Directors of Programming

Jennifer is currently a second year medical student at Creighton. She grew up in San Diego, CA and went to Pepperdine University for undergrad. During her junior year in college, Jennifer volunteered with the Boys and Girls Club at the Apache Reservation, where she got a small glimpse into their rich culture and history. Jennifer loved being part of the GHCM coordinating committee last year, and is grateful to have the opportunity to serve as a director for this year’s conference.

Jennifer Bahn

 

Rahul is currently a second year medical student at Creighton. They grew up in Toledo, Ohio, and attended Case Western Reserve University for both their undergraduate education and graduate school. Rahul captained his college’s bhangra dance team, and he also served as a lead volunteer for the University Hospitals Cleveland Covid-19.

Rahul Thusay

Directors of Operations

Joseph is a second-year medical student at Creighton. He grew up in Sheboygan, WI and went to Saint Louis University for undergraduate where he studied biology with a minor in sports business. During his sophomore and junior year of college, he spent his spring break volunteering at the De La Salle Blackfeet School on the Blackfeet Reservation in Browning, MT. He had the pleasure of serving as a co-director of GPNAHS during their inaugural year last year!

Joseph Bettag

 

Meghna Basavaraju is a second-year medical student at Creighton University. She grew up in Naperville, Illinois and completed her undergraduate degree in Molecular and Cellular Biology at the University of Illinois. Her involvement with the Avicenna Healthcare Clinic for the underserved in her college town sparked her interest for healthcare advocacy and justice in medicine. Meghna hopes to increase awareness for underserved communities, both globally, and right here in Omaha. 

Meghna Basavaraju

GPNAHS Student Directors

 

Madeline is a second-year occupational therapy doctorate student at Creighton University with special interests in entrepreneurship and advocacy. Originally from Minnesota, her interest in planetary health began during a deployment to Afghanistan where she served as a combat medic. After the military, she transitioned her career to adult basic education, where she engaged with indigenous peoples and tribes in the Arctic and interior of Alaska. Her passion for advocating for indigenous voices and communities extends to her pursuits in occupational therapy and involvement with GPNAHS today. Promoting diversity, inclusion, equity and indigenous perspective in higher education is the inspiration for her work with GHCM.

Madeline Seide

 
 

Sam is attending her first year at the College of Public Health at the University of Nebraska Medical Center studying for her second masters in health administration. She is a two time alumni of the University of Nebraska at Omaha receiving her first masters in communication in 2022 and her Bachelors of Science in data analysis and minors in Native American studies and business administration in 2017. She has focused her research on culture and health related concerns, sending her research paper to two conferences in spring of 2024. Sam is a tribal member of the Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate Tribe in South Dakota and a direct descendant of Sitting Bull. She has been interested in Native American culture since a young age and joined GPNAHS when presented the opportunity in the fall. Sam will continue pursuing her interests in Native American studies in public health and into further research studies.

Samantha McCafferty

GPNAHS Student Coordinators

 

Ryan is a second-year medical student at Creighton University. He is originally from Montana and attended Montana State University for undergraduate studies. He gained an interest in Indigenous Health when taking a course in Native American studies at MSU, and through spending time each summer on the Blackfeet Reservation with one of his close college friends. He is interested in primary care with a focus on community health.

Ryan Kimball

 

Vikram is a first-year medical student at Creighton University. He grew up in Irving, Texas, and attended Washington University in St. Louis where he received a Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology: Global Health and Environment. Taking classes focused on cultural and environmental studies, and representing sustainability organizations at WashU, he became interested in Indigenous health and joined GPNAHS as their Student Coordinator to continue to pursue this interest. Vikram hopes to pursue clinical medicine and research geared toward improving outcomes for patients from disadvantaged communities.

Vikram Murugan

Marketing

Kaitlin is a freshman Nursing undergrad student at Creighton University. Originally from Honolulu, Hawaii, Kaitlin developed a passion for serving others after four years of volunteering around her local community. This passion sparked an interest in advocating for global health after discovering her passion for nursing. This is Kaitlin’s first year on the committee as part of the marketing team, and she looks forward to working with everyone to have a memorable conference this year. She hopes she can utilize her artistic ability to illustrate the beauty and importance of GHCM and GPNAHS.

Kaitlin Mercado

 

Riya is a junior undergraduate at Creighton University. She is studying Health Administration and Policy on the pre-dental track. Riya has enjoyed being part of the GHCM coordinating committee since freshman year, and is grateful to have the opportunity to share the environmental factors that impact our health. 

Riya Jain

Speaker Search

Ashley is a third year medical student at Creighton University from Cincinnati, Ohio. She received her undergraduate degree from Xavier University. There, she studied biomedical sciences and sociology which sparked her interest and dedication to healthcare advocacy. Ashley has interest in how environmental factors can impact individual health and what role we all play in promoting sustainability. 

Ashley Becker

 

April Mabie is a second-year medical student in the Arrupe Global Scholars Program at Creighton University School of Medicine. She grew up in St. Louis, Missouri, pursued her undergraduate degree at Colorado State University, and completed her Masters Degree in Medical Science at Creighton University in 2022. During her time working in Colorado Springs, she saw first hand many of the barriers patients faced in accessing equitable healthcare. In her time at Creighton during her master’s studies, she found herself surrounded by like minded people with a passion for justice. As a member of the Speaker Search committee, April hopes to help create a learning environment where future health care practitioners can learn their role in achieving justice for all people. 

