University of Iowa
Bri Iverson is a current M2 at the Carver College of Medicine. She attended University Iowa for undergrad and studied biology and public health. In her free time, she enjoys watching football, listening to Taylor Swift, and reading. She hopes to better understand sarcomas and to be able to educate herself, her peers, and the surrounding community.
University of Wisconsin
Firas Hikmat completed his undergraduate degree in Biology at UCLA where he was also involved in pancreatic cancer research. Following his graduation, he worked in translational oncology and nuclear medicine at UCLA’s Department of Molecular and Medical Pharmacology. He is now a 2nd year medical student at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public health where he participated in machine learning model research for PET/CT lesion detection in patients with lymphoma. During medical school he was part of the leadership team of the American Medical Association school chapter, the Technology and Entrepreneurship organization, and on the Interprofessional Practice and Education Advisory Council.
Medical College of Wisconsin
Jordyn Nepper is a current M2 a the Medical College of Wisconsin. She is from Superior, Wisconsin, where she attended University of Wisconsin-Superior studying biology. She was first introduced to sarcoma during her undergraduate studies, when she completed a summer research fellowship studying pediatric rhabdomyosarcoma using a zebrafish model. Since, her interest in oncology has grown after hearing the lived experiences of patients and their families. She hopes to contribute to research and improved outcomes for patients diagnosed with sarcoma cancers. In her free time, she enjoys camping, road trips, crafts and listening to her favorite artist Zach Bryan.
University of Minnesota
Rafat Solaiman completed his undergraduate degree in Human Physiology as part of the University of Minnesota BA/MD 7-Year Joint Admissions Program. During this time, his research was primarily focused on understanding cancer immunology and potential therapies. He is now a 3rd year medical student at the University of Minnesota Medical School, where he continues to be involved with orthopedic oncology research under the guidance of Dr. Christian Ogilvie. He plans to pursue a career in orthopedic surgery.
Allison Dona grew up in Central Oregon and earned a BS and BA from the University of Oregon. She is currently a fourth year MD-PhD student at the University of Minnesota. She completed the first two years of medical school and is now in the second year of her PhD. Her research focus is in cancer epidemiology, where she is invested in several projects to better understand how we can improve the quality of life of people diagnosed with cancer. As a Sarcoma Scholar, Allison is looking forward to learning from people who have been diagnosed with sarcoma as well as sarcoma expert physicians and sharing that information with both clinical and public health communities.
Claire Thomas is currently a third-year medical student at the University of Minnesota – Twin Cities. She grew up in Rochester and studied biology in college. She is passionate about medical 3D printing and virtual reality, which she hopes to apply to patient care to bring awareness to sarcoma cancers.
Mayo Clinic
Conan Zhao attributes his interest in a career physician-scientist to his father’s -infectious enthusiasm for microbiology. Conan completed his undergraduate degrees in physics and math at Washington and Lee University, where he learned how much he disliked pipetting, but loved leveraging mathematical and computational approaches to understand biological systems. This led him to pursue a Ph.D. in Quantitative Biosciences at Georgia Tech, where he studied cystic fibrosis microbiomes under the guidance of Dr. Sam Brown. His research spans microbiomics, epidemiological modeling and medical AI. As a medical student at Mayo Clinic Alix School of Medicine, Conan aims to merge microbiomics, AI, and clinical oncology, with aspirations to one day lead his own cancer informatics lab. Outside of medicine, Conan plays piano in a band with his fellow medical student. Conan has been heavily involved in international student advocacy and mentorship, drawing from his own experiences as a first-generation immigrant. As a Sarcoma Scholar and co-leader of the MCASOM Oncology Interest Group, Conan is eager to join the Rein in Sarcoma community and encourage his fellow medical students to pursue careers in oncology.
Julia Debertin completed an undergraduate degree in International Relations and a master’s degree in Public Health from Tufts University, with a thesis in cancer epidemiology. During this time, she developed a passion for working at the intersection of broader social systems and individual needs, in the context of health equity. Entering medical school as a first year at the Mayo Clinic Alix School of Medicine, Julia was drawn to the field of oncology and began to engage in shadowing opportunities and oncology research projects.