Olamide Adejumo
Doctoral Student, Narrative Medicine, Columbia University
Olamide Adejumo is a student of narrative medicine at Columbia University. He is a graduate of medicine and surgery from Obafemi Awolowo College of Health Sciences in Nigeria passionate about narrative care practices in medicine. His interests includes clinical care and research in Narrative Medicine, Personalized Medicine, Medical Humanities and Genetic Technologies in Disability Care.
Graduate Student, Narrative Medicine, Columbia University
Olamide Adejumo is a student of narrative medicine at Columbia University. He is a graduate of medicine and surgery from Obafemi Awolowo College of Health Sciences in Nigeria passionate about narrative care practices in medicine. His passion for Medical Humanities dates back into medical school when he conducted a research with peers on the impact of religion and culture on diabetes prevention and care in Nigeria which ultimately lead to starting a non profit: The Nigeria Diabetes Online Community - a social peer support platform for people living with diabetes in Nigeria. He believes in culturally appropriation and all inclusive healthcare practice as a bridge to achieving universal medical care. His interests includes clinical care and research in Narrative Medicine, Personalized Medicine, Medical Humanities and Genetic Technologies in Disability Care.
Working Group Affiliation
Matthew Argame
Doctoral Student, Narrative Medicine, Columbia University
Matthew Argame is currently a graduate student in the Narrative Medicine program at Columbia University. Upon graduation, Matthew will continue on to medical school as an aspiring psychiatrist, advocating for the needs of vulnerable communities. Matthew hopes that his engagement with the Precision Medicine: Ethics, Politics, Culture program will produce interdisciplinary dialogue on improving patient care by addressing societal injustices and by bringing attention the unique needs of queer and disabled communities.
Matthew Argame
Graduate Student, Narrative Medicine, Columbia University
Matthew Argame is currently a graduate student in the Narrative Medicine program at Columbia University. Upon graduation, Matthew will continue on to medical school as an aspiring psychiatrist, advocating for the needs of vulnerable communities. While completing his undergraduate degree at California State University, Long Beach (CSULB), Matthew founded the first TEDx program at his university, with the vision of bringing various voices to a globally recognized stage. He also worked for Counseling and Psychological Services as a Peer Educator on Mental Health topics, conducted research through a National Institutes of Health funded program called BUILD (Building Infrastructure Leading to Diversity), and was recognized nationally as the Jed Foundation’s Student Voice of Mental Health Honoree. Matthew hopes that his engagement with the Precision Medicine: Ethics, Politics, Culture program will produce interdisciplinary dialogue on improving patient care by addressing societal injustices and by bringing attention the unique needs of queer and disabled communities.
Working Group Affiliation
Olivia Balderes
Doctoral Student, Health Promotion, Research and Practice, Columbia University
Olivia Balderes is an MPH Candidate at Mailman in the department of Sociomedical Sciences with a focus on Health Promotion, Research and Practice. She is interested in applying her Intervention Design and Evaluation background to improve community involvement within Precision Medicine programs/studies, maximize efficiency and efficacy of return of genetic results in clinical settings, and explore the determinants of genetic and general health literacy.
Olivia Balderes
Graduate Student, Department of Sociomedical Sciences, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University
Olivia Balderes is an MPH Candidate at Mailman in the department of Sociomedical Sciences with a focus on Health Promotion, Research and Practice. She is a Washington Heights native, and received her BA from Barnard College in Creative Writing and Biological Sciences. Olivia currently works in the laboratory of Dr. Krzysztof Kiryluk as both a Clinical Research Coordinator on a number of large national precision medicine initiatives, and as the lab’s manager. She is interested in applying her Intervention Design and Evaluation background to improve community involvement within Precision Medicine programs/studies, maximize efficiency and efficacy of return of genetic results in clinical settings, and explore the determinants of genetic and general health literacy.
Working Group Affiliation
Kayleigh Barrett
Doctoral Student, Global Health, Columbia University
Kayleigh Barrett is a current MPH candidate in the Department of Sociomedical Sciences, working toward a certificate in Global Health. In the last three years, she worked as a Research Scientist at the University of Washington in the Division of Allergy and Infectious Disease and was involved in a structural genomics pipeline for an early structure-based drug design projects targeting a number of pathogens. Her current interests include research ethics, infectious disease, reproductive health and medical anthropology.
