MEET THE 2021-22 EXECUTIVE BOARD
PRESIDENT
Amelia Curtis
PRESIDENT
Ayaka Uehara
Ayaka is a senior from Allendale, NJ. She is majoring in Biochemistry with minors in Mathematics and Spanish for the Health Professions, with the hope of attending medical school in the future. Since joining the AED family in fall of 2019, she has served as Vice President and Service Chair, which have given her more of an appreciation of the collaborative, supportive, and truly inspiring AED community. Outside of AED, Ayaka is a medical scribe for the UNC Hospitals Emergency Department, a Spanish medical interpreter at the Student Health Action Coalition, and a research assistant at the Johnson Lab working in organic chemical synthesis. In her free time, you can find Ayaka baking/cooking, visiting the local farmer’s market, or painting!
VICE PRESIDENT
Ayaka Uehara
VICE PRESIDENT
Annie Thomas
Annie is a senior from Davidson, NC majoring in Biology with minors in Chemistry and History. Annie joined AED in Fall 2020 and has found herself in awe of the poise, work ethic, and heart of all her AED siblings. She loves how AED has given her such a big group of friends to socialize with and get advice from; she cannot speak enough on the positive impact AED has had on her time at Carolina! After graduating, Annie plans to go to PA school and hopefully have multiple 'careers' in different fields of medicine while working in rural counties. In her hometown, she works as a geriatric care aide in a Memory Care unit for residents with Alzheimer’s and dementia. She will be working as a medical assistant at a pediatric clinic in Chapel Hill beginning this fall. Outside of AED, Annie serves as Co President of Public Health 360, works as a CHEM 430 peer mentor, and is a member of UNC’s Club tennis team. In her free time, she loves to perfect her chocolate chip cookie recipe, use photoshop, go to sporting events, play trivia at local coffee shops, and run!
VICE PRESIDENT
Virginia Tanner
VICE PRESIDENT
Nishitha Karumuri
Nishitha is a senior from Huntersville, NC majoring in Health Policy Management with minors in Business Administration and Urban Studies. After graduation, she hopes to work in healthcare management or consulting. Nishitha joined AED in the Fall of 2019 and has loved the open, welcoming community AED provides her with. Outside of AED, Nishitha serves as a Kenan Scholars Leadership Council Member, BSPH HPM Program Assistant, Elks National Foundation At Large Member for the Student Advisory Board, and Student Assistant for the Osteoarthritis Action Alliance. Outside academics, she is a social caffeinator, loves to thrift, paint, and listen to podcasts..
SECRETARY
Elizabeth Banyas
Elizabeth Banyas is a sophomore from Ellicott City, MD. She is double majoring in Neuroscience and Biology while minoring in Chemistry. Ultimately, she aspires to be a medical scientist. Since joining AED, Elizabeth has sincerely enjoyed being a part of a compassionate, likeminded, and dedicated pre-health community! Outside of AED, Elizabeth is involved in research at the UNC SOM Institute of Global Health and Infectious Disease as well as at the Johns Hopkins University SOM Department of Anesthesia and Critical Care Medicine. Elizabeth also serves as a TA for Dr. Hammer’s 105i class, volunteers in the pediatric emergency department, and is a soprano in the UNC Chamber Singers. In her free time you can find Elizabeth on the quad, dreaming of future scuba trips, curating her Spotify playlists, or playing the piano!
Ogugua “O.G.” Nwaezeigwe is a junior from Charleston, SC. She majors in Neuroscience with a minor in Spanish for the Medical Professions and
Entrepreneurship. She joined AED in the fall of 2020 because she wanted to find a family-like community with similar goals during COVID-19 (and she did!). Her AED experience has been the highlight of her college experience thus far, and some of her favorite memories have been created with AED members. She is incredibly grateful for the friends she has made and the different perspectives offered on medicine. After graduating, she plans to take another gap year with the Russian Flagship Program before pursuing an MD/Ph.D. Lastly, outside of AED, O.G. can be found doing research, working for ResNET, eating açaí, sleeping, reading, or in Davis Library.
TREASURER
Ogugua Nwaezeigwe
NEW MEMBER COORDINATOR
Manuela Uppalapati
Manuela is a Junior from Morrisville, NC majoring in Health Policy and Management and Biology on the pre-med track. Since joining AED her freshman year Manuela has fallen in love with the supportive, collaborative and fun environment of the club. She is beyond excited to serve as NMC this year and welcome the new members. Outside of AED Manuela serves as the Formal Affairs chair for Carolina For The Kids, the Vice-President of A Moment of Magic, works as a CNA, does biology research at the Williams Lab, and has served as a Biology peer mentor. In her free time she loves going on coffee or boba dates and long drives.
NEW MEMBER COORDINATOR
Alison Pond
Alison is a senior from Wilmington, NC, majoring in Biology and Psychology with a minor in Women & Gender Studies. Alison joined AED as a sophomore in the Fall of 2020 at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, and has been continually impressed by the hard work, dedication, and commitment that each member gives to this organization. She is both excited and beyond grateful to serve on the executive board during her last year. Alison plans to take a gap year before pursuing a master’s degree in Genetic Counseling after graduating from UNC. Outside of AED, Alison serves as the Cosmetics Coordinator for A Moment of Magic at UNC, is a member of the Campus Y LGBTQ Center, and holds a work-study position in the Deshmukh Lab, in which she studies neuronal apoptosis and its effects on neurodegenerative disease. In her free-time, she enjoys roller skating, playing Dungeons & Dragons, and attending women’s soccer games!
