Student Perspectives on Inclusion, Diversity, and Equity at Yale

SPIDEY Mentoring

Program Description & Goals

The SPIDEY (Student Perspectives on Inclusion, Diversity, and Equity at Yale) track of the PASS (Peer Advising by Senior Students) program aims to support students of all years throughout their time here by facilitating discussions and mentorship on topics related to diversity, equity, and inclusion within the MD-PhD program. We hope to provide students with easy access to a network of peers with diverse experiences & backgrounds and facilitate casual mentoring relationships without assigned pairings.

SPIDEY mentors are students who have completed M1 who are interested in building community and advising peers on DEI issues of their choice.

SPIDEY mentees can be any student in the program – everyone is welcome to reach out directly to SPIDEY mentor(s) they would like to connect with. A student can have multiple SPIDEY mentors, as well as be both a mentor and a mentee within SPIDEY.

Activities

Sponsored chats (we provide Cafe Med cards for self-scheduled, in-person mentor-mentee meetings!)
PASS mentorship event at the MD-PhD retreat
DEI-related open discussion series
SPIDEY interview panels for applicants

Contact a SPIDEY coordinator!

Would you like us to help you connect with a mentor? Recommend a mentor to you? Do you have questions, suggestions, or feedback for us? If so, please feel free to reach out to Linda, Michele, Kriza , or Kerri!

Important Note: If you are a current student, please view the complete version of our mentor profiles in the Student Library via sharepoint. Some information has been redacted from this public webpage to respect our mentors’ privacy.

Meet our SPIDEY mentors!

Hannah Batchelor
- hannah.batchelor@yale.edu
She/her/hers Year 6

Hometown: Waterford, Michigan

Undergraduate Institution: Michigan State University

Gap year activities and length: 2-year, post-bac at NIH in Baltimore

Identities, affiliations, experiences, and or DEI-related activities you are involved in: MD-PhD DEI committee, served as a Biomed Amgen mentor for 2 years, was a PATHS mentor for one year, co-created the annual MD-PhD anti-racism and inclusivity module.

Something outside of academia you are proud of: I am a proud cat mom, love to bake, and recently got married after a 4-year long distance relationship.

Also an academic PASS mentor
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Suleyman Bozal
- suleyman.bozal@yale.edu
He/him/his Year 3

Hometown: Karaman, Turkey

Undergraduate Institution: University of Connecticut

Gap year activities and length: 2 research years at the Jackson Laboratory!
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Patricia Bunda
- patricia.bunda@yale.edu
She/her/hers Year 4

Hometown: Cavite, Philippines / San Diego, California

Undergraduate Institution: UCLA

Gap year activities and length: 2 years as a Postbac Fellow at the NIH

Identities, affiliations, experiences, and or DEI-related activities you are involved in: I am an immigrant and came from a low-income background
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Joanna Chen
- fuyao.chen@yale.edu
She/her/hers Year 5

Hometown: Shanghai, China

Undergraduate Institution: Vanderbilt University

Gap year activities and length: 2-years, work as a research engineer and clinic coordinator

Identities, affiliations, experiences, and or DEI-related activities you are involved in: I am a first-generation college student and an international student (still on F1 visa). From my personal experiences, I am very interested in the intersection of cultural and socioeconomic barriers in medical education and training. I have previously had the honor to serve on the national board of National First-Generation and Low-Income in Medicine Association. I'm also participating in the PATHS program (Program to Advance Training in Health and Sciences) to support students of disadvantaged backgrounds with their goal to apply to graduate and/or medical schools.

Something outside of academia you are proud of: Working on my first crocheting project right now, and it does look like a scarf :)

Also an academic PASS mentor
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Samiksha Chopra
- samiksha.chopra@yale.edu
She/her/hers Year 3

Hometown: Los Angeles, California

Undergraduate Institution: UCLA

Gap year activities and length: 2 years, got married, worked as a lab assistant studying cortical/striatal neurons in HD, worked as a scribe in a cardiology clinic.

Identities, affiliations, experiences, and or DEI-related activities you are involved in: Co-leader of SAMOSA

Something outside of academia you are proud of: I love fostering guinea pigs and rabbits with the CT Humane Society
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Kerri Davidson
- kerri.davidson@yale.edu
She/her/hers Year 3

Hometown: London, United Kingdom

Undergraduate Institution: Princeton

Gap year activities and length: 2 years, Research Technician at Fred Hutch Cancer Research Center

Identities, affiliations, experiences, and or DEI-related activities you are involved in: Mentorship for high school and undergrad students interested in healthcare/STEM through Yale organizations such as PATHS and HPREP. I'm also one of the Head Graduate Affiliates for a Yale Residential College. I enjoy being an active member of local/national chapters of SNMA/LMSA and the American Physician Scientists Association (APSA) Virtual Content team.

