Action Committees and Teams Archives - AMSA /role/national-leadership/action-committees-and-teams/ AMSA Wed, 18 Feb 2026 21:27:00 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.9.4 Race, Ethnicity, & Culture in Health (REACH) Action Committee Community Coordinator /people/race-ethnicity-culture-in-health-reach-action-committee-community-coordinator/ Wed, 18 Feb 2026 21:20:09 +0000 /?post_type=people&p=20861 Action Committee overview: Race, Ethnicity, & Culture in Health The Race, Ethnicity, & Culture in Health (REACH) Action Committee is responsible for executing AMSA’s programming and advocacy efforts in issues of race, ethnicity, and culture, including but not limited to cultural sensitivity, health disparities, social determinants of health, and diversity in the healthcare workforce.  Position...

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Action Committee overview: Race, Ethnicity, & Culture in Health

The Race, Ethnicity, & Culture in Health (REACH) Action Committee is responsible for executing AMSA’s programming and advocacy efforts in issues of race, ethnicity, and culture, including but not limited to cultural sensitivity, health disparities, social determinants of health, and diversity in the healthcare workforce. 

Position description

Community Coordinators are understood to serve within the larger context of AMSA’s Advocacy and Action work. Leveraging their areas of expertise, they will engage in the following in close consultation with AMSA’s Legislative Affairs Director:

    • Organize and lead grassroots community building spaces, including but not limited to contributing to Advocacy & Action’s monthly social hours, bringing the work of the Action Committee to AMSA members via virtual and in-person (when possible) chapter gatherings, and beyond, curating recurring touchpoints for connection-building. 
    • Develop and maintain the work of resiliency and rituals of belonging, creating ongoing trauma-informed initiatives, including but not limited to peer mentorship circles, sacred processing spaces, chapter milestone celebrations, and beyond, which intricately weaves a strong safety net of support and deepen members’ sense of home across AMSA chapters.
    • Strengthen chapter networks, coalitions, and local events as the backbone of our pillared infrastructure, enabling chapter leaders to host gatherings, foster regional alliances, and launch initiatives which amplify and uplift ASMA’s advocacy priorities with grassroots staying power.
    • We would love to include language here about expectations for ACT Community Coordinators to keep the membership team informed of ACT programming and actions, and would love to get insight on the best methods for that! For example, having ACT Community Coordinators participate in quarterly touchpoints with Membership and otherwise keeping Membership in the loop via email?
    • Oversee the alignment of committee-specific projects with AMSA’s primary organizational priorities, thoughtfully integrating pillar deliverables into all initiatives.  

       

       

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      Ranbeer Singh /people/ranbeer-singh/ Fri, 17 Oct 2025 18:19:51 +0000 /?post_type=people&p=20582 The post Ranbeer Singh appeared first on AMSA.

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      Mia Contreras /people/mia-contreras/ Mon, 20 Jan 2025 18:23:08 +0000 /?post_type=people&p=19811 The post Mia Contreras appeared first on AMSA.

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      Betty Onyebu /people/betty-onyebu-3/ Thu, 22 Aug 2024 16:53:19 +0000 /?post_type=people&p=19331 Betty Onyebu is a recent medical graduate from the American University of Barbados. She also holds a Bsc in Medical Genetics from Swansea University, Swansea, Whales. Betty is part of the Igbo tribe and hails from Anambra state. Throughout her academic journey, she has contributed to her society by holding various leadership positions. She also...

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      Betty Onyebu is a recent medical graduate from the American University of Barbados. She also holds a Bsc in Medical Genetics from Swansea University, Swansea, Whales. Betty is part of the Igbo tribe and hails from Anambra state.

      Throughout her academic journey, she has contributed to her society by holding various leadership positions. She also held a position of course director of the pre- medical scholar program in 2023/2024 in AMSA, where she and her teammates arranged courses and speakers, who they felt would make an impact on the pre- medical scholar’s journeys.

      Apart from the Academic space, Betty enjoys singing which she continuously does in her Home Church. She also enjoys community service, which gives her opportunity to give back to her society. Betty is a well-rounded individual who strives for knowledge and excellence in her dealings.

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      Amir Reza Pashmineh Azar /people/amir-reza-pashmineh-azar/ Thu, 02 May 2024 16:49:42 +0000 /?post_type=people&p=19000 Amir Reza Pashmineh Azar is a rising second-year medical student at Burrell College of Osteopathic Medicine and currently serves as the Global Health Chair for AMSA. Grounded in a deep commitment to social justice and global health equity, Amir is passionate about leveraging innovation to address health disparities across underserved and global communities. In his role...

