About Us

Eric is a second year medical student at the University of Pennsylvania. Eric grew up in Albuquerque, NM and graduated from Harvard College in 2018 with a degree in Chemical and Physical biology. Eric believes that no applicant’s dreams of entering medicine should be denied because valuable information was locked behind paywalls. Eric was inspired to start the UpLIFT project in his first year of medical school after realizing that he and his fellow medical students could address these major disparities in access to critical information about medical school admissions by creating an open-source guide.

Michaela grew up in a rural town in southern New Jersey and now lives in Philadelphia. She studied global health at Georgetown University before coming to the University of Pennsylvania to pursue a dual MD/MPH degree. Michaela is also one of the leaders of the First Generation, Low Income (FGLI) student affinity group at the Perelman School of Medicine and has established a podcast with two other leaders of this organization. The podcast is called Med Legs: Finding Your Footing As A First Generation and/or Low Income Student in Medicine, and it serves as a platform for FGLI students to find community and advice when navigating their own careers in medicine. As someone who has had to figure out much of her journey in higher education on her own, Michaela is passionate about ensuring the success of other first generation and low income students in medicine. 

Cheyenne grew up in Sterling, VA and received a BS in Biology from the College of William and Mary. As the first in her family to obtain a college degree, she has been inspired to participate in many diversity and inclusion efforts including co-leading Penn LIFT US UP (Low Income and First Time Undergraduate Students at the University of Pennsylvania), the first recognized FGLI affinity group at Penn Med.  She also engages with amazing first-generation students throughout Philadelphia public schools as a high-school tutor and health educator.  Professionally, she is pursuing a career in Urology and hopes to utilize her Certificates in Medical Education and Academic Surgery to address the needs of underrepresented learners throughout their medical careers. Cheyenne believes that The UpLIFT Project addresses the critical need for open-access and reliable guidance on pursuing a career in medicine, and hopes that ultimately this project fosters the success of students from first-gen backgrounds like hers. 

Charlotte is from Atlanta, Georgia and studied Biomedical Engineering at Georgia Tech prior to starting medical school at the University of Pennsylvania. Her experiences growing up amidst Atlanta’s 11-year life expectancy gap piqued her interest in urban public health, particularly as it relates to challenges in housing and public education. She is passionate about promoting STEM experiences in under-represented communities and has enjoyed maintaining longitudinal relationships with students over the years. She joined the UpLIFT Team in pursuit of paying forward the mentorship and resources granted to her during her own application cycle.

Hasan grew up in Northern Virginia, and recently graduated summa cum laude from the University of California, Berkeley, with a B.S. in Bioengineering and a B.S. in Business Administration. He is currently a first year medical student at the University of Pennsylvania. While applying to medical school, Hasan realized how difficult and inaccessible some parts of the application process are, especially for individuals who haven’t found the right mentors and resources. He joined UpLIFT with hopes of helping others successfully navigate and apply to medical school. Outside of medicine, Hasan is an avid runner, amateur cyclist, and aspiring chef. 

Anusha grew up moving frequently between Louisiana, India, and Wisconsin. These varied environments shaped her interest in the diversity of humanity across the globe – diversity of language, culture, and health. This interest led Anusha to study Molecular Biology, Anthropology, and African Studies at the University of Wisconsin; she is now a first-year medical student at the University of Pennsylvania. Anusha’s experiences thus far taught her the value of diversity of experience and the consequent necessity for equity; this is what drove her to join the UpLIFT team. Through this project, Anusha hopes to contribute to increasing representation of underrepresented groups in the medical field.

Lori was born and raised in Dallas, Texas. She graduated from Yale University with a B.S. in Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry, and is currently a first-year medical student at the University of Pennsylvania. Lori is drawn to issues of access, particularly in the fields of higher education and healthcare services. She is a longtime mentor and tutor for girls in STEM, and is a passionate advocate of ACO, free clinic, and value-based care work. Lori is excited to be part of the UpLIFT Team and to help make medical education more accessible to all.

Angela grew up in Upstate New York. After graduating from Wharton with a B.S. in Economics, she spent a year studying Global Affairs at Tsinghua University in Beijing, China as a Schwarzman Scholar. Now, she is a second-year MD/PhD student at the University of Pennsylvania, with research interests in health care access, aging, and global health systems. Her experiences with applying to and moving through education systems made her realize how opaque the training path may be, and she hopes that UpLIFT can help increase accessibility to the medical profession. 

Fahad was born and raised in South Florida and is currently a first year medical student at the Perelman School of Medicine. He also graduated from the University of Pennsylvania in 2020 with a bachelor’s degree in Health Communications. During his undergraduate years, Fahad was involved in founding a college consulting company that focused on making undergraduate admissions mentorship more accessible. He now hopes to use that experience to assist students who are considering the field of medicine through UpLIFT. Having realized the importance of mentors in his own medical school admissions process, Fahad is motivated to reach a diverse range of students and hopes to play a role in making medical career dreams a reality. 

Sally graduated with an AB degree from Harvard University in 2020 and grew up in Chicago, Illinois. Long-recognizing that there are significant obstacles which deprive low-income students from accessing the resources needed for their success, Sally is passionate about educational equity and bridging gaps for under-represented students in medicine. She is really looking forward to spearheading the development of a podcast through which students, regardless of background, have equitable access to resources that allow for their professional success. Outside of these pursuits, she enjoys drawing, singing, writing and engaging in all forms of artistic expression.