Meet Our Changemakers
The NMF alumni and scholar network is comprised of impactful health leaders advancing health equity. Each inspiring individual is driving change in their community and we are grateful for their tireless work to build a more equitable future. We wish we could share all of their stories, but we invite you to learn more about a few of our inspirational scholars and alumni.
Dr. Jay-Sheree Allen
Dr. Jay-Sheree Allen
Family Medicine Physician at CentraCare, Long Prairie, Minnesota
The COVID-19 crisis hit her area hard because of the many local factories and meatpacking plants. Most of her COVID-19 patients are migrant workers from Mexico, the Dominican Republic, and Puerto Rico. Most of them were already suffering from health disparities and have limited ability to protect themselves from coronavirus. Dr. Allen is another great example of how NMF alumni are making such a difference in serving the underserved—sometimes in the most unlikely places. We salute Dr. Allen and encourage you to check out her podcast, Millennial Health, on health care issues for millennials!
Kryssia Campos
Michigan State University College of Human Medicine
Kryssia Campos
Rising third-year medical student for the 2021-2022 academic year at Michigan State University College of Human Medicine
Outside of school, Campos began volunteering with Queering Medicine, an organization that works to improve healthcare for the LGBTQ community of Lansing. She is currently collaborating on a research project with Dr. Hsieh and Dr. Shuster, professors at MSU, to explore the healthcare experiences of LGBTQ patients in the Lansing area.
“For many of us that are part of this community, going to the doctor might cause anxiety. Unfortunately, there is still a lot to do to ensure that every patient feels welcome and validated in healthcare settings.” – Kryssia Campos
Additionally, during her first year, she joined Spartan Street Medicine, a student-led organization that provides health care services for people experiencing homelessness. She was a member of the Latino Medical Student Association (LMSA), where she had the opportunity to connect with other Latinx students in medicine, and at the end of the year was chosen to be co-president of the school’s LMSA chapter.
Campos is committed to becoming a physician to serve immigrant and LGBTQ patients and believes that in order to transform the health of underserved communities we must shed light on the way systemic inequalities affect people’s mental and physical health. She aims to leave an impact in as many ways as possible. Mentoring and empowering other students is extremely important to Campos, and she believes it is her duty to pass down what she’s learned. She is very active in her community and continues to advocate for others who are underrepresented in the hopes that, through her work, she can give them a voice.
Aaron Conway
SUNY Downstate College of Medicine
Aaron Conway
Class of 2022, SUNY Downstate College of Medicine
For Conway, his core motivation was a desire to serve the underserved in an impactful way. Before college, he spent five years doing humanitarian aid work all over the world. He decided he wanted to become a doctor to help people like those he worked with in the US.., Central America, Germany, and South Korea. He was determined to accomplish that goal. He did another master’s program, took the MCAT again, and applied to med school for the third time. This time, his perseverance paid off. Now Conway is a third-year student who is already making a difference for medically underserved communities through his work with the Brooklyn Free Clinic.
When the COVID-19 crisis hit, Conway was frustrated that he couldn’t contribute by working with patients, but he found a way to participate in fighting the virus by doing research on COVID-19 outcomes, specifically renal function. It felt amazing to be able to do something to help combat the virus. And the fact that Black and Brown people are suffering the worst effects of COVID-19 made it even more important to be doing something to help. Conway is another great example of why it’s so important to support NMF scholars. They are making a difference today and will keep doing so for years to come!
Dr. C Freeman
Dr. C Freeman
Dr. Freeman is president of the Los Angeles County Medical Association, the first African American to occupy that post.
She is an inspiration to all, not only for her considerable professional achievements, but also for her dedication to providing quality care to all our communities and to supporting medical professionals from underrepresented communities.
Dr. Freeman’s experience—as an NMF scholar, as an African American woman in medicine, and as an active member of the NMF Network—speaks to the value of NMF’s work on many levels.
When she received her NMF scholarship award, she was like so many medical school students struggling to make ends meet. She relied on scholarships and grants to get by and was grateful for the support from NMF.
After medical school, as she began her career in geriatric psychiatry, Dr. Freeman appreciated the assistance, including her NMF grant, that she didn’t have to repay. With a relatively low amount of student loan debt, she was able to consider a broad range of career options and pursue further studies, earning an MBA at Pepperdine University.
