If you have questions or comments regarding the society, please feel free to email at any time we'd love to hear from you.
Ari Brooks, MD - Faculty Advisor
Rohan Palanki - President Elect
Rohan is a 4th year MD/PhD student intending to pursue a career in academic pediatric/fetal surgery. He grew up in Mobile, Alabama, and graduated from Rice University with a B.S. in Bioengineering. Currently, Rohan is completing his Bioengineering PhD research in the laboratories of Dr. William H. Peranteau (CHOP) and Dr. Michael J. Mitchell (Penn), engineering non-viral delivery carriers for in utero gene editing of congenital disease. At Penn, he has enjoyed serving as a MS1/MS3 Class Co-Chair, SAMoSA board member, Chief Anatomy TA, and member of the PSOM Committee on Admissions. In his free time, Rohan enjoys trying new restaurants in Philadelphia and watching and playing sports. Rohan is happy to answer any questions regarding student life, academic pediatric surgery, or research efforts to cure babies in the womb and can be reached at rohan.palanki@pennmedicine.upenn.edu.
Nicholas Kelly - Vice President
Nick is an MS4 applying into general surgery. Nick is originally from San Diego, CA. He graduated from Yale with a degree in Economics and rowed on the heavyweight crew team. He worked in investment banking in New York and completed a post-bac program before applying to medical school. He has conducted research focusing on disparities in melanoma and colorectal cancer care. Nick serves as a Lead Personal Patient Navigator for the General Surgery team at the Center for Surgical Health. He is pursuing the Medical Education Area of Concentration and is a content creator for The Cutting Edge Surgical Review, a mobile application and blog designed to help prepare surgery clerkship students for Shelf exams. In his spare time, Nick enjoys running marathons, traveling to national parks, playing guitar, and doing impressions. Nick can be reached at nicholas.kelly@pennmedicine.upenn.edu.
Linda Saikali - President Elect
Linda is a CDYO MD/MSHP pursuing a career in plastic and reconstructive surgery. Originally from West Virginia, she graduated from the University of Pittsburgh with a BS in Neuroscience and a BA in Religious Studies. At Penn, she also serves as the Committee Chair for Clinical Operations for the Center for Surgical Health and co-leads the organization's Plastics/Hand division. She is looking forward to completing her Master of Science in Health Policy Research this year and focusing on access and outcomes for traumatic and oncologic reconstructive surgery. In her free time, Linda enjoys rock climbing, tennis, baking, and biking along the Schuylkill. Linda can be reached at linda.saikali@Pennmedicine.upenn.edu.
Julia Gasior - Education Co-Chair
Julia is a 4th year MD student applying into general surgery. Originally from the Philly suburbs, she attended Georgetown University and majored in Health Systems Administration with a focus on Health Care Policy. At Penn, she conducts research in endocrine oncologic surgery, with several projects spanning clinical outcomes, basic science, and qualitative methods. She is a lead Personal Patient Navigator with the Center for Surgical Health and a chief Teaching Assistant in the first-year gross anatomy course. She is pursuing a certificate in Narrative Medicine. In her free time, she loves curating Spotify playlists, going to concerts, and keeping up her New York Times crossword puzzle streak.
Mikhal Yudien - Education Co-Chair
Mikhal is a 4th year MD student originally from the mountains of Vermont who is now pursuing a career in general surgery. After graduating from Swarthmore College with a degree in Neuroscience, she moved to Panama to work as a tutor for local children. She is particularly interested in surgical education and the culture of surgery and currently conducts research in this field. In addition to serving as Agnew Co-Chair of Surgical Education, she is the Association for Women Surgeons Mentorship Chair and is a Chief Teaching Assistant for the first-year Gross Anatomy course at Perelman. Outside of medicine, Mikhal enjoys racing cars, woodworking, trying new crafts, and cooking with friends. She can be contacted at myudien@pennmedicine.upenn.edu.
Maya Alexis - Education Co-Chair
Maya is a 4th year MD student pursuing a career in general surgery. She is from Sacramento, CA, and graduated from Johns Hopkins with a BS in Neuroscience. She currently conducts research related to the investigation of deep brain stimulation targets in the context of Prader-Willi syndrome and Parkinson’s disease. She is also the Operations Chair for the Penn Medicine Chapter of the Association of Women Surgeons (AWS). In her free time, Maya enjoys recreational music production and snowboarding! She can be reached at maya.alexis@pennmedicine.upenn.edu.
Anusha Naik - Mentorship Co-Chair
Adora Moneme - Mentorship Co-Chair
Adora is a 5th year MD/MSHP student applying into general surgery. Originally from Union, New Jersey, she graduated from Rutgers University, with a degree in Kinesiology and Health and a minor in Psychology. During medical school, Adora has been involved in community programs and research focused on disparities in healthcare, education, and policy. With the help of 3 classmates during her first year, she created an immersive legislative advocacy course to equip medical students with advocacy skills necessary for communicating with policymakers. She is the Committee Chair for DEI in the Center for Surgical Health, and has dedicated time during her MSHP to conduct research on patient navigation in collaboration with the center. In her free time, Adora loves to play pickup soccer, attend concerts, and explore the Philly food scene. Adora can be reached at adora.moneme@pennmedicine.upenn.edu.
Will Cohen - Research Co-Chair
Will is a 4th year MD student applying into Otolaryngology: Head and Neck Surgery. He is from Naperville, IL, a suburb outside of Chicago, and graduated with a BA in the Biological Sciences from the University of Chicago. During his time at Penn, Will has served as a Lead Personal Patient Navigator at the Center for Surgical Health and Co-Vice President of the ENT Interest Group. He has contributed to a variety of clinical research projects and will be a gross anatomy TA this Fall. Will enjoys photography, traveling, playing pick-up sports, and watching new TV shows. He can be reached at william.cohen@pennmedicine.upenn.edu.
Prateek Sharma - Research Co-Chair
Saiesh Kalva - Outreach Chair
Saiesh is a 5th year MD/MBA student pursuing a career in general surgery. Saiesh is from Houston, TX and graduated from Rice University with a BA in Biochemistry & Cell Biology. He works closely with the Penn Center for Healthcare Innovation and Penn Center for Cancer Care Innovation on various surgical initiatives. In addition, he performs research in the cardiac surgery and surgical oncology departments. In his free time, Saiesh enjoys binging TV shows, watching sports, and trying new places around Philadelphia. Saiesh can be reached at saiesh.kalva@pennmedicine.upenn.edu.
Rucha Alur - Diversity Chair
Rucha is a 4th year medical student applying into general surgery. She is from Philadelphia (go Birds!) and graduated from Princeton University with an A.B. in Neuroscience. Rucha is also pursuing a Masters in Law while in medical school and is using her legal background to research the interaction between law enforcement and ED, surgical care for the incarcerated, and establishing a trauma focused Medical-Legal Partnership. At Penn, she is a lead Personal Patient Navigator for the Center for Surgical Health, chief Anatomy TA, and served as the President of SAFE, Students Addressing the Firearm Epidemic. Outside of medicine, Rucha enjoys playing volleyball with her friends, joining a good pick-up soccer game, and cooking all sorts of delicious cuisines. She can be reached at rucha.alur@pennmedicine.upenn.edu.