Meet MRR

Hans Arora, Chair

Hans Arora, Chair
Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine

My name is Hans Arora, and I am in my third year in the MD/PhD program at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago. I am excited to serve as Chair of your 2007-2008 Membership Retention and Recruitment Committee! Some of my goals for the coming year include working closer with the MSS Outreach Program, to have MRR events at both the AMA Annual and Interim meetings, studying how some of the most successful chapters recruit, increasing senior medical student involvement in the AMA and of course increasing membership! I am currently also serving as Region 2 Chair and on the AMPAC Student Advisory Board, as well as Alternate Delegate to the Illinois State Medical Society HOD and Co-Chair of the Chicago Medical Society. I graduated from Penn State University with a BS in Chemical Engineering and enjoy cooking, salsa dancing, and break dancing. I'm looking forward to working with my committee and can't wait to see what the year brings us!

Xiao Yang, Vice Chair

Xiao Yang, Vice Chair
University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine

My name is Xiao Yang and I just finished my second year at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and am currently taking a year off to do research. I’m very excited to be vice chair of MRR and look forward to a productive and fun year! I firmly believe the strength of the MSS lies in its members and only by concentrating efforts on recruitment and retention will we have a strong voice in the AMA. My other AMA experiences include chapter secretary/treasurer and co-president, past MRR member, and current vice chair of Region 6. I have a degree in biomedical engineering from the University of Michigan and love to travel, read, cook, and do yoga in my spare time.

Kendall Allred

Kendall Allred
University of Arizona College of Medicine

I'm a 3rd year medical student at the University of Arizona. I am an MD/MPH dual degree student and recently finished my MPH studies focusing in Public Health Policy and Management, where I completed an internship at the Maricopa County Department of Public Health in Phoenix and spent most of my time working in the Office of Public Health Emergency Management. I’ve been very active in the AMA since my first year of medical school and have served as UA Chapter Chair, Arizona State Chair, Region 1 Chair, and most recently as the AMA-MSS Governing Council Vice Chair. This is my first year on MRR, and I hope to continue his involvement in the AMA for years to come. I plan to enter the field of Emergency Medicine upon graduation from medical school. I am excited to get back to the ED having worked there as a tech for nearly 4 year prior to medical school. I’ve been married 5 years, and my wife, Lisa, and I are the proud parents of a 2-year old boy named Zane. I love the water and the sun but am looking for somewhere cooler for residency.

Peter Bourell

Peter Bourell
University of Texas Medical School at Houston

My name is Peter Bourell and I am a second year medical student at the University of Texas at Houston. This is my first AMA position. I am class President, so that has kept me busy. I was an Electrical Engineer before deciding to go into medicine. I am also married and am a father of two, and we are expecting our third child in late October. I am excited about the work ahead for this committee and look forward to getting to know the members of this committee better.

Lauren Dworkis

Lauren Dworkis
University at Buffalo School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences

I am a third year at University at Buffalo School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences. Last year, I was chapter president and I served as the New York State Community Service Chair. I am excited to be on the MRR Committee. I think that the key to a strong organization is a large and well-informed membership base. AMA provides a wide range of opportunities and educational materials that have the potential to benefit every medical student! I graduated from Cornell University with a BS in Biology. In my spare time I enjoy running, swimming, and writing haikus. I am honored to serve as a member of the MMR and excited for a productive and successful year.

Daniel Groves

Daniel Groves
Duke University School of Medicine

I am a third year student at Duke Medical School. I went to undergrad at Penn State, and I enjoy all Penn State sports especially football and wrestling. The power in AMA is the ability to network with physicians and students who have similar interests and goals, and I am excited for the opportunity to serve on this committee.

Ishwarya Karra

Ishwarya Karra
Northeast Ohio Universities College of Medicine

My name is Ishwarya Karra and I'm in my second year at Northeast Ohio Universities College of Medicine (NEOUCOM) in Rootstown, Ohio. I'm originally from Columbus, Ohio, and of course am a die hard fan of the Buckeyes! I've always had a great interest in public health and policy which is the primary reason I joined the AMA-MSS. Attending Lobby Day in D.C. and the Annual Meeting in Chicago this year definitely made me want to get more involved in the organization and I'm excited to serve on the MRR committee. Other than life at school, I love traveling, sports and reading. I'm looking forward to working with everyone on the committee.

Neal Patel

Neal Patel
Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science

My name is Neal Patel and I am a 2nd year medical student at the Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science. This is my first year serving on the Membership Recruitment and Retention Standing Committee, however I have served on the House Coordination Committee at the Annual 2007 Conference and participated in the 2007 AMA Lobby Day, I am also the current chapter president at my medical school. Seeing how medical students are the future of medicine, I joined the MRR because I wanted to help develop strategies for retaining and increasing AMA membership. I am a terrible golfer, but I enjoy every minute of it.

Michael Rudolph

Michael Rudolph
University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine

My name is Michael Rudolph and I am a second year at the University of Pittsburgh. I have held a couple of positions in my school chapter as well as serving on a couple conference committees. I think that membership recruitment, and particularly retention, can be fairly difficult, especially at the medical student level. I look forward to working on these issues and getting more students involved in the AMA during the upcoming year. I graduated from Arizona State University in 2006 with a degree in biomedical engineering and at this point don't really remember the meaning of spare time.