President: Ryan Elliott | rjelliot@princeton.edu
Ryan is an EEB major who hails from the constantly sunny and always beautiful Central Coast of California. He is also pursuing certificates in Global Health and Health Policy and Latin American Studies. A proud ‘Drangler and Quest Scholar, he enjoys jogging, being outdoors, laughing maniacally while watching episodes of Revenge, and observing his pet sea monkeys (yes, they are real!). Ryan believes strongly in the vision and mission of the TCRH chaptership program, and is thrilled to have the opportunity to work with such a dedicated, talented, and passionate team this year to make a real difference in rural health!
VP of Operations: Edwin Carbajal | carbajal@princeton.edu
Edwin was born in Potrerillos Cortés, Honduras and has a personal connection to the importance of rural health and to the education that comes along with any global health initiative. After completing grade school in the Bronx in New York, he attended Wilton High School in Wilton, Connecticut as an A Better Chance scholar. He is currently an Ecology and Evolutionary Biology major at Princeton University where he is aspiring to the professoriate career. Edwin is passionate about academia and encourages everyone to learn for its own sake. Teased for being a Renaissance man, he is also a slam poet, a musician, and a Latin teacher. Edwin values his family, friends, and faith for guiding him along the way.
VP of Fundraising: Bizuwork Melesse | bmelesse@princeton.edu
I’m a sophomore from Chicago majoring in Molecular Biology. I joined TCRH because I think its mission of addressing HIV/AIDS and maternal care through education and preventative measures in rural Kenya sets a good example of what is needed to be done in order to address the problem at a continental scale.
VP of Rural Health Activism: Akshata Shirahatti | ashiraha@princeton.edu
Akshata is a junior from the wonderfully warm and happy state of Georgia, and majoring in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology. Having spent the summer researching Tuberculosis in Southeast Asia, she is very excited to examine public health issues with the Rural Health Activism Committee. Akshata also enjoys volunteering at the Princeton Medical Center and Big/Little Sib program, writing and editing for the Princeton Public Health Review, and serves as a Outdoor Action Leader. When she’s not dreaming of more destinations to add to her travel wish list, you can also find her dancing with Naacho, snuggled up reading a historical fiction novel, or exploring her inner actress through various plays on campus. Having been apart of the initial planning stages for Princeton’s TCRH chapter, Akshata cannot wait to see how the organization grows and makes a difference in rural health communities!
VP of Outreach and Publicity: Patricia Yeh | pyeh@princeton.edu
Patricia is a senior (where has time went?!) in the EEB department from the illustrious and oh-so-scintillating state of New Jersey. She enjoys helping people, eating cookies, and long walks on the beach, as well as pumping iron and rock climbing. When she is not out saving the world, Patricia volunteers at local soup kitchens and animal shelters. She loves learning different languages and hopes to put her language skills to use after graduation. Thus far, she has spent a life-changing semester in Panama, seen TCRH through many struggles, and is incredibly excited to see how far TCRH will progress in the coming year!
VP of Special Events: Priscella Chan | pschan@princeton.edu
Priscella is a senior from Arcadia, CA, majoring in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology with a Certificate in Music Performance. At Princeton, she is not only the Vice President of the Ballroom Dancing Club, but also a Figure Skating Instructor through Campus Recreation. Priscella’s interest in public health grew after spending a summer abroad in Vietnam studying the global burden of typhoid fever. From this experience, she gained a better understanding of the issues in health care in developing countries. Priscella is passionate about helping rural communities gain access to the health services they currently need, and is beyond thrilled to work with TCRH!
VP of Chaptership Expansion: Christine Hildreth | cnh2@princeton.edu
Christine is a ’16er from Potomac, Maryland planning to major in Psychology with certificates in Neuroscience and Global Health and Health Policy. She first became interested in the field of health through her autistic family friend and hopes to research autism in the future. TCRH has already been fundamental in opening her eyes to global health issues worldwide and she is proud to be a part of an organization with such an important goal. Christine is excited to see TCRH grow during its second year and is particularly eager to spread the mission of TCRH by helping other schools around the country develop their own TCRH chapters.
Chief Financial Officer: Jean Choi | jeanchoi@princeton.edu
Jean is a junior from Columbus, OH majoring in computer science. She likes sleeping, playing violin, baking, watching Sherlock, making to-do lists, and procrastinating on her to-do lists (usually by sleeping). She wishes she liked running. Jean spent the past summer as a TropicalClinics intern, and after seeing the organization’s amazing work first-hand she is excited to share its mission on campus in the coming year!
Chief Campus Liaison: Gina Sun | ghsun@princeton.edu
Gina is a junior from Memphis, TN and is majoring in molecular biology. She is interested in health and the environment and decided to join TCRH to further explore rural health issues within the context of sustainable development. Some of her favorite things include running on scenic trails, puppies, traveling, baking, and eating said baked goods. Gina hopes to continue spreading rural health awareness on campus and in the community and looks forward to another great year with TCRH.
Chief Community Liaison: Madeline Russell | mlr5@princeton.edu
After traveling to Ghana last summer, I was struck by the many health-related problems facing everyday life, and knew it was something I wanted to help change. I’m glad to have found a club here at Princeton that is dedicated to doing just that: providing Kenyans with access to proper medical care. I look forward to working with everyone to make progress in achieving this goal. I’m a freshmen currently planning on majoring in Molecular Biology, and thinking about pursuing a certificate in Global Health and Health Policy. I’m also considering medical school.
Chief Administrative Officer: Amber Abuga | aabuga@Princeton.EDU
Amber is member of the wonderful class of 2015 with interests in a little bit of everything from international cuisine to squirrel behavior. She’s not settled on a major but is considering anything that will allow her to combine her interest in people and the science behind them. She’s also interested in pursuing the Global Health Program certificate and a certificates in African Studies and Neuroscience. Amber is pre-med and would one day like to establish an organization much like TCRH to contribute to minimizing healthcare disparities around the world. As a Kenyan-American she is particularly interested in rural health in Kenya but is also very passionate about improving quality-of-life standards throughout Africa through education, technology, and beyond. Other activities Amber is involved in on campus include Voices of Africa, Students for Education Reform, Princeton Friends of Wellbody Alliance, and Princeton Faith and Action/Legacy. She’s very excited to see all the great things Princeton TCRH and TCRH will accomplish this year.
