Nydia Gomez
Nydia Gomez
Major: Public Health Sciences
Hello everyone! My name is Nydia Gomez and I am currently a fourth year studying Public Health Sciences, and am the Research Coordinator for GHREAT. I joined GHREAT to gain a better perspective of health on a global scale in order to see how I can contribute to finding solutions that we face as a planet, and to gain a better sense of how public health works across nations. This organization has given the opportunity to conduct research this past spring under UROP, and currently in the summer under SURP as well. Aside from GHREAT, I’m also a part of Student Healthcare in Practice, GROWTHH, Upward Bound, and enjoy making art and walking my dog in my spare time!
Shayla Tran
Shayla Tran
Major: Public Health Policy
I am a third year majoring in Public Health Policy with a minor in Management. GHREAT has become one of the most fulfilling experiences in my undergrad studies; it has given me the opportunity to engage in student-led research projects and practice new skills as well. Global health is one of many interests I hope to develop in my career, including my dream to become a flying trapeze artist, entrepreneur, and build a cat sanctuary.
Annaliese Kaxon-Rupp
Annaliese Kaxon-Rupp
Major: Public Health Sciences
Hello everyone! My name is Annaliese Kaxon-Rupp, and I am a 4th year Public Health Sciences major with a minor in Spanish. In my free time, I enjoy talking with friends and family, playing with my adorable pets, exploring new coffee and sweet treat spots, and staying active at the gym! I joined GHREAT last year to help educate communities about diverse public health issues, to immerse myself in research, to identify gaps in scientific literature, and to advocate for equity, health, and justice. In the future, I hope to become a physician; therefore, identifying health disparities and ensuring availability of relevant resources is of utmost importance to show compassion in healthcare.
Bethany Lie
Bethany Lie
Major: Public Health Policy
Hello everyone! My name is Bethany and I am a 4th year Public Health Policy major. Global health is more important than ever as the world has become more interconnected. This makes it especially important that we strive to improve health equity around the world and learn more about public health. As for something about myself, I tend to absorb random facts like a sponge so if you want something interesting, I got you!
Catthi Ly
Catthi Ly
Major: Human Biology and Anthropology
Hi my name's Catthi, and I'm a 4th year Human Biology and Anthropology double major. As the Student Director of GHREAT during the COVID-19 pandemic, I launched a community-based participatory research project in partnership with that seeks to investigate how the pandemic has impacted life in Orange County and to design a project that aims to help the most vulnerable in our community. In my free time, I like doing crosswords, learning Vietnamese, reading, and singing.
Aisha Raheem
Aisha Raheem
Major: Biological Sciences
With this club, I hope to expand my knowledge of the global issues and conduct research projects with other members to take action in keeping others aware of what is going on around the world. I hope to make a difference in the community from the knowledge I learn in this club. Some of my hobbies are baking, trying different foods, watching different food videos, and grocery shopping (I am a foodie!). I also enjoy reading, biking, and spending time with my family.
Sam Tincher
Sam Tincher
Major: Biomedical Engineering
Through my time with research as an engineer I have spent a great deal of time processing quantitative data to understand brain activity associated with loss of consciousness. However, quantitative data never tells the full story and through GHREAT, I hope to explore projects that go beyond the biological effects of illness and explore the deeper impact that illness has from a more human perspective. Additionally, I hope to learn about new issues that are affecting the world today and to educate others on those issues. Since the start of quarantine, I have been trying to improve at cooking and baking and have been steadily improving at both. I also watch a number of shows in my spare time on various streaming platforms.
Govena Garewal
Govena Garewal
Major: Biological Sciences
Minor: Medical Humanities
By being a part of GHREAT, I want to be able to share the importance of global health with my UCI peers by spreading awareness about the health of all individuals inhabiting the world. As we are currently living through a major global pandemic, I feel it is essential to reflect on the ways in which we, as global citizens, can ensure good health among all of us. I enjoy spending my free time binge-watching YouTube videos, thrifting clothes, and DJ’ing.