Kayleigh Barrett
Graduate Student, Department of Sociomedical Sciences, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University
Kayleigh Barrett is a current MPH candidate in the Department of Sociomedical Sciences, working toward a certificate in Global Health. She received her Bachelor’s degree in International Studies with an emphasis in global health and development at the University of Oregon. While studying abroad, her research focused on the power dynamics in research relationships and the ethical implications of the use of over-studied populations in student research. She is new to the east coast, hailing from the Pacific Northwest. In the last three years, she worked as a Research Scientist at the University of Washington in the Division of Allergy and Infectious Disease and was involved in a structural genomics pipeline for an early structure-based drug design projects targeting a number of pathogens. Her current interests include research ethics, infectious disease, reproductive health and medical anthropology. She is an avid reader and lover of all things coffee.
Working Group Affiliation
Christopher Cardona
PhD Student, Integrated Program in Cellular, Molecular, and Biomedical Studies, Columbia University
Christopher Cardona is a first year doctoral student in the integrated program in Cellular, Molecular, and Biomedical Studies. He is excited to learn about the multiple aspects of precision medicine and how we can begin incorporating these in scientific research. He is currently working on muscle invasive bladder cancer in mouse models and will be working on Alzheimer's next semester. Both labs use comprehensive and computational tools to identify important regulators of these processes.
Christopher Cardona
PhD Student, Integrated Program in Cellular, Molecular, and Biomedical Studies, Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University
Christopher Cardona is a first year doctoral student in the integrated program in Cellular, Molecular, and Biomedical Studies. He is excited to learn about the multiple aspects of precision medicine and how we can begin incorporating these in scientific research. He is currently working on muscle invasive bladder cancer in mouse models and will be working on Alzheimer's next semester. Both labs use comprehensive and computational tools to identify important regulators of these processes.
Working Group Affiliation
Sarah Harvin
Graduate Student, Narrative Medicine, Columbia University
Sarah Harvin hails from the state of Michigan, where she completed her bachelor's degree in psychology at Hope College. Sarah moved to NYC in the summer of 2018 to pursue a Master of Science in Narrative Medicine. She was attracted to the Narrative Medicine program because she recognized a unique opportunity to combine her interest in having difficult conversations surrounding racial inequalities in health care with her pursuit of a career in medicine.
Sarah Harvin
Graduate Student, Narrative Medicine, Columbia University
Sarah Harvin hails from the state of Michigan, where she completed her bachelor's degree in psychology at Hope College. Sarah moved to NYC in the summer of 2018 to pursue a Master of Science in Narrative Medicine. She was attracted to the Narrative Medicine program because she recognized a unique opportunity to combine her interest in having difficult conversations surrounding racial inequalities in health care with her pursuit of a career in medicine. When she isn't reading or sailing, Sarah loves to explore NYC in search of the best cup of coffee.
Working Group Affiliation
Enajite Igho
Graduate Student, Narrative Medicine, Columbia University
Enajite Igho is an Nigerian American from across the river in New Jersey. She graduated from the University of Virginia with a Cognitive Science degree with a Neuroscience concentration and a Bioethics minor. She is currently pursuing a Masters in Narrative Medicine here at Columbia, and capturing storytelling as a form of healing as well as how this “teller and listener” relationship can impact the clinical encounter. She is passionate about creating space for marginalized voices to share their stories.
Enajite Igho
Graduate Student, Narrative Medicine, Columbia University
Enajite Igho is an Nigerian American from across the river in New Jersey. She graduated from the University of Virginia with a Cognitive Science degree with a Neuroscience concentration and a Bioethics minor. She is currently pursuing a Masters in Narrative Medicine here at Columbia, and capturing storytelling as a form of healing as well as how this “teller and listener” relationship can impact the clinical encounter. She is passionate about creating space for marginalized voices to share their stories. Aside from academics she is a poet that loves to travel and spend time with friends and family.
Working Group Affiliation
Yoshiko Iwai
Graduate Student, Creative Nonfiction & Narrative Medicine, Columbia University
Yoshiko Iwai is a second-year master’s student working towards her MFA in Creative Nonfiction and MS in Narrative Medicine. She is from Kobe, Japan, and graduated from the University of Michigan with a BFA in Dance and BS in honors Neuroscience where she conducted research on Parkinson’s Disease. Currently, she is writing her MFA thesis — an essay collection exploring the vernacular around pain and mortality, drawing on memoir, research, and phenomenology. Yoshiko is also a Chair’s Fellow for the Graduate Writing Program and teaches creative writing at a correctional center in New York. In the future, she hopes to integrate narrative medicine and creative writing into medical education.
