AMSA Peer Advisor Biographies

To contact all the peer advisors in a giving major, email the appropriate mailing list below:
     course-5-peer-advisors@mit.edu
     course-7-peer-advisors@mit.edu
     course-8-peer-advisors@mit.edu
     course-9-peer-advisors@mit.edu
     course-10-peer-advisors@mit.edu
     course-20-peer-advisors@mit.edu

	Eric Trac Major: Chemical-Biological Engineering (10) Year: 2013 Email: etrac@mit.edu Intended degree: MD Activities: Best Buddies, Boston Debate League, MedLinks, Society of Biological Engineers, UROP in Langer Lab I’m originally from the San Francisco Bay Area. I never thought I would want to attend medical school, especially after not being too interested in biology classes during high school. My time at MIT, volunteer opportunities, and shadowing experiences changed my career interests. At the moment, I’m interested in medicine and biomedical engineering. I’d like to become a physician scientist, particularly one who spends a majority of time in the clinic. For leisure, I like to watch movies, learn to cook new dishes, and exercise. Feel free to ask me anything about Course 10 or being premed at MIT!
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	Mark Kalinich Major: Chemical-Biological Engineering (10) Minor: Biology Year: 2013 Email: kalinich@mit.edu Intended degree: MD/PhD Activities: UROPing in the Langer Lab, American Institute of Chemical Engineering, Society of Biological Engineers, Delta Kappa Epsilon Hey there! My name's Mark, and I'm originally from Northwest Indiana. I'm pursuing an M.D./Ph.D. in biomedical engineering, and am more than happy to help out anyone with M.D./Ph.D. specific questions as well as the usual pre-med inquiries.
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	Emmanuel Carrodeguas Major: Biological Engineering (20) Minor: Chinese Language Year: 2014 Email: edeguas@mit.edu Intended degree: MD Activities: Association of Puerto Rican Students, UROP at the Lindquist Laboratory, Alpha Delta Phi Fraternity Emmanuel comes from the tropical island of Puerto Rico and is currently a junior in Course 20. He is interested in the computational side of Biological Engineering and is planning to apply to medical school this year. He is actively involved in various activities in campus, especially with ADP, APR and his UROP.
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	Sneha Kannan Major: Biological Engineering (20) Year: 2013 Email: snkannan@mit.edu Intended degree: MD Activities: do.it@MIT: enterpreneurship/innovation student organization, working for Ginger.io: healthtech startup, research for Langer lab Greetings! I'm a senior in Course 20 and pursuing an MD degree. I'm interested in all angles of the medical field so I've: interned in biopharma, volunteered at Dana Farber, shadowed at MGH, majored in bioengineering, worked in a low-income clinic, blogged about medical technology, researched at Koch, and am now working for a healthtech start-up. When I'm not in classes, I read, play tennis, eat a lot of chocolate, do crossword puzzles, and attend (unfortunately) lots of meetings.
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	Daniel Mokhtari Major: Chemistry (5) Minor: Music Year: 2014 Email: dmokhtar@mit.edu Intended degree: MD, MD/PhD Activities: MIT Symphony Orchestra (MITSO), Violist MIT Chamber Music Society, Violist Associate Advisor, Concourse Program Hi there! I'm Daniel—three quarters synthetic chemist and a quarter computer nerd. I'm also a twin and a little brother who grew up in Minnesota with my two awesome (and sometimes irritating) sisters. Besides making molecules, I also enjoy making music in MITSO and CMS, where I'm a member of the few, the proud, the violas.
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	Rachel Bandler Major: Chemistry (5) Minor: Biology and Political Science Year: 2013 Email: rbandler@mit.edu Intended degree: MD/PhD Activities: UROP: Synthetic Neurobiology lab, Tech Opinion Columnist, Volunteer at MGH, Shadow cardiac surgeon Hello! My name is Rachel and I am currently a senior in Course V. In my free time I love to ski, paint, watch chick flicks, read the news, and eat tons of sushi, although I wish I had more time for these things. I also work in the Boyden lab developing novel imaging techniques for examining neural circuits, and write opinion columns for the Tech. Although I have known I wanted to be a doctor for as long as I can remember, I only decided to pursue an MD/PhD degree once I got to MIT. I am beginning an MD/PhD program in the fall, and would love to answer your questions about applying for MD or MD/PhD programs!