April Mabie

 

Megan is a first year medical student at Creighton University School of Medicine from Delaware, Ohio. She graduated from Otterbein University where she pursued a dual-major in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, but amidst the sciences, she discovered her passion for global health while serving with multiple surgical teams to various countries such as Honduras and the Dominican Republic. Her spark to advocate for planetary sustainability and the most vulnerable populations across the globe are what lead her to continue her medical education at Creighton, and have continued to grow while working as a Speaker Search representative on this incredible conference. 

 
 

Megan McClain

Digital Media and Technology

 

Marcos is a third-year medical student at Creighton University School of Medicine. He was born and raised in Cuba and studied Biomedical Engineering at Florida International University. His immigrant background and service-learning experiences in Santiago de los Caballeros in the Dominican Republic have cultivated His passion and interest about global health.

Marcos Gonzalez Perez

 

Community Fair

Mohammed is currently a Third-year medical student at Creighton University School of Medicine with an interest in hematology/oncology and global health. Having spent a large part of His life living in the Middle East is what sparked an interest in global health. Witnessing global crises like the Syrian Refugee Crises first hand had a great impact on him growing up and highlighted the importance of caring for the global community. A fun fact about mohammed is that I am part Saudi Arabian, part Lebanese, and part Irish.

Mohammed Al Kurnas

 

Alexis is a second-year medical student at Creighton University from St. Joseph, MO. She attended the University of Missouri for her undergraduate degree, and it was there that her passions for sustainability, social justice, and global health began. After serving as one of the Community Fair Coordinators for GHCM 2023 and participating in the Institute for Latin American Concern (ILAC) Summer Health Program, Alexis is excited to return as a Community Fair Coordinator again this year. In this role, she hopes to show that we can take a step towards bettering the health of other nations by starting with our neighbors.

Alexis Stockwell

 

Lauren is a first-year medical student at Creighton University and is from Joplin, Missouri. While obtaining her undergraduate degree from Creighton, she had the opportunity to participate in global health programs in the Dominican Republic (Institute for Latin American Concern) and Cambodia (Rapha International). These experiences, in addition to participation in various surgical trips to Haiti, nurtured her interest in global health. She is passionate about continuing conversations, service, and advocacy related to health justice. Lauren is excited to serve as a Community Fair Coordinator at this year’s conference and help attendees learn from and connect with local organizations.

 
 

Lauren Fogarty

Research Symposium

 

Anisha Kohli is a first-year medical student at Creighton University. She is from San Francisco, CA, and completed her undergraduate education at Johns Hopkins University. There, she studied Public Health and discovered her passion for research. Her interest in global health stems from a belief in the interconnectedness of health issues worldwide, recognizing that addressing challenges on a global scale requires collaborative and innovative approaches. As a GPNAHS Research Symposium Coordinator, Anisha is eager to provide global health investigators with a platform to share their knowledge and identify opportunities to work together towards common pursuits.

Anisha Kohli

 

Eric Lis is a second-year medical student at Creighton University. He is originally from Chicago, IL, and completed his undergraduate education at the University of Missouri. Through undergraduate organizations like Global Brigades and various community-based organizations, he acquired a passion for global and public health. His enthusiasm for global health continued as a leader in the school of medicine’s global/public health organization, Project CURA where he coordinated with his team on increasing public health awareness among his classmates. He is one of the 2024 GHC/GPNAHS Research Symposium Coordinators where he is excited to allow researchers from Omaha and beyond to share their knowledge on global health.

Eric Lis

Public Relations

 

Maddy is currently a third-year medical student at Creighton. She received her undergraduate degree from Colorado College. Her first exposure to global health was a medical mission trip to Mombasa, Kenya with her family when she was 11 years old. Since then, she has embarked on medical outreach endeavors to Tanzania, Haiti, and Guatemala. She is currently undecided on a medical specialty but whatever she ends up doing, she will certainly find a way to incorporate global health. She is particularly interested in how climate change impacts communities and health systems.

Maddy Webster

 

Marian is a first-year occupational therapy student at Creighton University. She is from the New Mexico area of the Four Corners. Marian has a desire to serve Native American people and tribes. Marian is Navajo and wants to utilize her time in the Midwest to learn more about the indigenous community of the Great Plains. Marian received a Biology degree, where she found her excitement for research. The Global Health Conference is a combination of research and Native American health, which work together to promote the strength and uniqueness of Indigenous People. 

Marian Kinsel

 

Maxime is currently a second-year student at the College of Public Health at the University of Nebraska Medical Center studying for his masters in Epidemiology. He is originally from Kigali, Rwanda, and attended University of Nebraska-Lincoln for undergraduate studies. Maxime is excited to serve as Public relations/hospitality coordinator this year, and he has a passion for improving health outcomes.

 Maxime Kwizera

 

JaKyla Kaniaru is a third-year undergraduate at the University of Iowa. She is studying Biochemistry and Global Health with a minor in Spanish on the pre-medicine track. Her passions include advocating for those in low resource areas and volunteering within her community. This passion was sparked from her first-year of undergraduate where she worked with the University of Iowa’s Community Health Initiative team. She worked closely with the team based in Haiti and worked with their faculty to help solve current health issues Haiti was facing. It was after working with this team that JaKyla found her passion for global health and when she declared her second major. This will be JaKyla’s first year working with GHCM as a part of the public relations team; however, she looks forward to executing this conference and hopefully incorporating more participation among other Universities such as the University of Iowa.

JaKyla Kaniaru

Director of Photography

 

Stone Zhang is in his inaugural year of medical school at Creighton University. He originally hails from small-town Illinois, and attended the University of Minnesota for his undergraduate studies. During his multiple subsequent gap years, he underwent a variety of experiences, including a great deal of time spent volunteering with disadvantaged populations. He has owned a Canon digital camera for the past six years, and enjoys capturing moments that help to illustrate more of this world we all share. 

 
 

Stone Zhang