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      Amir Reza Pashmineh Azar is a rising second-year medical student at Burrell College of Osteopathic Medicine and currently serves as the Global Health Chair for AMSA.
      Grounded in a deep commitment to social justice and global health equity, Amir is passionate about leveraging innovation to address health disparities across underserved and global communities. In his role as Global Health Chair, he is committed to leading initiatives that promote health equity, amplify marginalized voices, and empower medical students to engage in meaningful advocacy and cross-cultural collaboration. Amir believes that a truly impactful physician must think beyond borders and work toward building a more just, inclusive, and globally connected healthcare system.

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      Sukriti Prashar /people/sukriti-prashar/ Sat, 16 Dec 2023 19:46:38 +0000 /?post_type=people&p=18632 Sukriti Prashar is a fourth-year medical student at Nova Southeastern University’s Kiran Patel College of Osteopathic Medicine (NSU-KPCOM). For the 2025–2026 year, she is excited to serve as the AMSA Gender and Sexuality Chair, where she hopes to foster meaningful dialogue, champion inclusivity, and help shape the next generation of compassionate, socially conscious physicians. Previously,...

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      Sukriti Prashar is a fourth-year medical student at Nova Southeastern University’s Kiran Patel College of Osteopathic Medicine (NSU-KPCOM). For the 2025–2026 year, she is excited to serve as the AMSA Gender and Sexuality Chair, where she hopes to foster meaningful dialogue, champion inclusivity, and help shape the next generation of compassionate, socially conscious physicians.

      Previously, Sukriti was a Course Director for AMSA’s Reproductive Justice Health Scholars Program, creating a welcoming space for students to ask tough questions and grow into thoughtful advocates for reproductive health. She also served as president of her undergraduate university’s pre-medical AMSA chapter for two years and as president of her medical school’s AMSA chapter from 2023–2024.

      Known for her boundless curiosity and genuine care for others, Sukriti is driven by her belief that medicine is more than science. She believes healthcare is an act of service rooted in justice, equity, and human connection. She is determined to stand alongside underserved and marginalized communities through grassroots advocacy and by helping make healthcare accessible to all.

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      Carson Cornock /people/carson-cornock/ Thu, 26 Oct 2023 14:12:02 +0000 /?post_type=people&p=18528 Carson Cornock is a premed student with a passion for health and wellness and a proponent of student self-advocacy. Starting his education journey at Hillsborough Community College he found a community of like-minded individuals within his local AMSA Pre-health Chapter. The community of like-minded individuals served as a catalyst for student self-advocacy efforts and invigorated...

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      Carson Cornock is a premed student with a passion for health and wellness and a proponent of student self-advocacy. Starting his education journey at Hillsborough Community College he found a community of like-minded individuals within his local AMSA Pre-health Chapter. The community of like-minded individuals served as a catalyst for student self-advocacy efforts and invigorated his passion for promoting health and wellness for students

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      Oscar Cazares /people/oscar-cazares/ Fri, 06 Aug 2021 22:57:31 +0000 /?post_type=people&p=15142 Oscar Cazares, a proud Latino, is in his fifth year of being an AMSA National Leader. He currently serves as the National AMSA Health Policy Chair. Starting off as an FGLI (first-generation, low-income) individual, Oscar now proudly holds a multidisciplinary educational background. In December 2021, he graduated with a dual B.S. in Biology and Psychology...

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      Oscar Cazares, a proud Latino, is in his fifth year of being an AMSA National Leader. He currently serves as the National AMSA Health Policy Chair. Starting off as an FGLI (first-generation, low-income) individual, Oscar now proudly holds a multidisciplinary educational background. In December 2021, he graduated with a dual B.S. in Biology and Psychology with a Medical Humanities minor from the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV). In August 2025, he then graduated with a UTRGV B.A. in Political Science with a Social Justice minor, a Certificate in Gender and Women’s Studies, and a UTRGV B3 Scholar title, which claims him as bilingual, bicultural, and biliterate. He is currently pursuing a Master of Science in Criminal Justice at UTRGV.