Something outside of academia you are proud of: Baking and decorating cakes for friends!
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Chelesa Fearce
- chelesa.fearce@yale.edu
She/her/hers Year 5

Hometown: Atlanta, Georgia

Undergraduate Institution: Spelman

Gap year activities and length: 2 year, NIH Post-bac

Identities, affiliations, experiences, and or DEI-related activities you are involved in: Low-income, first generation, African American, HBCU, DICE, CDISJ

Something outside of academia you are proud of: I love to swim and am a huge foodie.
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Kerrie Greene
- kerrie.greene@yale.edu
She/her/hers Year 5

Hometown: Alpharetta, Georgia

Undergraduate Institution: MIT

Identities, affiliations, experiences, and or DEI-related activities you are involved in: Women in Medicine and SNMA

Also an academic Pass Mentor
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Maximillian Greenwald
- maximillian.greenwald@yale.edu
He/him/his Year 3

Hometown: Issaquah, Washington

Undergraduate Institution: Middlebury College

Gap year activities and length: 3 years, 1 was spent backpacking in South and Central America and 2 as an IRTA researcher at NIH

Identities, affiliations, experiences, and or DEI-related activities you are involved in: Anxiety, high BMI

Something outside of academia you are proud of: I just married the love of my life in the summer of 2023! Talk to me about having a serious relationship and family planning during the MD-PhD.
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Ann Johnson, BS
- ann.johnson@yale.edu
She/her/hers Year 5

Undergraduate Institution: Georgia Tech

Gap year activities and length: 1 year, I was a Fulbright scholar researching microbial resistance in India.

Identities, affiliations, experiences, and or DEI-related activities you are involved in: LGBTQIA+, YFLI

Something outside of academia you are proud of: My community

Also an academic PASS mentor
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Linda Lin
- linda.yq.lin@yale.edu
She/her/hers Year 2

Hometown: Zhuhai, China / Brooklyn, New York

Undergraduate Institution: Swarthmore College

Gap year activities and length: I worked as a research assistant at Boston Children's Hospital for 2 years

Identities, affiliations, experiences, and or DEI-related activities you are involved in: I am a co-leader of the YSM first-generation & low-income group (YFLI) and enjoy partaking in mentoring activities at all sorts of levels!

Something outside of academia you are proud of: I still dance a bunch, including with a wonderful dance company I joined during my gap years!
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Sarah Mahoney
- sarah.mahoney@yale.edu
She/her/hers Year 3

Hometown: Smithfield, Rhode Island

Undergraduate Institution: Emory University

Gap year activities and length: 2 years, Worked as a Senior Clinical Informatics Specialist at a company that runs primary care clinic for adults on Medicare.
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Michele Meline
- michele.meline@yale.edu
She/her/hers Year 2

Hometown: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Undergraduate Institution: University of Pennsylvania

Identities, affiliations, experiences, and or DEI-related activities you are involved in: Black, women, first generation-low income, no-gap year.

Something outside of academia you are proud of: I have two cats and love reading!
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Mytien Nguyen
- mytien.nguyen@yale.edu
She/her/hers Year 8

Hometown: Burlington, Vermont

Undergraduate Institution: Cornell University

Gap year activities and length: 2-years, research Master's

Identities, affiliations, experiences, and or DEI-related activities you are involved in: FGLI.

Also an academic PASS mentor
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Ifunanya Okeke
- ifunanya.okeke@yale.edu
She/her/hers Year 2

Hometown: Los Banos, California

Undergraduate Institution: Scripps College

Gap year activities and length: 3 years, basic science research here at Yale!

Identities, affiliations, experiences, and or DEI-related activities you are involved in: Being Black in STEM, rural background, small liberal arts college

Something outside of academia you are proud of: My Strava mileage time!
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Anna Savan
- nahid.savan@yale.edu
She/her/hers Year 2

Hometown: Okemos, Michigan

Undergraduate Institution: Michigan State University

Gap year activities and length: 2 years, postbac research fellowship at the NIH.

Something outside of academia you are proud of: Being a cat mom! & being able to pursue other interests in life that are not science related.
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Julio Silva
- julio.silva@yale.edu
He/him/his Year 7

Hometown: Fresno, California

Undergraduate Institution: UCLA

Gap year activities and length: 2-years and I did HIV research at the Ragon Institute in Boston

Identities, affiliations, experiences, and or DEI-related activities you are involved in: I am an openly gay man, and a first-generation Latino immigrant. I am the only person in my family to go to college.
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Anush Swaminathan
- anush.swaminathan@yale.edu
He/him/his Year 5

Hometown: Edison, New Jersey

Undergraduate Institution: Boston University

Gap year activities and length: 1 year, research at my same lab in undergrad

Identities, affiliations, experiences, and or DEI-related activities you are involved in: Outpatient, DEI mentorship subcommittee, MD-PhD DEI Admissions tab, YSM Admissions Committee

Something outside of academia you are proud of: Mentorship, DEI work.

Also an academic PASS mentor
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Stacy Uchendu
- stacy.uchendu@yale.edu
She/her/hers Year 4

Hometown: Houston, Texas

Undergraduate Institution: Wesleyan University

Gap year activities and length: 3 years, I did research in 2 labs at Yale and did a year of clinical shadowing.

Identities, affiliations, experiences, and or DEI-related activities you are involved in: First-gen/low income, buying a house during training

Something outside of academia you are proud of: I joined MakeHaven because I love learning new creative skills. Currently learning how to do small renovation projects around my house!

Also an academic Pass Mentor
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Deanne Yugawa
- deanne.yugawa@yale.edu
She/her/hers Year 5

Hometown: Kaneohe, Hawaii

Undergraduate Institution: University of Utah

Identities, affiliations, experiences, and or DEI-related activities you are involved in: DEI Committee, APAMSA

Something outside of academia you are proud of: Cooking and Baking!

Also an academic PASS mentor
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