Under our PEARL initiative, the Health and Healthcare Fellowship in Sociology is a community of practice where students explore topics and experiences in the health and healthcare fields throughout the academic year. The fellowship is non-credit, but provides students a cohort of peers while learning more about the intersection of health and society.
Programming includes speaker and alumni panels, lunches with faculty, field trips to the medical-focused schools at Penn, book discussions, advising sessions from Career Services, and more.
2024-2025 Health and Healthcare Fellows in Sociology
Trisha Bheemanathini
Hometown: Birmingham, AL
Graduation Year: 2026
Majors: Sociology, Cognitive Science
Minors: Biology, Chemistry
"My passion lies in advocating for women's health, reproductive rights, and children's healthcare. I am dedicated to ensuring access to quality medical services, promoting health education, and supporting policies that protect and empower women and children. I believe in creating a healthier future where every individual has the opportunity to make informed choices about their health and well-being."
Max Brody
Hometown: Bethany, OK
Graduation Year: 2026
Major: English (Literary Theory), Comparative Literature
Minors: Chemistry, Native and Indigenous Studies (NAIS)
"Originally from small town Oklahoma, I am interested in Indigenous healthcare advocacy, critical theory, and narrative medicine. My focus is on the historical legacies that shape Indigenous diets and lifestyles, particularly in relation to kidney health outcomes. I don't want to just describe at-risk populations, but I want to propose solutions, be proactive, and become an advocate for my home state."
Haydr Dutta
Hometown: Bangalore, India
Graduation Year: 2026
Majors: Sociology, Health & Societies
Haydr Dutta (they/them) is passionate about healthcare policy and harm reduction, focusing on supporting marginalized communities. Their current research investigates how healthcare systems can better address the needs of People Who Use Drugs (PWUD) and the development of a gender screener for young children, aiming to determine additional support for families. Haydr is actively involved in mutual aid in Philadelphia through Community Action Relief Project (CARP).
Anagha Gouru
Hometown: Dallas, Texas
Graduation Year: 2025
Majors: Mathematical Biology, Health & Societies
Minor: Law & Society, Chemistry, Mathematics
"I am driven by interdisciplinary connections between biology, mathematics, and public policy. My experiences, including coursework, research in computational genomics, civic engagement, and volunteer work at CHOP, have fueled my commitment to addressing healthcare disparities and enhancing patient care for diverse populations."
Tiffany Lim
Hometown: Philadelphia, PA
Graduation Year: 2025
Major/minor: Major in chemistry, minor in sociology
"Growing up in a first-generation, low-income household in a small row home in West Philly, I was always taught that hard work was the way to escape this place. Then, I came to a point where I wondered why life couldn't be improved right here instead. This shift in perspective has inspired me to explore public health policy to devise solutions that improve health outcomes in low-income neighborhoods like my own."
Jaymaba Ndiaye
Hometown: Philadelphia, PA
Graduation Year: 2025
Major: Health and Societies
Minor: Sociology
"Growing up in an underrepresented immigrant household, I’ve witnessed firsthand how crucial it is to have equal access to healthcare. My firsthand experiences ignited a passion to find new ways to offer equitable care for others from underserved communities and in effect, create healthier populations. As a student now I am focusing on combining my coursework with the action I can take to dive deeper into the public health policy and advocacy realm."
Bassel Shawareb
Hometown: Amman, Jordan / Orlando, Florida
Graduation Year: 2026
Major: Neuroscience
Minors: Chemistry, Medical Sociology
"Growing up outside the US and then moving to Florida exposed me to several healthcare systems with advantages and disadvantages. Where and how a person lives can shape their risk factors, which should be considered when treating patients equitably. Thus, I became a pre-med H&HC Fellow with a Medical Sociology minor to explore the field of medicine beyond the proximate causes of illness."
Yuting Zhu
Hometown: Shanghai, China
Graduation Year: 2024/2025
Major: Sociology
Minor: Data Science
"With the experience of working in the healthcare industry in China, the U.S, and in global health., I am passionate about using qualitative and quantitative ways to study how hospitals and policies affect population health while exploring innovative ways to improve the US healthcare ecosystem. I also want to explore the discrepancies between societies in preparing for pandemics such as Covid, and the ethical challenges it creates for the global community."
Elizabeth Ni
Hometown: New Jersey
Graduation Year: 2026
Major: Sociology, concentration in Medical Sociology
Minor: Chemistry
"I am passionate about working towards a world with equitable health outcomes, especially for marginalized peoples, which means addressing structures of inequality that facilitate disparate outcomes through policy changes and practicing medicine as a compassionate, patient-centered physician."
Liz Esan
Hometown: Media, PA
Graduation Year: 2026
Major: Sociology, Concentration in Medical Sociology
Minors: Bioethics and Chemistry
"As someone who has personally experienced the disadvantages faced by people of color in the healthcare system, I am deeply passionate about using insights from medical sociology to better understand individuals, particularly in healthcare. These factors significantly shape how people view physicians and navigate the system. I want to apply this knowledge to become a compassionate and understanding physician."