Sarah Wang
Sarah Wang
​Major: Public Health Policy
​I have an interest in teaching people about Effective Altruism as the leader of Effective Altruism Club (EAC), an organization focused on combining the heart and mind to do the most good with what we have based on the highest quality evidence and careful reasoning to address the world’s most pressing issues like antibiotic resistance. We are an international community worldwide with chapters at Stanford, Berkeley, Oxford, Caltech, Harvard, and countries like Malaysia. Antibiotic resistance occurs via infections growing resistant to antibiotics to become nearly untreatable. It is a top 10 public health issue and is projected to take the most lives by 2050, surpassing cancer. We are leading a campaign to increase antibiotic stewardship on campus and teach students about effective giving. My other hobbies include forecasting with my Stanford EA friends and playing games with my EA friends while talking about philosophy.
Clare Kanchana
Clare Kanchana
Hi friends! My name is Clare Kanchana and I recently graduated from UCI this past Spring (2020) with a degree in Human Biology and a minor in Medical Anthropology. I joined GHREAT through Catthi and this may be a simple reason, but what I want to get out of this club is to broaden my understanding on patient healthcare and resources on a community level and translate this knowledge into preventative strategies and patient education. Outside of school, I really enjoy baking, playing with my cats, reading books and comics, and watching TV shows.
Jennifer Hajcak
Jennifer Hajcak
Hi! My name is Jen and I am a recent UCI public health policy alum. Throughout my time as a member of GHREAT, I was involved in the marketing and fundraising aspect of the organization. Some of my hobbies include makeup, working out (from home), and learning spanish!
Hector Garcia
Hector Garcia
Major: Public Health Sciences What I do with GHREAT: Community-based participatory research, aide with qualitative research data collection and analysis under GHREAT. Interests: Public Health, Infectious Diseases, Epidemiology, Emergency MedicineHobbies: Working out, Running, Watch YouTube videos, Drink lots of Coffee and Boba.
Samar Arshad
Samar Arshad
Hello everyone!
My name is Samar, and I served as the GHREAT Student Director during the 2018-2019 school year and Co-Student Director during the 2019-2020 school year.
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My personal journey with GHREAT began when I joined my sophomore year and was appointed lead researcher of its research committee. Despite not knowing much about conducting my own research, under the guidance of Dr. Parker, I was able to conduct a research study analyzing the knowledge of and access to contraceptives amongst female undergraduates at UCI and present my findings at the UROP research symposium. After my sophomore year, I was given the opportunity to see GHREAT forward as the student director for the following year and continued with the position my senior year. From being a member of GHREAT to overseeing the organization as a whole, I was able to promote GHREAT's presence on campus as a unique organization that served to create an open and engaging forum for the discussion of global health topics, allowing my fellow - UCI students to increase their understanding of health issues both at home and abroad.
As now an alumnus of GHREAT, I am currently in the process of applying to medical school and hope to start in the fall of 2022. GHREAT has truly guided my self-reflection as to why I want to pursue medicine as a career and has put me with strong hopes to bridge global and cross-cultural health perspectives into modern-day medical care and understanding.
I am encouraged by the next generation of leaders of GHREAT to see its mission statement forward and continues its legacy of being the only student-run organization on campus that seeks to promote global
health literacy at both the undergraduate and graduate level.
Jessica Oshiro
Jessica Oshiro
My name is Jessica Oshiro and I graduated from UCI in 2019 with a major in Biological Sciences. I joined GHREAT my senior year and was part of the research committee. We conducted a study on the perception of the flu vaccine by UCI students from different immigrant generations. During my time in GHREAT, I not only learned about global health but also gained insight on how to research and advocate for important health issues. I am interested in a career in public health, possibly in health education or health programming. In my free time, I like to read and watch corny Christmas movies during all times of the year.