Kaitlyn Hsu, Co-President

Kaitlyn is a third-year medical student at UCSF from Southern California and studied Neuroscience at UCLA. She is excited about the diverse intersections of dermatology with complex medicine and autoimmune conditions as well as neurology, immunology, and pediatrics. She is also passionate about improving community health and lifestyle factors in health outcomes. In her free time, she can be found dabbling in food photography and rating her latest food find, watching documentaries, and reading or walking in Golden Gate Park!

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Joshua Xian, Co-President

Joshua Xian is a third-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, variations in skin disease treatment response, and skin cancer. Outside of medicine, he enjoys cooking, drinking boba, learning languages, exploring tide pools, and visiting aquariums.

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Toyosi Oluwole, Program Director

Toyosi is a third-year medical student from Chicago with a foundation in Medical Anthropology and Global Health and Health Policy from Princeton University. Her academic and clinical interests lie at the intersection of medicine, the humanities, and social determinants of health, where she explores how narratives, art, and societal contexts can illuminate health disparities, enhance diagnostic skills, enrich patient experiences, and inform more effective approaches to care. She is passionate about pediatric dermatology, public health, and global health, with a particular commitment to understanding how social factors shape outcomes for marginalized communities in the United States and abroad. During her free time, Toyosi enjoys discovering new restaurants, exploring coastal hikes, and seeking out her next favorite travel destination.

Asmaa Mahoui, Program Director

Asmaa Mahoui is currently a 3rd year medical student at UCSF. She was raised in Indianapolis and studied International Studies and Biology at Indiana University. Her interests lie in dermatologic health equity, patient advocacy, and medical education which also was the focus of her Master's research at UC Berkeley School of Public Health. Outside of medical school, you can find her playing tennis, reading fiction books, spending time at the beach, and trying spicy food with friends and family.

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Gabrielle Arkema, Communications Director

Gabrielle Arkema is a second-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!

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Alex Ha, Secretary

Alex Ha is a third-year medical student at UCSF. Originally from San Diego, CA, his current interests lie in the intersection of dermatology and environmental health, with a particular focus on inflammatory skin diseases and the impact of air pollution on skin integrity. He is passionate about exploring how environmental factors contribute to chronic skin conditions and how dermatologic care can address these challenges. In his free time, he enjoys trying new restaurants, cooking, and staying active at the gym.

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Alina Feng, Elective Coordinator

Alina Feng is a second-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!

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Lia Bizuneh, Elective Coordinator

Lia Bizuneh is a third-year medical student at UCSF currently spending her gap year completing a dermatology research fellowship at Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital. She is from the Bay Area and studied Public Health at UC Berkeley. Her interests include dermatology, global health, and health equity. She is passionate about improving access to dermatologic care for underserved communities and studying complex skin conditions across diverse populations. In her free time, she enjoys reading science fiction, painting nature, and walking in Golden Gate Park.

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Josh Perez, Elective Coordinator

Josh Perez (he/him) is a first-year medical student at UCSF. He is from Stockton, California, and earned his Bachelor of Science in Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics at UCLA, where he spent six years living in Los Angeles. His interests lie at the intersection of dermatology, community-centered care, and identity-conscious medicine. He is passionate about making dermatologic care more accessible for underserved and queer communities while empowering patients to feel confident in their own skin. In his free time, he enjoys hosting pop-up coffee shops, having friends over for dinner, and going on runs around Golden Gate Park.

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Nicole Huang, Elective Coordinator

Nicole Huang is a first-year medical student in the MD-PhD program at UCSF. She is from the Bay Area and studied Human Biology and Society at UCLA. Her interests are in autoimmune dermatologic conditions and its relation to quality of life, co-morbidities, hormonal health, and precision medicine. She is also passionate about translational immunology, health literacy, and patient advocacy. In her free time, she's a big fan of trying new restaurants and cafes, hiking, painting, and baking!

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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!