She is keenly aware that many medical students today don’t have those options because of crippling student loan debt. That is one of many reasons that she decided to get more involved as an NMF alumna. In her words, “My involvement has been more about saying thank you for supporting me because, but for that support, I wouldn’t be able to do the things I’m doing. I would not have been able to accomplish the things I’ve done. I wouldn’t be able to contribute to others who definitely have the capacity to not only do or accomplish the things that I have done but even more.”
Even now, as a seasoned professional, Dr. Freeman values the NMF network and the opportunity it provides to connect with like-minded medical professionals from similar backgrounds at all career stages. She is an active and dedicated mentor to students and young professionals, and also enjoys sharing knowledge and resources with peers and elders.
Congratulations, Dr. Freeman, and thanks for all you contribute to improving healthcare for all our communities!
Dr. Tyeese L. Gaines
Dr. Tyeese L. Gaines
She completed her residency training at Yale-New Haven Hospital where she was chief resident, and later taught as a clinical instructor. In 2014, Dr. Ty became a fellow in the American College of Emergency Physicians, and in 2011 was honored with a Top 40 under 40 award from the National Medical Association. In addition to her medical training, she also has a Master’s of Business Administration from UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School.
Before opening NOWmed, Dr. Ty previously served as medical director & chair of the emergency department at Landmark Medical Center in Rhode Island; medical director of UltraMed Urgent Care in Skokie, Illinois; and assistant medical director of the emergency department at Raritan Bay Medical Center.
In 2017, she earned certification as a Physician Executive in 2017 from the American Association of Physician Leaders, and a certificate in Urgent Care Management from the Urgent Care Association of America in 2018. She now serves as the chair of the Minority Affairs Section of the American Medical Association.
Dr. Ty also has a master’s degree in journalism from Northeastern University and previously served as health editor of theGrio.com (formerly MSNBC) for three years. Dr. Ty has appeared as an on-air medical expert for local, online and national news shows and has written for various online, magazine and newspaper outlets.
With her media agency, Doctor Ty Media, she offers public relations services for physicians and medical practices—including media training, branding, placement into news stories, and ghost-writing.
Jessie Guerrero
Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science
Jessie Guerrero
Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science and was a 2017 NMF Primary Care Leadership Program scholar.
Jessie Guerrero’s introduction to health care came through the act of helping others: when his parents sought health care after immigrating to the U.S., Guerrero served as their translator. He witnessed how language and cultural barriers affected access to care for underserved patients. From long wait times to short appointments, to complicated payment plans for often unaffordable care, he became interested in two things: the science of medicine and the human body, and the health care structures that affected his family.
A first-generation college student, Guererro attended University of California, Los Angeles where he saw how health was provided differently to affluent communities. During his undergraduate studies, he learned about the social determinants of health and how they impact health status and health outcomes for the underserved and he began his pursuit of a medical career. He took on leadership positions to help him prepare to lead: instructing in first aid for the American Red Cross, helping Spanish-speaking families learn better nutrition, and participating in Chicanos/Latinos for Community Medicine at UCLA. He was subsequently accepted to Charles R. Drew University of Medicine & Science, where he has continued to research, mentor, and lead in community care.
In 2017 Guererro participated in the NMF Primary Care Leadership Program (PCLP), spending six weeks with AltaMed Health Services Corporation in Los Angeles. NMF and PCLP provided him with the opportunity, support, guidance, and resources to become a leader in underserved communities. He not only gained real life experience, but also gained a new mentor who guided him through his PCLP project, supported him as he made decisions to achieve his future goals, and discussed with him the challenges of medical school and how best to manage them. He is grateful to PCLP for helping him pursue his goal to become a primary care physician—and looks forward to practicing in underserved communities.
Christian Hernandez
The Medical College of Wisconsin
Christian Hernandez
Class of 2021, The Medical College of Wisconsin
When the COVID-19 crisis hit, Hernandez was frustrated that he had to end his clerkships in the hospital, but he found a way to contribute to fighting coronavirus by collecting and distributing resources—food, masks, toilet paper, diapers, anything—in the communities that were most affected by the pandemic. He is yet another example of how NMF scholars are making a difference already, before they even graduate, and his story is just a small preview of the impact that he and others will have once they become doctors. We’re so proud of him and so excited to see all that he will do to help transform healthcare for the communities who need it most!
