, Co-President

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, Co-President

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, Communications Director

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, Program Director

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, Program Director

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, Elective Coordinator

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, Elective Coordinator

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, Secretary

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Brook Abegaze, Co-President

Brook Abegaze grew up in Dallas, TX where he practiced as a physician assistant for a community clinic in southeast Dallas. In his practice he noted how patients with Medicaid were unable to receive timely referrals to see specialist physicians and opted to receive further training to provide care to these patients. While in medical school, he developed an interest in dermatology and basic science research. He is currently a 4th year medical student at UCSF studying keratinocyte stem cell and committed progenitor division kinetics. In his free time he enjoys lifting weights as often as possible and running very occasionally.

Xiaochen Zhong, Co-President

Xiaochen Zhong is a third-year medical student at UCSF from Shenzhen, China and Vancouver, Canada. She is interested in geriatric dermatology, melanoma research, and the medical humanities. She is excited about addressing care gaps for older adults in the field of dermatology through research and advocacy. Her year-long internship at the Metropolitan Museum of Art solidified her commitment to continue to explore the intersection between the arts and health. She is excited to facilitate collaborations between medical and art institutions here in San Francisco. Outside of school, you can find her roaming around various museums, fairs, and bookstores in the city!

Rojina Nekoonam, Communications Director

Rojina Nekoonam is a 4th-year UCSF medical student from Fresno, California, a medically underserved community where access to dermatological care was scarce. Witnessing the profound impact of disparities in skin cancer detection and care, she became deeply committed to advocacy, channeling her experiences into a drive for systemic policy change. Alongside her advocacy, Rojina is deeply committed to research, focusing on the mutational burden in pre-cancerous cells. She hopes to uncover the molecular pathways that drive skin cancer progression, aiming to develop more effective treatments and preventive strategies tailored to the unique needs of communities of color. In her free time, she enjoys hiking and capturing the beauty of the outdoors through nature photography.

Chloe Sales, Program Director

Chloe Sales is a 4th-year medical student at UCSF. Her passions lie in global dermatology, AI in dermatology, and medical journalism. She hopes to combine her passions for global health equity and journalistic writing to enhance patient knowledge and awareness of skin disease. She is particularly interested in researching and shedding light on how AI might reflect, reduce, or address well-known disparities in dermatologic care, especially in underserved global communities. In her free time, she enjoys reading, yoga, and early morning hikes.

Lindsay Tao, Program Director

Lindsay Tao is a third year medical student at UCSF. She was born and raised in Cupertino, CA before studying English, Molecular and Cellular Biology, and Psychology at Johns Hopkins. Her current interests lie in the intersection of neurology, immunology, and dermatology, as well as pediatric dermatology and the medical humanities. She is passionate about mental health and is particularly interested in dermatology due to the visible nature of dermatologic conditions and its subsequent psychological burden. In her free time she enjoys baking intricate layer cakes, reading and writing poetry, and watching the newest films from A24.

Joshua Xian, Elective Coordinator

Joshua Xian is a second-year medical student from the Bay Area and studied Physiological Science at UCLA. He is interested in inflammatory skin conditions and their relation to systemic conditions like cardiovascular disease, as well as dermatologic oncology. Outside of medicine, he enjoys cooking, drinking boba, learning languages, exploring tide pools, and visiting aquariums.

Philip Shih, Secretary

Philip Shih is a 3rd-year medical student at UCSF from Sacramento, California interested in imaging, AI, and clinical decision support systems. He is exploring data-driven approaches for informing workflows in patient care and providing insight on factors that may influence skin health. In his free time, he enjoys playing the piano, swimming while applying water-resistant sunscreen every 45 minutes, and exploring small shops in the Mission District.

Alina Feng, Elective Coordinator

Alina Feng is a first-year medical student at UCSF. She is from the Bay Area and studied Cell and Molecular Biology at Duke. Her interests lie at the intersection of health policy, immunology, and dermatology. She is passionate about challenges to accessibility and affordability for patients with chronic autoimmune conditions. In her free time, she enjoys running, hiking, travelling, and trying new coffee shops in the city!

Gabrielle Arkema, Elective Coordinator

Gabrielle Arkema is a first-year medical student at UCSF. She is from Washington, D.C., and studied Medical Anthropology and Biology at Case Western Reserve University. She is interested in the intersection between global health, environmental health, and dermatology. She is also passionate about improving accessibility to dermatology care in communities of Color. While not in class, Gabby loves to explore the Bay Area, go on hikes, and eat at new spots in the city!