Yoshiko Iwai
Graduate Student, Creative Nonfiction & Narrative Medicine, Columbia University
Yoshiko Iwai is a second-year master’s student working towards her MFA in Creative Nonfiction and MS in Narrative Medicine. She is from Kobe, Japan, and graduated from the University of Michigan with a BFA in Dance and BS in honors Neuroscience where she conducted research on Parkinson’s Disease. Currently, she is writing her MFA thesis — an essay collection exploring the vernacular around pain and mortality, drawing on memoir, research, and phenomenology. Yoshiko is also a Chair’s Fellow for the Graduate Writing Program and teaches creative writing at a correctional center in New York. In the future, she hopes to integrate narrative medicine and creative writing into medical education.
Working Group Affiliation
Guneet Kaur
Graduate Student, Narrative Medicine, Columbia University
Guneet Kaur is originally from the Bay Area, CA and graduated from Scripps College earlier this year with a degree in Biology and Feminist, Gender, and Sexuality Studies with a concentration in race. She is currently pursuing her Masters in Narrative Medicine here at Columbia University, looking at the intersections of bioethics, social justice, and clinical practice, with an emphasis on the use of patient narrative as a means of healing. She is passionate about the intersections of social justice and medicine in caring for underserved communities- particularly conversations around chronic condition management, mental health, and reproductive health.
Guneet Kaur
Graduate Student, Narrative Medicine, Columbia University
Guneet Kaur is originally from the Bay Area, CA and graduated from Scripps College earlier this year with a degree in Biology and Feminist, Gender, and Sexuality Studies with a concentration in race. She is currently pursuing her Masters in Narrative Medicine here at Columbia University, looking at the intersections of bioethics, social justice, and clinical practice, with an emphasis on the use of patient narrative as a means of healing.She is passionate about the intersections of social justice and medicine in caring for underserved communities- particularly conversations around chronic condition management, mental health, and reproductive health. In her free time, you can find her lifting weights, writing poetry, and rooting for the Warriors with her family.
Working Group Affiliation
Julia Knox
Doctoral Student, Narrative Medicine, Columbia University
Julia Knox is a researcher at the Columbia Mailman School of Public Health, and an M.S. Candidate in Narrative Medicine in the Columbia Department of Medical Humanities and Ethics. She is interested in the methods by which data takes narrative form in our society. The focus of her research includes exposure to environmental mixtures, maternal/paternal-child health, and transgenerational epigenetics.
Julia Knox
Researcher, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University
Julia Knox is a researcher at the Columbia Mailman School of Public Health, and an M.S. Candidate in Narrative Medicine in the Columbia Department of Medical Humanities and Ethics. She is interested in the methods by which data takes narrative form in our society. The focus of her research includes exposure to environmental mixtures, maternal/paternal-child health, and transgenerational epigenetics. An AmeriCorps alumna who earned her Master’s of Public Health in 2016, she is dedicated to mentorship and sustainable community investments. She is passionate about making space in academic science for people with disadvantaged backgrounds, and hopes that will reflect in a more comprehensive set of research interests in genomics, and eventually, in a better world. A former resident of the Harvard Innovation Lab, she also enjoys coding and robotics.
Working Group Affiliation
Kathleen Kraus
Doctoral Student, Sociomedical Sciences, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University
Kathleen Kraus is a second year Master of Public Health student at Columbia Mailman School of Public Health in the Department of Sociomedical Sciences. Her academic focus includes chronic disease prevention and health policy. Prior to attending Mailman, Kathleen worked as an Associate at Voz Advisors (formerly MK&A), a patient advocacy relations consultancy to the pharmaceutical industry.
Kathleen Kraus
Graduate Student, Department of Sociomedical Sciences, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University
Kathleen Kraus is a second year Master of Public Health student at Columbia Mailman School of Public Health in the Department of Sociomedical Sciences. Her academic focus includes chronic disease prevention and health policy. Prior to attending Mailman, Kathleen worked as an Associate at Voz Advisors (formerly MK&A), a patient advocacy relations consultancy to the pharmaceutical industry. In this role, she observed both the promise and limitations of precision medicine for oncology patients. From this work, she became interested in studying the ethical considerations of precision medicine from a population health perspective, with a special interest in oncology. Kathleen holds a BA in Organizational Studies from the University of Michigan.
Working Group Affiliation
Delilah Leibowitz
Doctoral Student, Narrative Medicine, Columbia University
Delilah Leibowitz is currently a graduate student studying Narrative Medicine at Columbia University. She graduated magna cum laude from the University of Southern California in 2019. She holds a B.A. in Health and the Human Sciences, with an emphasis in Internal Health. Delilah participated in several research labs throughout her undergraduate studies, ranging from studying fluoresced vasculature pathways of Zebrafish embryos to her work in understanding the relationship between blood proteins and cognitive function.