Andrew Homere
The Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California
Andrew Homere
Class of 2021, The Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California
But Homere’s a plucky fellow. (Maybe it’s because he’s finally tapping into his inner surfer dude, learning to ride the waves after living in the Midwest and East Coast all his life.) He was “riding the wave” and keeping a positive attitude. Then social unrest around the killing of Black men erupted across the nation. He’s feeling a lot of feelings. He’s a Black man in America. He’s the son of immigrants from Haiti and the Philippines. He’s from Chicago(land). He sees hope and promise in the fact that so many more people are recognizing and trying to address systemic inequalities that have been ignored for far too long. That kind of pluck and optimism will serve him (and his future patients) well. We are so proud to be part of Andrew’s success, the impact he is already making, and the amazing work that we know he’ll do in the future!
Brenda Iglesias
David Geffen School of Medicine at University of California, Los Angeles
Brenda Iglesias
Class of 2021, David Geffen School of Medicine at University of California, Los Angeles and Charles Drew University of Medicine and Science
Brenda wants to make a difference, to fight for the community. And she’s already doing that, before she’s even graduated. The COVID-19 crisis hit South Gate hard. Iglesias had friends and family who got sick. No longer able to work in the hospital, she volunteered giving coronavirus tests in Southeast Los Angeles, providing vital assistance to South Gate and other communities.
And she didn’t stop there. Acutely aware of how the pandemic is affecting her community, Iglesias called in to city council meetings to advocate for increasing funding for services—like parks, public works, mental health resources—that have been proven to make communities safer and healthier. She’s a very data-driven person, so she shared the research with the council.
Iglesias will be the kind of doctor we all want to see—and that we all need to transform health care.
Dr. Khaliah A. Johnson
Dr. Khaliah A. Johnson
Johnson came to CHOA with a commitment “to figure out how we can support children who have complex high-level medical needs”—children in all circumstances, and walks of life, in Atlanta and also in outlying rural areas. This population, she told us, includes many children from low-income families that struggle with housing and survival issues, as well as the terrifying burdens of medical care. More than 70% of all children in Georgia qualify for Medicaid.
“I wanted to serve the underserved,” Johnson says, “and I don’t think you can find a population much more exemplary and underserved than pediatric palliative care kids. “
We cannot think of a more exemplary life’s work than alleviating the suffering of children with life-limiting illnesses, and their families. NMF is proud to have had a part in supporting Johnson in her education and life work, which has also included commitments to global health and community-based health care, and to advocacy on behalf of the patients and communities she serves.
Her story – early inspiration, and service
Johnson grew up in Brooklyn, New York. She attended a “unique” high school that allowed her to pursue a curriculum for honors placement and college, along with special vocational training; and in the vocational track she was drawn to practical nursing. One of her nursing instructors inspired her with stories of her missionary work as a pediatric nurse in Africa; and this, along with her family values that celebrated connection to the African diaspora, inspired her to study and serve in Kenya, and to declare a pre-med major at Cornell University. To this day Johnson maintains a close relationship of service with the Kenyan community she worked with as an undergraduate.
The impact of a mentor: Dr. Richard Payne, NMF alumnus
Johnson graduated from Cornell uncertain of how she would pursue her goals. Although she was poised to apply to medical school, she had broad interests in nursing, public health, and nutrition, and felt she needed a gap year to sort things out. So she went looking for an interim job–and “up pops this advertisement. . . for a research assistant for a physician who was running the palliative care service at Memorial Sloan Kettering.”
That physician was Dr. Richard Payne, an NMF alumnus, an internationally-known palliative care specialist and neuro-oncologist. Dr. Payne would be a career mentor to Johnson, at every step in her journey. It was Dr. Payne who told her that she could realize her potential and her dreams with a medical degree, ”So please just do the application,” he said. Dr. Payne put her in touch with a colleague at a Stanford University School of Medicine, who mentored her through the application process, and welcomed her to medical school.
The GE-NMF Global Health Fellows Program
As a medical student, Johnson participated in the GE-NMF Global Health Scholars Program. “This was a wonderful way to affirm my passions around global health and community-based healthcare—and serving the underserved. Being in an intensive service environment, in Ghana – in both rural and urban settings was “phenomenal,” she says.
What Johnson learned on two GE-NMF Global Health Fellowships continues to support her in the work she does today. “There are some places within our state that we have been to visit as a team, that are not all that different, interestingly, from some of what I saw in Sub-Saharan Africa and Ghana. “I carry those lessons with me, and continue to remain thoughtful about the needs of all patients, and the importance of us as physicians, and particularly physicians of color who come from underrepresented backgrounds.
“An amazing story about the importance of mentorship”
When Johnson decided to apply for a residency in pediatrics, Dr. Payne put her in touch with a colleague at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, who in turn mentored her through residency at Hopkins, and to a career in palliative care. Her postgraduate training included a Fellowship in Hospice and Palliative Medicine at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.
