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FUN FACTS about our new MD-PhD students!

July 29, 2024

Read their fun facts and see their pictures!

We have a bumper crop of 23 students joining the program in a couple short weeks, with FOUR students already here on campus doing early rotations and START. Here are some fun facts about them:

Alan Cooper

Undergraduate Institution: University of Chicago
Undergraduate Major(s): Biological Sciences
Fun Fact: I have a twin brother, who is doing a PhD in Math at Northwestern in Chicago. My moving to New Haven is the first time we won't be living in the same city. We hope our interests will converge and we can one day collaborate on a paper.

Alexandra Dumas

Undergraduate Institution: University of Pennsylvania
Undergraduate Major(s): Bioengineering
Fun Fact: I created a small matcha blog for my friends highlighting the best matcha lattes in Philadelphia!

Allison Brattley

Undergraduate Institution: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Undergraduate Major(s): Physics; Brain & Cognitive Science
Fun Fact: I love spending time with and taking care of my cat EJ! He has nine teeth, three legs, FIV, and failing kidneys, but he is super sweet and loves being around his people. EJ was originally a foster animal. However, as I discovered his unique and lovable personality, I realized I couldn't part with him and had to keep him as my own.

Charlotta Lebedenko

Undergraduate Institution: Fordham University
Undergraduate Major(s): Chemistry; Philosophy
Fun Fact: I traveled in South America during the summer before medical school, and my new favorite fruit is chirimoya!

Chloe Hicks

Undergraduate Institution: Duke University
Undergraduate Major(s): Biology
Fun Fact: I accidentally went down a black diamond during my first day ever skiing

Colin Frazier

Undergraduate Institution: University of Maryland-College Park
Undergraduate Major(s): Psychology; History
Fun Fact: Recently I backpacked from Bologna to Florence in Italy, about 80 miles distance. I certainly enjoyed the journey but will not be planning another backpacking trip anytime soon!

Collin Link

Undergraduate Institution: St. Ambrose University
Undergraduate Major(s): Biology
Fun Fact: In my leisure time, I enjoy making homemade pizza and pasta. I find the art and science of baking rewarding, challenging, and fun! A few of my favorite creations to date include cacio e pepe, pan pizza, and spicy rigatoni.

Diego Perez Aracena

Undergraduate Institution: Fordham University
Undergraduate Major(s): Integrative Neuroscience - Cell and Molecular
Fun Fact: I was on the 20 person crew that rigged the longest highline on the East Coast, a 400-meter line, about a quarter mile. I walked this line, suspended 150 meters above the treeline, after my team and I rigged anchor points between two mountain peaks. My dream is to someday walk highly exposed lines in the Canyons of Moab.

Eric Penichet

Undergraduate Institution: University of Southern California
Undergraduate Major(s): Neuroscience; Psychology
Fun Fact: My friends and I had a pet rabbit in college named Kofi (short for the Russian composer 'Prokofiev') who now resides with my parents.

Evan Casalino

Undergraduate Institution: Harvard University
Undergraduate Major(s): Neuroscience
Fun Fact: I love to travel, especially to places where I can scuba dive. I've dived in caves, shipwrecks, and coral reefs ranging from Mexico to Indonesia. I also love trying new foods from around the world, and will almost never order the same thing twice at a restaurant if there are still new options left to try.

Haru Yamamoto

Undergraduate Institution: University of California-Berkeley
Undergraduate Major(s): Molecular and Cell Biology
Fun Fact: Hi everyone! My name is Haru and a fun fact about me is that my apartment in New Haven will be the 21st(!) house that I've moved to in my life (in 22 years)! Growing up back and forth between Japan and the US, I never lived in a single location for more than 5 years- New Haven will literally become the longest place that I have ever lived in once I graduate. I come from a big family, with 3 sisters and 3 dogs, who calls many places home: Nagoya, Michigan, Indiana, Yokohama, and San Francisco. Now starting a new life on the East Coast, I am extremely excited to meet so many new people and explore the wonderful city that I will be calling my newest home for the foreseeable future.

Henna Nam

Undergraduate Institution: University of Chicago
Undergraduate Major(s): Biological Sciences
Fun Fact: In the summer and fall, I'm always up for a hike and/or a picnic!

Jacob Miller

Undergraduate Institution: University of Southern California
Undergraduate Major(s): Biochemistry
Fun Fact: I am a flying trapeze artist and have performed with a circus!

Jovan Stanisavic
Undergraduate Insti
tution: University of Chicago
Undergraduate Major(s): Biological Sciences
Fun Fact: Growing up in Serbia, I spent my childhood playing all kinds of sports with my friends, from basketball and soccer to swimming and skiing. Some of my childhood friends even grew up to become professional basketball players and coaches. Today, I love both playing and watching basketball, running, weightlifting, skiing, as well as trying new activities. This summer, I will take golfing lessons with my dad and learn the game that so many of my friends enjoy. Later this summer, I will also go whitewater rafting and canyoning with friends in the beautiful Tara River Canyon on the border between Montenegro and Bosnia. At Yale, I hope to stay active by participating in intramural sports and going on skiing trips on the East Coast with my classmates!

Juan Ruiz

Undergraduate Institution: Boston University
Undergraduate Major(s): Biology; Philosophy
Fun Fact: I will spend part of the summer before school starts rebuilding the horse stable on my farm so we can get new animals (explanation for the photo I uploaded).

Ken Lee

Undergraduate Institution: Washington University in St. Louis
Undergraduate Major(s): Biochemistry
Fun Fact: I was in the fifth grade for 1.5 years.

Lina Mohammed Ali

Undergraduate Institution: Washington University in St. Louis
Undergraduate Major(s): Biology
Fun Fact: I grew up in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates in a family of Sudanese immigrants.

Lydia Fozo

Undergraduate Institution: Johns Hopkins University
Undergraduate Major(s): Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering
Fun Fact: I help take care of 7 cows and over 100 chickens on my parents farm.

Madeline McKean

Undergraduate Institution: Middlebury College
Undergraduate Major(s): Neuroscience
Fun Fact: I was born without a thyroid!

Sebastian Benavidez

Undergraduate Institution: University of Southern California
Undergraduate Major(s): Neuroscience
Fun Fact: I thought I always wanted to be a celebrity, but that all changed one fateful day while voyaging through the Alaskan Inside Passage. Last summer, I went on an Alaskan cruise and played in their Sea Day Texas Hold ‘em Tournament. Being a novice player, I didn’t expect to do well, but I ended up winning the ship-wide tournament! From then on, I became the most famous person on board, rivaling even country music star Toby Keith (who was also a passenger). From this, however, I realized that fame wasn’t for me, as I struggled to handle the constant attention and fan interactions (mostly people saying good job and shooting me finger guns from across the deck). It was a wild ride, but it showed me that sometimes, staying out of the spotlight can be just as satisfying!

Stephanie Deng

Undergraduate Institution: Cornell University
Undergraduate Major(s): Human Biology, Health, and Society
Fun Fact: I'm the oldest of 6 kids in my family! Since I come from a pretty big family, I really enjoy spending time with them and enjoy sharing family traditions (e.g., lots and lots of dumpling parties) with friends and colleagues when I'm away from family for school/work.

Timothy Mehrmann

Undergraduate Institution: University of Massachusetts-Amherst
Undergraduate Major(s): Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
Fun Fact: One fact about myself is that I have four brothers.

Zoe Posner

Undergraduate Institution: Yale University
Undergraduate Major(s): Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology
Fun Fact: I spent this summer backpacking the Camino, a 500mi route through Spain!