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	Suan Tuang Major: Chemistry (5) Year: 2014 Email: stuang@mit.edu Intended degree: Activities:
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	Tatiana Berger Major: Chemistry (5) Year: 2014 Email: tberger@mit.edu Intended degree: MD Activities: Varsity Volleyball, Sigma Kappa Sorority Global Poverty Initiative
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	Anne Huang Major: Biology (7) Minor: Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Biological Engineering Year: 2014 Email: anne2014@mit.edu Intended degree: MD Activities: UROP research in the Horvitz Lab, AP Biology teacher for Delve (as part of MIT's Educational Studies Program), volunteer at MGH, AMSA president 2012-2013 Hey everyone! I work in the Horvitz Lab in the Biology Department, studying the neural circuits behind C. elegans feeding behavior. I also love teaching! I was a TA for 7.02, and I currently teach AP Biology every Sunday to high school students in the greater Boston area. It is a ton of work (and it makes me really appreciate all the hard work teachers devote to their students!), but it is a lot of fun and I really enjoy it. In my spare time, I like snacking on wasabi peas, trying out new activities like sailing and snowboarding, and reading the news. I am interested in global medicine, especially in impoverished areas. Feel free to ask me anything and I'll do my best to answer :)
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	Jane Han Major: Biology (7) Year: 2013 Email: snowfinch21@gmail.com Intended degree: MD Activities: MIT Traditional Medicine Society, Beacon Hospice volunteering, church orchestra My dream is reconstructive surgery, and I'm also passionate about integrative medicine - I did a traditional medicine UROP in Korea last-last summer. I love music and visual arts, and my favorite animals are birds, dragons, koi, sharks, manta rays, preying mantises, dragonflies, and pokemon. I have 6 zebra finches in my room ^^ (I live off campus).
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	Regina Cho Major: Biology (7) Year: 2014 Email: regina_c@mit.edu Intended degree: MD Activities: 1. Student Government: President of Maseeh Hall (2011-2012), Undergraduate Association (UA) Council member, Voting member of Dormitory Council, Liaison on the UA Financial Board, and member of various committees in the UA and within Maseeh Hall. 2. Teaching: Teaching Assistant for 7.02: Introduction As someone who has already been informally mentoring premeds for years, I decided becoming a Peer Advisor would be a great way to formalize and better structure what I've already been doing. Ask me about classes, extracurriculars, MCAT timing, grades, useful MIT resources for premeds, how much should I believe what XYZ official AMCAS resource tells me, tips for essay writing/brainstorming, UROP hunting, warming up to faculty for letters of recommendation, how to get involved with extracurriculars (especially student government), how to survive at MIT as a premed, or just chat me up at office hours. If you have any questions on 5.12 or 5.13 (I freakin' LOVE 5.12 and 5.13), feel free to bring your questions on that, too. I'm a pretty outgoing, friendly, and chill person, so come visit me at office hours!
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	Robert Williams Major: Biology (7) Year: 2014 Email: roberttw@mit.edu Intended degree: MD Activities: Seminar XL tutor for 7.012/3, Member of Zeta Beta Tau Fraternity I am from El Paso, Texas, but I have lived all over the United States and overseas because my father was in the Army. I am an active athlete (basketball and soccer) and enjoy reading. I plan on going to medical school after MIT.
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	Linda Chen Major: Physics, Philosophy (8, 24-1) (8) Year: 2012 Email: chenl@mit.edu Intended degree: MD/MPH Activities: Caving Club, MISTI India and Italy, Asian Dance Team Linda Chen is an MIT alum '12, currently taking a gap year between undergrad and MD. She is working as an AmeriCorps member at Quincy Asian Resources, running after school programs for Quincy immigrants. She is currently a choreographer for the MIT Fierce Forever drag performance, and enjoys outdoor activities. Linda plans to be a psychiatrist when she grows up.
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	Laya Rajan Major: Brain and Cognitive Sciences (9) Year: 2014 Email: laya@mit.edu Intended degree: MD/PhD Activities: ReachOut (early literacy tutoring program), UROP at the Graybiel lab, President of MIT Natya (classical Indian dance team) I'm from the great state of New York and thoroughly enjoy good food, music, and traveling. I think navigating MIT as a premed is particularly challenging and I'm peer advising because I'd love to help others avoid frustration and confusion if possible!
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	Sarah Lund Major: Brain and Cognitive Sciences (9) Minor: Chemistry Year: 2014 Email: slund@mit.edu Intended degree: MD Activities: MIT EMS, MedLinks, MacGregor HouseComm, NSCS Throughout my experience at MIT, I have been involved in and exposed to all sorts of things. I've done research in areas from social sciences and public policy to biochemistry and pretty much everything in between. I'm a certified EMT-B and also play in two IM sports leagues while working on the Executive Team at MacGregor House. I love learning about all things medicine, and am very excited to share all of the information that I have amassed about the MD, MD-PhD, and PhD paths.
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