      Oscar has earned a panoply of AMSA accolades at the national level. He raised from the ground up an AMSA Chapter that soon thereafter won a Paul R. Wright Chapter Success Award at the 2019 AMSA Convention. At the 2021 AMSA Convention, the same Chapter won a 1st place title for a disability campaign that Oscar founded and supervised. His AMSA National Leadership positions include being a coordinator for the Wellness and Student Life Action Committee for one year, as well as being a Premedical Membership Director for two years. He has also been the Course Director for AMSA Scholars Programs. For his 2023 course directorships, he was awarded the AMSA Course Director Award at the 2024 AMSA Convention in Washington, D.C.—now formally known as the Future Physicians for Change Convention. Oscar has also been a consistent member of the AMSA House of Delegates Reference Committees, including the position of Chair of a committee. The Reference Committees are responsible for collecting the testimony of AMSA’s membership on House of Delegates resolutions and making a formal recommendation to the House of Delegates to accept or reject each resolution.

      For the 2024-2025 AMSA term, Oscar served in multiple AMSA roles in the Health Policy Team, the AMSA Academy, the National Advocacy Day Coordinator Team, and the House of Delegates. For going above and beyond during said term, as well as for his unparalleled legacy of activism, advocacy, and leadership, he received one of the highest AMSA honors for an individual, the James Slayton National Award for Leadership Excellence, at the 2025 75th Annual AMSA Convention in Washington, D.C. The award is given each year to one AMSA National Leader whose exemplary achievement in leadership and management exceptionally fosters the development of inspiring physician leaders. This leader has exceptionally performed above and beyond the level of their position expectations to advance the organization forward.

      Oscar’s other notable accolades include the Health Occupations Students of America Barbara James Service Award, President Barack Obama’s Golden President Volunteer Service Award, and a U.S. Congressional Commendation.

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      Manikya Nagaraja /people/manikya-nagaraja/ Fri, 06 Aug 2021 22:57:31 +0000 /?post_type=people&p=15167 Manikya Nagaraja is a third-year medical student of Indian origin, born in Bangalore, India. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Biochemistry from Spartan Health Science University, St. Lucia. During her early medical training, she actively collaborated with AMSA to serve underprivileged communities across St. Lucia, organizing free health clinics, awareness walks, and blood donation drives....

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      Manikya Nagaraja is a third-year medical student of Indian origin, born in Bangalore, India. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Biochemistry from Spartan Health Science University, St. Lucia. During her early medical training, she actively collaborated with AMSA to serve underprivileged communities across St. Lucia, organizing free health clinics, awareness walks, and blood donation drives. She has held several leadership roles, including Scholar Program Chair and Academic Chair, and currently contributes to healthcare education and advocacy. She has also served as an Editorial Advisor for The New Physician magazine, further reflecting her commitment to medical communication and academic excellence.

      Manikya is passionate about research, medical education, and promoting patient rights and dignity. She thrives in environments that foster learning, innovation, and compassionate care, and enjoys organizing academic and outreach events. Her hobbies include dancing, solving Rubik’s cubes, and learning new languages. An ardent animal lover, she has rescued six dogs during her time in St. Lucia. She aspires to pursue a residency in Hematology and Oncology and is dedicated to making a meaningful impact through her clinical and academic work.

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      Anushka Halagatti /people/wsl-advocacy-coordinator/ Fri, 06 Aug 2021 22:57:31 +0000 /?post_type=people&p=15169 Anushka Halagatti is a medical student at Avalon University School of Medicine with a strong passion for leadership, advocacy, and fostering healthier communities.  She currently serves as the Wellness and Student Life Advocacy Coordinator, where she champions mental health awareness and suicide prevention by creating safe spaces for dialogue and support. She is also the...

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      Anushka Halagatti is a medical student at Avalon University School of Medicine with a strong passion for leadership, advocacy, and fostering healthier communities. 

      She currently serves as the Wellness and Student Life Advocacy Coordinator, where she champions mental health awareness and suicide prevention by creating safe spaces for dialogue and support. She is also the current Course Director for Trauma-Informed Care. Previously, she served as Course Director for the Health Justice Scholars Program, advancing initiatives that highlight the importance of equity in healthcare. 

      In 2022, Anushka founded Avalon’s first AMSA chapter and served as President for nearly two years. Under her leadership, the chapter grew into a vibrant hub of advocacy and education, earning national recognition as AMSA Chapter of the Month in June 2024. From organizing the Fun Run for Healthy Living marathon to collaborating with Dr. Jeff Koetje on reproductive health awareness, her initiatives have made a lasting impact within the AMSA community. She also organized Avalon University’s Annual Symposium in both 2023 and 2024, where she presented her own research alongside global health discussions. 

      Outside of medicine, Anushka’s adventurous spirit is fueled by travel, hiking, baking, basketball, and cycling. She is also an avid Formula 1 fan. Her dedication lies at the intersection of medicine, advocacy, and education, with a steadfast commitment to building a future where healthcare is both equitable and compassionate.

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