Avani Patel
Avani Patel, MD, MHA is a PGY-2 psychiatry resident at the University of Mississippi Medical Center with plans to pursue a Child and Adolescent Psychiatry fellowship in the future. Read posts by Avani.
TR
A native of the Pacific Northwest, TR studied international studies at the University of Washington. With absolutely no interest in medicine at the time, TR joined Teach For America, where he taught AP Chemistry in Detroit to the most incredible students. During his classroom experience, TR saw the parallels between health and education, and how his students’ lack of access to proper healthcare was dramatically affecting their classroom performance. He also saw how the effects of trauma were long-lasting and extended beyond the healthcare environment. He is interested in trauma surgery, specifically focused on urban communities, in hopes of providing accessible and quality treatment for disadvantaged communities. TR is currently a surgical resident at the University of Arizona—Tucson. He has formerly been involved as Student Body President, an Urban Health Scholar and Schweitzer Fellow. He is an avid runner, rower, beginner chef, and can spend hours explaining his love of cheese.
122 Articles
Wasiq
Wasiq grew up around the Philadelphia area and went to the University of Pittsburgh where he majored in Neuroscience and minored in both Bioengineering and Chemistry. Wasiq is interested in research and spent much of his undergraduate career studying alterations in cortical circuits in schizophrenia. He is presently considering cardiology as his future career but is keen on exploring different fields during rotations.
117 Articles
Christen
Christen Johnson graduated from Boonshoft School of Medicine at Wright State University in 2017. She wrote for the Merck Manual Student Stories blog from 2013 - 2017.
106 Articles
Ashleigh
Originally from South Carolina, Ashleigh graduated from Clemson University with a degree in Spanish and International Health, with an emphasis in health administration. Before graduation, she had the opportunity to spend a semester abroad in Costa Rica, where she became fluent in Spanish. Ashleigh is getting ready to start her clinical rotations in Atlanta, Georgia. In her spare time, she is a pet sitter and dog walker. She also loves traveling (domestically and internationally), reading murder mystery books, and experimenting with new recipes.
90 Articles
Lauren
Lauren (Rafka) Jansen is currently a family medicine resident at UC Davis Medical Center in Sacramento, California. Lauren blogged for Student Stories from 2013-2016 while she was a medical student at Albany Medical College. In her spare time, Lauren enjoys cake decorating, balloon twisting, and hula hooping.
85 Articles
Meghan
Meghan graduated from Albany Medical College in May 2018. She's moving on to practice as a family medicine resident in upstate New York. n her spare time, Meghan is an avid runner. Continue to follow her journey on Instagram, @marathonsandmedicine.
80 Articles
Mary Ella
Mary Ella completed her undergraduate degree in Biology at Point Loma Nazarene University in San Diego, CA. During her undergraduate studies, she volunteered as an EMT at a clinic in Tijuana, Mexico monthly–an experience that sparked her passion to pursue a career in global health. In addition to spending time in Tijuana, she has traveled to many other countries to learn about their healthcare systems including Guatemala and Argentina most recently. She has a particular interest in refugee medicine, women’s health, and sustainability in global health practices.
78 Articles
Jake
Jake Rosenberg is an MD/PhD student at Stanford. Originally from Avon Connecticut, Jake went to Brown University in Rhode Island for college where he concentrated in Biophysics, worked in a plant epigenetics lab, and enjoyed biking all over beautiful Providence. While at Brown he also took a year off from college between sophomore and junior year to work on a farm in northern Connecticut. After college, Jake had the opportunity to work in an HIV-immunology lab at Rockefeller University before he began his studies at Stanford where he is now an MD/PhD student in immunology. For his research, Jake is looking at the role of autoantibodies in immunodeficiency, and he looks forward to telling you more about his work and life as a med student in the coming months here on the blog.
68 Articles
Jennifer
Jennifer blogged for Merck Manuals Student Stories during her third and fourth years of medical school. She is currently a resident physician at Brown University/Memorial Hospital of Rhode Island Family Medicine Residency Program. She looks forward to training in Rhode Island and becoming skilled in taking care of urban underserved populations and practicing full spectrum family medicine.
60 Articles
Kris
Kris Gopaul graduated from St. Georges University School of Medicine in 2017. He blogged for the Merck Manual Student Stories blog from 2015 - 2017.
59 Articles
Max
Max is a psychiatry resident at the University of Nebraska Medical Center. He wrote for Merck Manuals Student Stories from 2018-2021. His academic interests include working with people with intellectual and developmental disabilities and education. He spends his free time with his wife, Hannah, and their three very spoiled cats.
57 Articles
Tim
Tim wrote for the Merck Manuals Student Stories blog from 2013 - 2015. During his time writing for Student Stories, he shared his many unique multi-cultural experiences in his international internships.
51 Articles
Divya
George Washington Medical School, Doctor of Medicine (M.D.), Class of 2016 Divya Kurian grew up in New Jersey and first became interested in Medicine while working as an EMT for the Teaneck Volunteer Ambulance Corps. She then went to college at St. Bonaventure University and graduated in 2008 with a degree in Biology. While at St. Bonaventure she became a critical care EMT and did research in biofuels and bacterial motility. At George Washington Medical School, Divya was part of the Health Policy Track and completed research in obesity. Divya spends her free time staying active and exploring the DC area. She enjoys traveling, reading, and meeting new people.
