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Pre-Med

 

Welcome to the Mather premed community!

 

Mather Pre-Med Email List

Please sign up for our email list to stay up to date with your Mather premedical team. If you are graduating this year or have already graduated, please use a non-Harvard email or email you will retain access to once you graduate to sign up for the email list, as it is the primary way through which the premed tutors will be in touch.

 

Email List link: https://web.lists.fas.harvard.edu/mailman/lists/premed_mather-list.lists.fas.harvard.edu/

 

Mather Pre-Med Timeline

Here is the comprehensive Mather medical school application timeline. This is meant to be a guide for you to understand the key milestones in the application process. There is a lot here! Do not hesitate out to the premedical team if you have questions regarding how your path to medicine fits into this timeline or if you are feeling overwhelmed.

 

Mather medical school application timeline link: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1vAyg1Ej9CKTns-9GdJ2pUWCE_lMyvFw61JvnKFQ95XY/edit?usp=sharing

 

 

Other Resources

Academics:

  • MCS premedical guide: this is particularly helpful for identifying the key course requirements and Harvard classes satisfying these requirements

 

MCAT:

  • See MCS premedical guide above for general information on MCAT studying and official practice tests, as well as instructions on registering

  • AAMC prep guide

 

Extracurriculars:

 

Application:

  • Application overview from MCS including tips on AMCAS, letters of recommendation, etc. 

  • Mather Premed Questionnaire: This is the official Mather Premed Questionnaire which you will be asked to fill out before you begin your AMCAS application to medical school. 

 

Premed Tutors + Bios

 

Name: Faraz Alizadeh, MD 

Position: Pediatric Cardiology Fellow 

Email: FarazAlizadeh@fas.harvard.edu  

Hometown: Las Vegas, NV 

Undergraduate University: UCLA, Integrative Biology and Physiology, 2012 

Medical School: Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Class of 2017 

Residency: Pediatrics - Boston Children's Hospital & Boston Medical Center 

Fellowship: Pediatric Cardiology - Boston Children's Hospital 

#1 piece of Advice to a premed student: The path to be a doctor is a very long one (I won’t finish all my medical training until I am 36 years old!) so make sure you are doing things you love at every step of the way. Don't just join a club or do research because it is something you have to do to check a box. Join clubs, do research, take classes that bring you joy. Take a gap year to follow a passion project. If you do that, not only will you have a better time along the path to becoming a doctor, you will stand out on your med school application and the admissions committee will be able to get a sense of who you really are. 

Additional Information: I moved from NYC to Boston in 2017 for my pediatrics residency and I am currently in my third and final year of Pediatric Cardiology Fellowship at Boston Children's Hospital. Next year I will be starting a two year Pediatric Critical Care Fellowship next year with the ultimate goal of becoming a Pediatric Cardiac Intensivist. In medical school I took a gap year to work on a variety of public health projects in Uganda. Between residency and fellowship, I took another gap year working with Partners in Health in Rwanda on developing an e-Learning curriculum to decentralize heart failure from the capital city to rule districts. Outside of my clinical practice, I do research on health disparities. My current research project is on the role of social determinants of health and outcomes/utilization of ECMO (a form of heart and lung life support). I am also part of various educational initiatives in the hospital to bring awareness to the role of systemic racism on pediatric health outcomes. I also have significant interest in medical education and pediatric palliative care. Last year I was a tutor for the HMS Essentials Medicine I course and this year I will tutor Essentials Medicine I & II.

 

Name: Logan Beyer 

Position: MD & PhD Student 

Email: logan.n.beyer@gmail.com  

Hometown: New Bern, NC 

Undergraduate University: Duke, Program II (self-designed major in Child Development), 2017 

Medical/Graduate School: Harvard Medical School & Harvard School of Public Health, MD/PhD Program, Class of 2028 

#1 piece of Advice to a premed student: If you are doing something (outside of class) because you feel you have to and not because it matters to you, you are doing the wrong thing. There are so many ways to find your place in the world of medicine. The key to finding success is to seek joy, and that starts now. 

Additional Information: Reach out to me to learn about paths to medicine if you are interested in health equity, disability rights, public health, and especially anything related to the well-being of children! In undergrad, I was deeply involved in the world of public service - schools, hospitals, community programming, government offices, all of it. I also did research in autism and anxiety, the transition from pediatric to adult health care for young adults with intellectual disabilities, and global child health with indigenous communities in Guatemala. After graduation, I spent two years working in affordable housing construction (hardhat, power tools, etc) with the AmeriCorps program. Now, as an MD/PhD student, my research centers on neighborhood influences on child health and health equity, and my extracurriculars are all wrapped up in disability and pediatric advocacy. My goal is to be a pediatrician (most likely primary care or emergency peds), a social epidemiologist, and an advocate for social justice. I am an expert in nothing except following your heart and your values -- but if that speaks to you and is how you are trying to find your path in healthcare, I'd so love to talk and learn alongside you :) 

 

Name: Siva Emani, MS 

Position: Medical Student 

Email: semani@hms.harvard.edu  

Hometown: Newton, MA 

Undergraduate University: Harvard, Chemistry/Physics + Bioengineering, 2021 

Medical School: Harvard Medical School – Pathways program, Class of 2025 

#1 piece of Advice to a premed student: The best thing you can do to convince yourself you want to do medicine is to explore how it makes you feel to take care of people -- to empower someone towards their own goals for health and happiness. 