Delilah Leibowitz
Graduate Student, Narrative Medicine, Columbia University
Delilah Leibowitz is currently a graduate student studying Narrative Medicine at Columbia University. She graduated magna cum laude from the University of Southern California in 2019. She holds a B.A. in Health and the Human Sciences, with an emphasis in Internal Health. Delilah participated in several research labs throughout her undergraduate studies, ranging from studying fluoresced vasculature pathways of Zebrafish embryos to her work in understanding the relationship between blood proteins and cognitive function. She is an avid runner and enjoys reading in her spare time. Delilah aspires to become a healthcare practitioner.
Working Group Affiliation
Aaron Limoges
PhD Student, Biological Sciences, Columbia University
Aaron Limoges is a PhD student in the Department of Biological Sciences. His doctoral research is performed at the New York State Psychiatric Institute, where he studies cell- and circuit-level mechanisms through which stress affects cognition and mood. As a neuroscientist, Aaron wants to find new ways to merge biological and behavioral data.
Aaron Limoges
PhD Student, Department of Biological Sciences, Columbia University
Aaron Limoges is a PhD student in the Department of Biological Sciences. His doctoral research is performed at the New York State Psychiatric Institute, where he studies cell- and circuit-level mechanisms through which stress affects cognition and mood. As a neuroscientist, Aaron wants to find new ways to merge biological and behavioral data. While he believes that statistical modeling can help diagnose patients and predict their responsiveness to certain treatments, building accurate models requires an abundance of patient information, and Aaron therefore hopes to help scientists, regulators, and the public work together so that rights to privacy are respected. Before coming to Columbia, Aaron earned his B.S. in Psychology from Kansas State University and was a Post-Baccalaureate Fellow at the National Institutes of Health.
Working Group Affiliation
Penelope Lusk
Doctoral Student, Narrative Medicine, Columbia University
Penelope Lusk is a graduate student in the Narrative Medicine program at Columbia University. She holds a BA in English Literature from Bowdoin College. Born and raised in Brooklyn, New York, she currently she works as a Project Associate for the Program for Medical Education Innovations and Research at New York University. In the future, she hopes to continue working at the crossroads of medical education and the health humanities.
Penelope Lusk
Graduate Student, Narrative Medicine, Columbia University
Penelope Lusk is a graduate student in the Narrative Medicine program at Columbia University. She holds a BA in English Literature from Bowdoin College. Born and raised in Brooklyn, New York, she currently she works as a Project Associate for the Program for Medical Education Innovations and Research at New York University. In the future, she hopes to continue working at the crossroads of medical education and the health humanities.
Working Group Affiliation
Bree Martin
Doctoral Student, Genetic Counseling, Columbia University
Bree Martin is from Los Angeles, CA, and received a bachelor’s degree in psychobiology with a minor in philosophy from UCLA. She is currently pursuing a master’s degree at Columbia University in Genetic Counseling. Bree has past research experience in genetic factors in schizophrenia, and was an active member of UCLA’s Bioethics Society. She hopes to be an advocate for equitable healthcare, specifically within genetic medicine.
Bree Martin
Graduate Student, Genetic Counseling, Columbia University
Bree Martin is from Los Angeles, CA, and received a bachelor’s degree in psychobiology with a minor in philosophy from UCLA. She is currently pursuing a master’s degree at Columbia University in Genetic Counseling. Bree has past research experience in genetic factors in schizophrenia, and was an active member of UCLA’s Bioethics Society. She hopes to be an advocate for equitable healthcare, specifically within genetic medicine.
Working Group Affiliation
Sarah McLaughlin
Graduate Student, Narrative Medicine, Columbia University
Sarah McLaughlin is a first-year graduate student in the Narrative Medicine Program at Columbia University. She is interested in prioritizing stories of marginalization in the clinical encounter, employing storytelling to better care for individuals in underserved communities, and understanding patients’ stories in the context of identity, community and society.
Sarah McLaughlin
Graduate Student, Narrative Medicine, Columbia University
Sarah McLaughlin is a first-year graduate student in the Narrative Medicine Program at Columbia University. She received her B.A. from Williams College earlier this year, where she completed a dual major in English Literature and Chemistry, with a concentration in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. She was also on the pre-health track at Williams, and looks forward to pursuing a career in the medical field. She is interested in prioritizing stories of marginalization in the clinical encounter, employing storytelling to better care for individuals in underserved communities, and understanding patients’ stories in the context of identity, community and society. In her free time, she enjoys field hockey and weightlifting, playing and writing music, and exploring new places with friends and family.