For Johnson there are no words to describe the impact of Dr. Payne on her life. “It’s just an amazing story of the importance of mentorship and connection—and how this field–that I knew nothing about when I was an undergrad–was what I ended up in.”
“And what I’d like to share, briefly, is that palliative is not just about end-of-life care . . . (and certainly that is true in pediatrics). It is really a holistic discipline that looks at how we can support children who have complex, life-threatening medical illness to live well, for as long as they may have to live. So it’s about giving life to those who are in many ways the most vulnerable and underserved.”
Dr. Payne died in January of 2019; and it just overwhelms Johnson to think of his legacy and the person he was—how many people he mentored, and the patients they will take care of and the people they will train. . . and the patients that that those people will take care of. . . This is an ongoing legacy, and she is part of that.
The future – pushing the envelope
Today Johnson is an attending physician in pediatric palliative care, interim director of the division of pediatric palliative care at CHOA, and also has academic appointments at Emory School of Medicine. She spends part of her clinical time in the pediatric HIV clinic at Grady Medical Center. She is an advocate for community-based palliative care services and serves on numerous national, regional and state committees that address the palliative care needs of children and families. She remains engaged with global health work and has launched a non-profit partnership with the clinic in Kenya she first visited as an undergraduate 20 years ago (https://www.wearewendo.com). “So that circles back to the role of NMF, and the reminder that our careers in medicine are so rich. And we’re so privileged to have the opportunity to re-evaluate our work and continue to push the envelope.
For Johnson, pushing the envelope means standing up as a servant leader and as a health care advocate domestically and internationally. Among her many advocacy roles, she serves as a council member of the (Georgia) Governor’s Advisory Council on Palliative Care. She also serves as a member of the NMF Committee on Alumni Affairs, which supports NMF alumni in their ongoing efforts to increase opportunities for the next generation of health care leaders.
Dr. Allan Kerandi
Resident in Family Medicine University of Minnesota School of Medicine
Dr. Allan Kerandi
First-Year Resident in Family Medicine
Dr. Kerandi is currently a first-year resident in family medicine. After completing medical school in 2017, he took a break to hone in on his skills and get a better idea of the exact direction that he would take his career next. From a one-year, preliminary surgery program at the University of Minnesota to balancing his passion for information technology and health care by working through a company that helps physicians learn how to use an electronic health record system, Dr. Kerandi has been quite busy in between medical school and the start of his residency. Ultimately, Dr. Kerandi’s experience and overall values led him to pursue family medicine—he believes that family medicine is what aligns the most with his personal goals.
Seeing his father provide patients with tender love and care, from birth to old age and in between, emphasizes the need for a sense of community and belonging in healthcare. Dr. Kerandi looks forward to building meaningful relationships with his patients and giving them someone that they can trust and relate to. This is also why becoming a mentor to others is so important to him, he wants to be able to pay-it-forward to others and genuinely help others improve their lives.
We are so proud of Dr. Kerandi and are certain that he will continue to touch the lives of his patients and mentees in his career as a physician and mentor!
Derrick Lewis
Mayo Clinic School of Medicine
Derrick Lewis
Class of 2023, Mayo Clinic School of Medicine
Starting medical school was exciting, but also a big change. He had risen through the ranks to be a supervisor and trainer as a paramedic, but now he was just a beginner as a medical student. But his drive to be a leader and a changemaker persisted. Derrick sees that there is so much to do to improve health equity, particularly for marginalized communities, and he’s determined to contribute wherever he can. He is a student leader, holding numerous positions in student groups devoted to health equity, supporting students of color, and addressing the health care needs of the underserved at Mayo, in the local community, and nationally. His “Black tax” is real, but he wouldn’t have it any other way. We are so proud of Derrick and can’t wait to see how much more he will achieve throughout his career as a clinician, researcher, med educator, advocate, and mentor!
Ted Obi
Icahn School of Medicine
Ted Obi
Class of 2022, Icahn School of Medicine
Obi first became interested in health equity when he was 13 and went on a medical mission trip to his father’s native village in Nigeria. Seeing the severe lack of resources that the community suffered and the pain and death that it caused, he resolved to do something to make a difference.
As he grew up, that goal led him to explore a career in medicine—but also in entrepreneurship. As an undergraduate, he organized a student group to go to Ghana to test developing a telemedicine project for a rural village. The project was successful and showed a lot of promise, but they were unable to continue because of political changes in the country.