Additional Information: Hi! My name is Siva and I’m a third year medical student and aspiring general surgeon interested in low-cost medical technology and quantitative approaches to medical innovation. In undergrad, I studied chemistry/physics and bioengineering, served as a case manager (and now board member) at a youth homeless shelter and fostered spaces for reflection as president of the Hindu Students' Association. I love talking about all things STEM, narrative approaches to medicine, expanding healthcare access for marginalized groups, and personal wellness practices. 

 

Name: Mauricio Garcia 

Position: Medical Student 

Email: mauricio_garcia@hms.harvard.edu  

Hometown: Los Angeles, CA 

Undergraduate University: Harvard College, Molecular and Cellular Biology, 2020 

Medical School: Harvard Medical School, Health Sciences and Technology Program, Class of 2026 

#1 piece of Advice to a premed student: Try your best to enjoy the process. It will make your long journey through medical training more enjoyable and rewarding. 

Additional Information: I was a first-generation college graduate, and am the first person in my family to attend medical school. My undergraduate and gap year involvement included a variety of research experiences: ranging from developmental biology and technology development at HMS, to cancer immunotherapy research in Switzerland. As an undergraduate, I was also involved in public service through PBHA and led some global health efforts through organizations on campus. I am interested in a career in ophthalmology, particularly because of its exciting research. I am currently working in a laboratory at Mass. Eye and Ear that aims to better understand the genetic factors contributing to the development of glaucoma in patients. 

 

 

Name: Nicole Gilette 

Position: MD/PhD Student 

Email: Nicole_gilette@hms.harvard.edu  

Hometown: Audubon, PA 

Undergraduate University: Widener University, Biology & Biochemistry; Spanish Minor, 2016

Medical/Graduate School: Harvard Medical School & Massachusetts Institute of Technology MD/PhD Class of 2027 

#1 piece of Advice to a premed student: take a gap year (and honestly, take two) 

Additional Information: I did NOT always know I wanted to be a doctor/go to medical school (gasp!). I was really into anatomy & physiology and had been a dancer for all of my pre-college life, so I actually intended to join a doctorate of physical therapy program until about junior year of college. It was doing undergraduate research with a generous and invested mentor that made me rethink all of my plans. During undergrad, I spent a lot of time in lab, played piano with a chamber music group, volunteered at the Boys & Girls Club of Chester PA, and served as president of the Widener Student Government Association. I took two years after college to work as a research assistant with Elizabeth Engle MD at Boston Children's hospital (gap years = best decision I ever made btw!). Then, I looked towards MD/PhD programs. I was the first of my immediate family to go to college, though, and the first in my larger extended family to go to graduate school, so the process of deciding and actually applying to a medical/science training program was not only confusing to me but challenging to explain to my family. Now I am happy to say I am a super fulfilled PhD student (yes they exist!). I have an incredible mentor and lab mates, and am studying how proteins involved in the molecular circadian clock are involved in pre-synaptic function. I'm intending to apply to pediatric neurology residency programs, and do intend to balance clinical care and research for as long as I can. Outside of professional interests, I love to hike in the White Mountains, make espresso, cook, bake scones, read fantasy novels (send me suggestions!), hang with my cats and listen to/play music. 

 

Name: Cat Hua 

Position: Medical Student 

Email: Catherine_hua@hms.harvard.edu  

Hometown: Brooklyn, NY 

Undergraduate University: Harvard University, MCB & GHHP, 2020 

Medical School: Harvard Medical School, Health Sciences and Technology Program, Class of 2026 

#1 piece of Advice to a premed student: One of the best pieces of advice that I've received was to enjoy the process - it's a long but very rewarding journey. 

Additional Information: I am currently in my second year within the Harvard-MIT Health Sciences and Technology (HST) program at HMS. My current research interests lie in global health and orthopedic trauma surgery. I have previous research experience in global health, infectious diseases, diagnostic development, molecular biology, genetics, and neurodevelopment. 

During college, I spent my first two years studying genetic diversity and evolution of moths, and during my junior and senior year, I worked on developing diagnostic tests for infectious diseases. If you are undecided about medicine, I am happy to meet with you and discuss further! In my free time, I enjoy weightlifting, biking, and running.