51 Articles
Stephan
Stephan Chiu graduated from the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA in 2017. He blogged for the Merck Manual Student Stories blog from 2014 - 2017.
50 ArticlesDustin
David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Doctor of Medicine (M.D.), Class of 2016. Dustin wrote for the Merck Manuals Student Stories blog from 2013 - 2014.
46 ArticlesAlexander
Stanford University School of Medicine, Doctor of Medicine (M.D.), Class of 2017. Alexander wrote for the Merck Manuals Student Stories blog from 2013 - 2015.
34 Articles
Rathisha
Rathisha is a medical student at KYCOM. She completed dual undergraduate degrees at The Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio in Pharmaceutical Sciences and Biology. Rathisha joined City Year Columbus, an AmeriCorps program, to help mentor and tutor inner-city kids in Columbus, Ohio. She is a huge planner enthusiast, loves all things self-care, and enjoys blogging on her website! Check out her blog at www.MedMeansMore.com.
31 ArticlesSinthuya
Windsor University School of Medicine, Doctor of Medicine (M.D.), Class of 2014. Sinthuya wrote for the Merck Manuals Student Stories blog from 2013 - 2014.
30 Articles
Manasi
Manasi is a final year medical student at McMaster University and has received a Bachelor of Health Sciences (Honors), with a specialization in Global Health. Manasi has held numerous leadership positions such as the Student Director for the Canadian Public Health Association and was the co-chair for the Medical Genetics and the Social Justice Interest Group in medical school. She is currently the co-chair for the Students and Young Professionals Network for the Ontario Public Health Association and the McMaster chapter director for the MP-MD apprenticeship program. She was also selected to attend the Women Leaders in Global Health conference at Stanford University and has presented her research at the World Congress on Public Health, the American Public Health Association’s Annual Conference (2017) and Public Health 2017 and 2019. She is also a volunteer with Let’s Talk Science which organizes science presentations for children aged 5 – 18 years old and helped with contact tracing during the COVID-19 pandemic. Her interests include pediatrics, genetics and public health. In her free time, she enjoys hiking and exploring new bike trails.
22 ArticlesTina
Tina is currently a fifth-year medical student at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. She took a year out from medical school between years three and four to do a full-time research fellowship. She blogged during her third-year, from 2014 to 2015. Tina set out to specialize in Otolaryngology - Head & Neck Surgery and is continuing in that path.
20 Articles
Christopher
Christopher was a Physician Assistant student at Eastern Virginia Medical School in Norfolk, Virginia. He completed his Biomedical Science and Public Health degree at the University of South Florida in 2016.
15 Articles
Jenna
Jenna is attending school to complete her Doctorate of Nursing Practice degree at the University of South Florida. From Florida and living in Virginia Jenna works as a travel nurse on a cardiac floor. She has been a nurse for three years and learned so much through her work experiences. Jenna's ultimate goal is to become a dermatology NP and work as a university professor.
14 Articles
Rebecca
Rebecca is currently in her Family & Community Medicine Residency Program at Penn State Hershey Medical Center. She graduated from Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine in May of 2016 and blogged for the Merck Manuals in her second year of medical school.
11 ArticlesNuriel
Stanford Medical School, Doctor of Medicine (M.D.), Class of 2017. Nuriel blogged for the Merck Manuals Student Stories during 2013.
4 Articles
Anjeanette
Anjeanette (Jenny) is a 45-year-old nursing student at Santa Fe Community College in New Mexico. She's been married for 23 years to her husband, Lorenzo. Together they have a 21-year-old son, Gabriel, and a 19-year-old daughter, Analicia.
3 Articles
Luke
My name is Luke, and I’ve lived in Denver the majority of my life. I received my undergraduate degree in Biology from the University of Colorado – Denver. Before medical school, I worked as an EMT on ambulances and in hospital emergency rooms. Throughout medical school, I have been involved in many extracurricular activities, such as serving as the president of our school’s pediatrics club, treasurer of our rotary club, biomedical research at the VA medical center, and volunteered at a local PICU. My goal is to one day become a pediatrician. Outside of medicine, I enjoy playing basketball, snowboarding, and spending time with my family.
3 Articles
Aaron
Aaron grew up in San Antonio, Texas, where he directly experienced the benefit of multiculturalism. The product of a mixed-race family, Aaron has always been fascinated by the different cultures and customs of the world. His interest in medicine stems from his interest in people, and he plans to pursue a residency in ophthalmology. Aaron blogs about topics in diversity in healthcare, emerging tech, and studying effectively. His interests outside of medicine include coding mobile applications, antique watch repair, traveling, and spending time with his wife, daughter, and puppy.
3 Articles
Kareem
Viewing the world differently than his peers, Kareem sees the world in various perspectives. His background is in technology where he has worked on an array start-ups in various industries, where he has always been the go-to-guy to solve puzzles and unconventional problems. While obtaining his B.Sc from NYU, he worked full time in technology and part time as an oral surgery assistant. He started the Pre-SOMA club at NYU. He loves finding correlations and patterns in everything and takes a systematic analytical approach in everything he does. He loves traveling, learning languages & cultures. He enjoys the ocean, flying airplanes, and rock hiking. He has a love for medicine and technology and serving his community.
1 Article