SOCIAL CHAIR
Kailee Zeltner
Kailee is a senior from Charlotte, NC. She’s a Chemistry major with minors in Statistics & Analytics and Neuroscience. Outside of AED Kailee serves as a Physical Chemistry Peer Mentor and has been a Calc 3 ULA and Math Help Center Tutor in the past. After graduation Kailee hopes to either begin working in quantitative chemistry research, enter the pharmaceutical industry and drug development, or get involved in statistical consulting. Outside of class Kailee loves the outdoors and hiking, and is well underway a goal of hiking every North Carolina state park. She also loves running and cycle classes and can always be found checking out a new ice cream shop in town.
SOCIAL CHAIR
Max Field
Max is a Junior from Asheville, NC and is majoring in Biology with minors in Chemistry and Chinese. He’s a member of the fall 2020 pledge class and has loved being a part of this AED family ever since! The relationships he has made have had a profound impact on his UNC experience and he greatly appreciates the compassion and kindness his fellow AED members have shown him since freshman year. Outside of AED, Max is on the pre-med track and is interested in pursing a surgically related specialty. He is also a research assistant at the Cook lab where he works on Western blots and analyzes how disruptions within the cell division cycle affect genome stability. Max has volunteered at UNC Hospitals’ Burn Center, interned in a Biology 101 lab, and participated in men’s intramural basketball. This summer he has been working as a medical assistant at a orthopedic urgent clinic and shadowed a dermatologist. Beyond school, Max likes to check out new restaurants, play pick-up basketball, devour entire pints of ice cream, spend way too much time in Davis, and occasionally ride his longboard around campus.
SERVICE CHAIR
Mason Murray
Mason is a Junior from Asheville, NC. She is majoring in Biology with minors in Chemistry and Anthropology, and hopes to eventually earn her MD to work in Oncology. She joined AED in the Fall of 2021 and loves the supportive community and environment that AED has provided! The friendships that she has made through AED will be lifelong, and she is so grateful to be a part of this organization. Outside of AED, she is a research assistant at the Button Lab, is the Vice President of STEM Sisters, a member of greek life, and has served as a BIOL 101 peer mentor. When she's not studying, she loves to hike, whip up some cookies, travel, and workout.
SERVICE CHAIR
Brandon Yoo
Brandon is a junior from Robbinsville, NJ majoring in Neuroscience and minoring in Medicine, Literature, and Culture. Since joining in the spring of 2021, he has enjoyed every moment spent with his AED family. Brandon always finds himself inspired and amazed by his AED peers and is eager to serve as their Service Chair this year. Outside of school, Brandon volunteers with Camp Kesem and UNC’s Pediatric Oncology Clinic, mentors break leaders as an APPLES Alternative Break Chair, and works as an EMT. His other interests include playing guitar, snowboarding, black coffee (decaf), airplane naps, talking about his dog, working out, and sandwiches. He really enjoys sandwiches—especially blogging about said sandwiches.
PHILANTHROPY CHAIR
Claire Blackman
Claire is a junior studying nutrition on the science and research track from Pfafftown, NC. She also has minors in chemistry and statistics. Claire is interested in getting her masters in public health after graduating from UNC, and she is a research assistant in the UNC department of epidemiology. Claire is also the president of the UNC Women’s Recreational Lacrosse Team where she gets to continue playing lacrosse with her friends, and she is a nutrition intern for the Olympic Sports division of Carolina Athletics. Claire also is an ambassador for the Nutrition BSPH major. This past summer, Claire studied abroad in Greece where she traveled to Athens, Santorini, Crete, and more! Claire loves to travel, go hiking, and try new things! Fun fact: skydiving and windsurfing are on Claire’s bucket list!
PHILANTHROPY CHAIR
Joojoo Rahim
Joojoo is a sophomore on the Health Policy and Management track from Raleigh, NC. She has a passion for helping others and ensuring that her community is a safe place where everyone feels welcomed. Joojoo aspires to continue her education after undergrad and go on to get her PhD. Within the Carolina community, Joojoo participates a lot with the Honors school and research endeavors. As a member of the AED family, she enjoys the tight-knit family environment and is looking forward to working with her peers to better her environment. She is currently working with a professor at the UNC Medical School on a paper about HIV within the NC Prison system and is also in the process of writing her own paper set to be published in the fall. Joojoo loves to play and watch sports, spend time with her friends and family, travel and shop!
HISTORIAN
Anna Feng
Anna is a junior from Apex, NC majoring in Nutrition Science and Research with minors in Neuroscience and Medicine, Literature, and Culture. Since joining AED in the Fall of her sophomore year, Anna has found a family in the kind, open-minded, and dedicated community that AED creates around its members. AED has introduced her to a wide range of pre-health interests and perspectives — broadening her definition of what caring for health encompasses — as well as some of her best friends. Outside of AED, Anna is involved with the Health Humanities Journal at UNC and HOSA-Future Health Professionals. Her second home is either UNC's Davis Library or the local Starbucks, drinking an absurd amount of coffee and cramming for exams with her best friends. She loves running on the UNC trails, experimenting with new recipes, going on coffee tours, and road trips — especially if there's a concert at the end.