of CUHC, he developed the charter with the vision that it would foster dialogue among a myriad of Cornell’s health-related organizations. The CUHC board has brought this shared vision to life with their first-ever "Sick in America" Series. The heart of this health care symposium is driven by the unique perspectives and passions of each member organization, creating a union far greater than the sum of its parts. When he is not at lab, Nishant enjoys discussing worldly matters with good friends over a hot cup of coffee.
Amanda Wong A&S '09 Treasurer	Amanda Wong is a senior English major and East Asian Studies minor in the College of Arts and Sciences. In 2006 she co-founded Team HBV, a national coalition of university organizations dedicated towards raising awareness of hepatitis B and liver cancer among the disproportionately high-risk Asian and Pacific Islander community. Today, chapters are active at Cornell, Duke, Harvard, University of Pennsylvania, Wesleyan, UC Berkeley, UC Davis, UC San Diego, City College of San Francisco, and Columbia College of Physicians and Surgeons. She continues to serve as the President/Founder of B-Aware, the Cornell Chapter of Team HBV. She is also Treasurer of the Cornell Asian Pacific Islander Student Union. Last spring semester, she researched the discrimination against hepatitis B carriers in China while abroad in Beijing under the Dean's Scholar Research Grant, which greatly influenced her decision to attend UC Berkeley for a Masters in Public Health (Infectious Diseases) post-graduation. In her free time she practices Chinese dance as a member of Illuminations Dance Troupe, trains for Karatedo Doshinkan under Shihan 8 Dan Dean Lillard, and gets a healthy fill of chick flicks and fantasy novels.
Minella Capili A&S '10 Secretary	Minella Capili is a pre-med junior 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.
Kristen Welch CHE '10 Team Leader, Interactive Health Fair	Kristen Welch is a junior Human Development major in the College of Human Ecology. She is the Team Leader for Interactive Health & Wellness Fair. In addition, she is the President of the student group Cover Africa, the Director of Fund-raising for InteMed, and the '09-'10 Student Assembly Human Ecology Representative. She is a pre-med student who would eventually like to be a doctor with Doctors Without Borders.
Isha Saini CALS '11 Team Leader, Get Involved	Isha Saini is a sophomore in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences where she is a Biological Sciences major and plans to obtain minors in Business and Communication. She has a variety of experiences linked with health care, from volunteering as a dispatcher at her hometown's EMS station, to interning in the University of Rochester Biomedical Research Labs. Last summer, she worked with the Director of Greater Rochester Tobacco Research Center, Dr. Scott McIntosh, to improve dental health campaigns, specifically focusing on negative effects from smoking and obesity. At Cornell, Isha works as a tour guide, is the treasurer for Cornell Health International, and is a part of the business fraternity, Phi Gamma Nu. Isha is still working to figure out how she will combine her interests of biotechnology, health care, and business and planning this health conference has given her the opportunity to learn more about these interests. In her spare time, Isha enjoys green tea, chocolate, playing piano, and exploring Ithaca.
Natalie Johnson CALS '10	Natalie Johnson is a junior biology major in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. Natalie is a member of Cornell Elderly Partnership as well as the Cornell chapter of Unite for Sight. This past January she traveled to Ghana with Unite for Sight where she helped to conduct free eye health screenings in rural villages. Before leaving for Africa, she raised monetary donations to sponsor cataract surgeries in Africa and also collected three hundred eye glasses to be dispensed free of charge. With an interest in medicine, as well as global health, Natalie is a founding member of the Cornell Undergraduate Health Cooperative and part of the team organizing the Bench To Bedside: Exploring Translational Medicine event. Upon graduation she plans on spending a semester working in the health field before attending medical school. In her spare time, she enjoys downhill skiing, playing piano and harp, and reading.
Hailey Love CHE '10 Team Leader, Sick Around the World	Hailey Love is a junior 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.
Michelle Zeng A&S '10 Sick Around the World	Michelle Zeng is a junior in the College of Arts and Sciences, double majoring in Biology and Chemistry. In addition to being a board member of Sick in America, she is also the co-president of SAEPE, a CUHC affiliated pre-med student organization, a student advisor for the biology major and an undergraduate researcher working in the Feigenson Research Group. After graduation, she is planning on going to medical school and become a doctor. During her spare time, she enjoys cooking, watching movies, and travel to different places.
Laura DeCesaris A&S '10 Bench to Bedside	Laura DeCesaris is a junior in the College of Arts and Sciences where she studies Biology and Society. She became more interested in healthcare after taking a course on the U.S. healthcare system, where she learned about the many issues that plague our current system. On the CUHC, Laura represents Unite For Sight, a group dedicated to raising eye health and blindness prevention awareness both locally and globally. Laura is the President of Vision Education/Vision Screenings for Unite For Sight. Additionally, Laura writes for The Salubrion, the bi-annual publication of Cornell Health International, and is a brother in Alpha Phi Omega, the national co-ed community service fraternity. Laura is also a research assistant in the Davisson Lab at Cornell’s College of Veterinary Medicine. Following graduation next year, Laura plans to take one or two gap years doing volunteer work before pursuing a career in osteopathic medicine. In her spare time Laura enjoys backpacking, skiing, and kayaking.
Eric Woods A&S '11 Team Leader, Arts Quad Display	Eric Woods is a sophomore in the College of Arts and Sciences majoring in Biology and Society. He studies the legal and social aspects of modern medical practices and treatments. After graduation he hopes to join the Peace Corps.
Chethan Sarabu CALS '09 Marketing Director	Chethan Sarabu is a senior in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences where he studies Biology and Landscape architecture, focusing on the intersection of design and health. Living well and being healthy is greatly impacted not only by our personal decisions but by the environment around us. A holistic, integrated approach to wellness is deeply tied into sustainability and is what drove him to develop the design and planning club at Cornell; it is an interdisciplinary coalition of students working to build bridges across departments, in pursuit of helping to build sustainable communities both locally and globally. He became part of the marketing team for Sick in America because of this unique opportunity to link together all the different people working on healthcare throughout Cornell. He has also been volunteering with Asha for Education for four years, to help provide underprivileged children in India with the hope of a better life. Additionally he works on various healthcare related projects at the Human Computer Interaction Lab. Chethan plans to go to medical school next year but for now enjoys reading, playing piano, tennis, and taking the time to appreciate life.
Haixin Dang A&S '10 Marketing Team	Haixin Dang is a junior in the College of Arts and Sciences. She double majors in Science & Technology Studies and Philosophy with a concentration in Law & Society. Currently she is studying abroad at the Central European University in Budapest, Hungary. She has a particular interest in ethical issues in healthcare and medicine. She also works with The Triple Helix, The Research Journal, and Logos. In her spare time, she travels, takes photographs, and goes to the beach.
Minnie Gong ENGR '11 Co-Webmaster	Minnie Gong is a sophomore Information Science, Systems and Technology major in the College of Engineering.
Hedy Deng ENGR '11 Co-Webmaster	Hedy Deng is a sophomore Information Science, Systems and Technology major in the College of Engineering.
Jee Lee CALS '11 Marketing Team	Jee Lee is a sophomore 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.

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.

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InteMed

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