Still, Obi is determined to keep working to increase health care access in West Africa, the U.S.—everywhere—through creative, entrepreneurial approaches. He’s the kind of future health care leader that we all need—someone who is dedicated to health equity and able to think outside the box about how to achieve it.
We’re so proud of him and can’t wait to see how he transforms health care for communities around the world! Check out the organizations he’s co-founded, Melanin Doc, which builds community among medical professions students and practitioners of color, and the Diversity Innovation Hub, which uses health care innovation to address social determinants of health in East Harlem.
Joel Ramirez
UC San Francisco School of Medicine
Joel Ramirez
University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) School of Medicine
2018 Recipient of the NMF National Alumni Council Scholarship
Before applying to medical school, Joel Ramirez worked as an emergency medical technician in Los Angeles. He was the first of his siblings to graduate from college, and had never considered a career as a physician until, as an EMT, he saw how underserved communities are disproportionately affected by lack of access to health care. This ignited a lifelong passion for Ramirez, who is now a fourth-year medical student at University of California, San Francisco School of Medicine.
During medical school, he has served in local homeless shelters and at San Francisco General Hospital. He has also mentored high school and college students from underrepresented backgrounds as they pursue education in the health professions. This commitment to mentorship and representation has grown alongside an interest in vascular surgery: procedures that save the lives of patients, and groundbreaking research with far-reaching implications in medicine. These experiences have motivated him to pursue a career as a surgeon-scientist.
As the first in his family to pursue a career in healthcare, Ramirez understands firsthand the value of mentorship and outreach for underrepresented communities. As a Chicano surgeon-scientist whose background reflects those of people he hopes to serve, je is well positioned to care and advocate for underserved communities, and drive changes in the workforce that will have a long-lasting impact on the delivery of care. Receiving the NMF National Alumni Council Scholarship has helped him achieve his goals thus far, and he exemplifies the goal of NMF: to identify and nurture tomorrow’s diverse health care leaders, who will have the knowledge, skills, cultural competency and commitment to achieve health equity.
Kamron Robinson
Morehouse School of Medicine
Kamron Robinson
Class of 2021, Morehouse School of Medicine
Then his seven-year-old cousin Karee got sick when he was a teenager. He was at the hospital with her every day for four months until she passed away. Those four months changed his life. He was inspired by the skills, but, more importantly, the compassion of the doctors and nurses who cared for Karee. Not only did they treat her rare illness, but they were extraordinarily kind and caring toward her and their family. They prayed with them; they painted Karee’s nails; they gave so much more than they had to. Robinson saw how much it meant to have health care professionals who cared so much. He truly believes that their compassion extended Karee’s life.
So that’s the kind of doctor Robinson wants to be. He knows that all Black, economically-disadvantaged families don’t get the kind of treatment and care that Karee did. He’s determined to be part of changing that. We’re so proud of him and so excited to see how he will contribute to transforming health care!
Dr. Sandra D. Stratford
Former Chief Medical Officer, Raytheon
Dr. Sandra D. Stratford
Sandra Stratford, MD, MSc*
Champions of Health Awards Co-Chair
Dr. Stratford started her career in occupational health as senior physician and assistant medical director for Exxon Chemical Company in New Jersey. She has served as a medical director and consultant for Occupational & Environmental Health Network in Waltham, Massachusetts, and CareGroup Occupational Health in Boston. Prior to that she served as regional medical director for IBM Corporation’s Northeast regional manufacturing and development operation and as medical director for IBM’s global programs.
Dr. Stratford has been a featured panelist with Color Magazine’s Women of Color Leadership and Empowerment Forum and has been recognized in the Boston Business Journal as one of the most influential people of color in healthcare and life sciences.
Juan Vasquez
University of California, San Francisco School of Medicine
Juan Vasquez Vasquez
Class of 2021, University of California, San Francisco School of Medicine
After DACA passed, things got a little easier; at least he could get a social security number (which gave him access to more scholarships) and work legally. But after graduation from college, he was faced with his greatest challenge so far—finding a way to pay for medical school. This is a sometimes insurmountable obstacle for many students from economically-disadvantaged backgrounds, even when they are U.S. citizens. Vasquez was determined to become a doctor—and to serve communities, like the ones he comes from, who desperately need doctors who are committed to giving them the high-quality care they deserve. His scholarship from NMF was key. We are so proud and excited that he is less than a year from realizing his dream of graduating from medical school! He is a great example of why we do the work that we do.