Working Group Affiliation
Shazia Mitha
PhD Student, Columbia University School of Nursing
Shazia Mitha, MSN, AG-ACNP-BC, RN is a Robert Wood Johnson Future of Nursing Scholar, who is currently a second year PhD student in Nursing. She is an exceptional student, leader, clinician and scholar interested in engaging in ethical, cultural and political conversations about precision medicine to improve the next generation of health care delivery in the world. She believes that as technology and science advance towards precision in health, clinicians must engage in these conversations to ensure the ethical, cultural, and social domains of precision medicine.
Shazia Mitha
PhD Student, Columbia University School of Nursing
Shazia Mitha, MSN, AG-ACNP-BC, RN is a Robert Wood Johnson Future of Nursing Scholar, who is currently a second year PhD student in Nursing. She aims to develop phenotypic risk identification and predictions models of high-risk breast cancer patients experiencing treatment-related cardiotoxicity, using natural language processing and other informatics approaches at Columbia University. She is an exceptional student, leader, clinician and scholar interested in engaging in ethical, cultural and political conversations about precision medicine to improve the next generation of health care delivery in the world. She believes that as technology and science advance towards precision in health, clinicians must engage in these conversations to ensure the ethical, cultural, and social domains of precision medicine.
Working Group Affiliation
Katherine Neimeyer
Doctoral Student, Narrative Medicine, Columbia University
Katie Neimeyer is a graduate student in the Narrative Medicine program at Columbia University, where she also works as a research coordinator in the Taub Institute and Sergievsky Center on several neurogenetic studies. As an intern in the Summer Internship for Indigenous Peoples in Genomics Canada (SING Canada) 2019 program at the University of Alberta, she participated in a dialogue about Indigenous bioethics and approaches to genomic sciences. She plans on pursuing a career in genetic counseling after she completes her M.S. in Narrative Medicine.
Katherine Neimeyer
Graduate Student, Narrative Medicine, Columbia University
Katie Neimeyer is a graduate student in the Narrative Medicine program at Columbia University, where she also works as a research coordinator in the Taub Institute and Sergievsky Center on several neurogenetic studies. As an intern in the Summer Internship for Indigenous Peoples in Genomics Canada (SING Canada) 2019 program at the University of Alberta, she participated in a dialogue about Indigenous bioethics and approaches to genomic sciences. She plans on pursuing a career in genetic counseling after she completes her M.S. in Narrative Medicine.
Working Group Affiliation
Kenia Pujols
Doctoral Student, Public Health, Columbia University
Kenia has a clinical background and is an MHA '22 graduate of the Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University.
Kenia Pujols
Mailman School of Public Health, '22 graduate
Kenia has a clinical background and is an MHA '22 graduate of the Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University.
Kenia applies her knowledge and skills to identify solutions to the most pressing challenges in the health care system. More specifically, this fellowship analyses the limitations of precision medicine, implementation processes and possible solutions to help improve the scientific literature and applied knowledge on personalized medicine.
Working Group Affiliation
Sikder Rabbi
Doctoral Student, Precision Medicine, State University of Bangladesh
Sikder Nahidul Islam Rabbi completed his Bachelor and Master’s in clinical pharmacy and pharmacogenetics from State University of Bangladesh. In the arena of research, he has worked with clinical pharmacokinetics, drug protein binding study, pharmacogenetics, SNP genotyping, HLA research and cancer genetics, better understanding about drug activation and pharmacodynamics variation based on patient’s genetics. His research interest includes, epigenetics, proto-oncogene mutation, cancer genetics and neuroscience.
Sikder Rabbi
Associate Fellow, Precision Medicine
Sikder Nahidul Islam Rabbi completed his Bachelor and Master’s in clinical pharmacy and pharmacogenetics from State University of Bangladesh. In the arena of research, he has worked with clinical pharmacokinetics, drug protein binding study, pharmacogenetics, SNP genotyping, HLA research and cancer genetics, better understanding about drug activation and pharmacodynamics variation based on patient’s genetics. He worked as a scientific officer in a pharmcogenetics lab and worked with FDA genetic biomarkers with several research groups of Bangladesh and Germany. He has several research articles on precision medicine, cancer genetics and HLA research. His research interest includes, epigenetics, proto-oncogene mutation, cancer genetics and neuroscience.
Working Group Affiliation