Women in Medicine

Era Gupta, Co-President	I was born in Columbus, growing up in the suburbs of Worthington and Dublin, and I have lived here my whole life. While I said that I would go away for undergrad, I ended up going to Ohio State. Even though I was apprehensive about it, I loved it!! In undergrad, I majored in health care management and biology with a minor in business. During undergrad, I was very involved with student organizations including Circle K and the class honoraries. I also did research at the Davis Heart and Lung Institute. While I have known for most of my life that I wanted to be a doctor, this intuition became concrete with my love for learning about the human body and helping other people. I have not yet decided on a specialty as the more I learn, the more I find things that interest me. Outside of medicine I enjoy reading (not that I have much time for this!), cooking, traveling, spending time with my boyfriend, and of course Buckeye football.
Megan Preston, Co-President	I am from Ada, Ohio and graduated from Ohio University in 2005. Besides being a Co-President for WIM, I was also a co-chair for the Anatomy Memorial Service. Outside of school and the work it involves, I play intramural soccer, like to workout and watch movies/plays/musicals, love going out to eat and sleep whenever I can. I am also big on traveling now that I am in a central location. I decided I was going to be a doctor in the 6th grade, probably because of ER and my obsessive love of the surgeries that used to be on TLC, and have wanted to be an orthopedic surgeon since I was a college freshman. Want I want to do is becoming more blurry the more I learn; however, what I do not want to do, OB-GYN and Pediatrics, has not changed.
Kristen Arling, Secretary	I was born in Toledo, OH, and when I was 6 years old my family moved to Buffalo, NY where I spent most of my life. Two summers ago my parents moved to Fayetteville, Arkansas, so that is where home is now. I went to the University of Rochester for my undergrad and graduated summa cum laude with a degree in Neuroscience in May of 2005. I was also elected to Phi Beta Kappa my senior year. I used to say I wanted to be a doctor when I was younger, then that idea died away for awhile in high school, but in the end I came back to medicine and found myself here, at Ohio State. I think I want to specialize in Neurology, but that might change as time goes on. Outside of class I love to run, read, travel (these days mostly just to see my family in Arkansas or my boyfriend in Wisconsin), cook, and go out to eat at new restaurants. I also volunteer at the Columbus Literacy Council helping adults who never graduated high school get ready to take the math and science sections of the GED.
Patrice Scipio, Treasurer	I was born in the country of Trinidad and Tobago, which are two islands off the northeastern coast of Venezuela. I migrated to the United States of America to go to college. Since the age of approximately 8, I decided that I wanted to become a physician. Of course, at that time I did not know what it really entailed but now I have decided to pursue medicine because health care is a necessity. Prior to Ohio State University, I attended Florida International University, Miami Florida where I obtained a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology and a Masters in Health Services Administration. In my spare time, I love to watch movies and play games. I have an affinity for extreme activities like motor cycling, scuba diving and hiking long distances. I am yet to achieve my goals of sky diving, bungee jumping and traveling the world. God is the center of my life. My favorite quote is one by Elizabeth Cady Stanton, “The moment we begin to fear the opinions of others and hesitate to tell the truth that is in us, and from motives of policy are silent when we should speak, the divine floods of light and life no longer flow into our souls”.
Kimberly Harris, Meeting Coordinator	I was born in Columbus, OH while my dad was finishing his residency program in Ophthalmology at Ohio State. When I was 2 years old, my family moved to Rocky River, OH on the west side of Cleveland where I have lived ever since. After graduating from Rocky River High School in 2001, I attended Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. During undergrad, I worked on Cystic Fibrosis research at Case Western Reserve University and served as a delegate for the 2004 International Mission on Medicine in Australia. I was elected to Phi Beta Kappa during my senior year. In 2005, I graduated magna cum laude and received a Bachelor of Arts in Zoology. Besides serving as meeting coordinator for WIM, I am also the Secretary of the student-run Columbus Free Clinic and I enjoy volunteering with the Columbus Neighborhood Health Center's Health Care for the Homeless program. When I'm not studying I enjoy running, reading (I love anything written by Jodi Picoult) and spending time with friends. So far I'm unsure what medical speciality I want to pursue, but I'm hoping I find something I'm passionate about along the way.
Rachel Schleichert, Meeting Coordinator	I was born in Chicago and moved 10+ times growing up. I graduated from a high school in Ohio (so technically I am still an Ohio resident), and then I attended Western Michigan University for undergrad, which I loved! I majored in biomedical sciences and French, and minored in chemistry. I knew I wanted to go into medicine for as long as I can remember. I think most people who enter medicine enjoy the challenge of solving problems while having the privilege to share in people's lives in a way that no other profession allows. This summer I am getting married to a man I met in high school and started seeing in college. He's a high school math and science teacher in Indiana. My hobbies/interests include running, art, shopping, quality time in front of the TV, traveling, and spending time with friends and family. At this point I am undecided on what specialty I want to enter, but I'm sure there's one out there for me!
Claudine Holt, Retreat Co-Chair	I'm from Washington DC/Hyattsville MD but my family is from Jamaica. I attended Georgetown University, was a Howard Hughes Research Scholar, graduated with a degree in English, and worked in consulting/public health for a year. I returned to Georgetown after graduating to complete the post-bac pre-medical program while working in the ICU full-time at George Washington University Hospital. Outside of medical school I love to paint, draw and play the piano when I can. I also love to visit museums, travel, and watch movies. (Old classics are my favorite.) As far as sports go, I like tennis and football. I have a strong interest in international health and would like to do a rotation abroad as well as live abroad in the future. This summer I plan to do research, travel a bit, and catch up on my reading. There are a few specialties that I've been consistently interested in, but I'm keeping an open mind.
Kirsten McNamara, Retreat Co-Chair	I grew up in Cleveland, OH and attended Miami University as a Microbiology major with a Japanese minor. I then spent one year after college working at a non-profit Adoption Network Cleveland, providing education, support and search help for people touched by adoption. Before applying to medical school, I attended Case Western Reserve University for two years, finishing a Masters degree in Genetics with research in embryonic development. I currently volunteer at the OSU Student Wellness Center as an HIV test counselor, providing anonymous HIV testing & counseling to students, faculty and staff. I also love to run, swim, play the piano, and spend time with my dog and cat at home. I am in a relationship with someone living in Cleveland, so during days off we spend time traveling to see each other as much as possible. Although my career ideas seem to change often, I am interested in family practice, rural medicine, sexual health and adolescent health. This summer I will be participating in the rural summer externship at Mad River Family Practice.
Lindsey Bostelman, Admissions Chair	I grew up in the flat fields of Northwest Ohio just outside of the small town of Grand Rapids (yes, there is one in Ohio). Throughout my life, I knew that I wanted to pursue a career in science, but it was not until my sophomore year of high school that I realized that I had the fortitude, compassion, intelligence, and desire to become a doctor (even though I was yet to actually meet a female doctor). I attended Denison University and graduated summa cum laude with a biology major. While there, I researched DNA binding proteins, and how their mutations affected UV sensitivity in yeast. I later presented this research to congressmen in Washington, D.C. in attempt to lobby for continued funds in undergraduate research. Additionally, I was named a biology fellow and given the Denison Leadership Award. When not studying, I have always enjoyed doing community service, spending 3 years at Denison as the president of the Diabetes Association and an EMT-basic for the Granville Fire Department and now at Ohio State being the volunteer coordinator for the Columbus Free Clinic. At this point in my life, I am completely undecided as to which specialty I wish to pursue (and I am OK with that).

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