Meet the 2023–2024 Board
Afua Ofori-Darko
Board member
Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine
Afua Ofori-Darko
Board member
Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine
Afua Ofori-Darko is a second year medical student at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine. She attended Tufts University and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Biology & Community Health. Prior to medical school, Afua worked in the health start-up and innovation space, and has carried her interests in the medical innovation field with her to VisualDx. Her current research interests include medical education, public health dermatology, and using AI to improve dermatologic outcomes in marginalized populations.
Alicia Edwards
Board member
Howard University College of Medicine
Alicia Edwards
Board member
Howard University College of Medicine
Alicia Edwards is a native of Savannah, Georgia and graduate of Spelman College. Experiencing the fearlessness of her mentors and classmates at Spelman encouraged her to pursue a career in medicine and advocate for underserved populations. Her passion to serve and love for community motivated her decision to attend Howard University College of Medicine. Currently, Alicia is on a research year focused on cutaneous diseases with a higher prevalence and worse prognosis in skin of color patients. Her current research experience and interests include alopecia, hidradenitis suppurativa, skin of color, and vitiligo.
She has student membership affiliations with the American Medical Association, Skin of Color Society, Student National Medical Association, and National Medical Association. Alicia served as President of the Howard University Dermatology Student Society (HUDS), Region 6 MAPS liaison, HUDS Social Media Manager, and three terms as a student representative on Howard’s admission committee. She currently serves on the VisualDx Student Advisory Board, the National MAPS Committee as the Convention Planning Coordinator, and Learn2Derm Executive Board as the Social Media Manager. Alicia uses her positions to open doors and present opportunities to disadvantaged students. Her ultimate goal is to provide expectational care to patients in need, advocate for students of color to enter spaces they are traditionally excluded, and to organize with policy makers to ensure the medical system is inclusive and equitable.
Ananya Munjal
Board member
University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine
Ananya Munjal
Board member
University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine
Ananya Munjal is a third-year medical student at the University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine. Having studied creative writing and human physiology in college, she is passionate about the intersections between medicine and the arts, and has channeled this into initiatives such as Sk(in depth), a dermatology research newsletter, and The Appendix, a digital art magazine. She recently completed a research fellowship at Johns Hopkins investigating care disparities in cutaneous lymphoma patients and seeing firsthand the impact of healthcare inequalities on marginalized communities.
In her free time, Ananya enjoys reading, writing, pilates, and cooking new cuisines for her friends and family. Her research interests include pediatric dermatology, women’s health dermatology, and cutaneous lymphoma. In the future, she hopes to continue working to bridge the gap in rural and urban healthcare disparities for communities like her own.
Brittany Lane
Board member
Michigan State University College of Human Medicine
Brittany Lane is a senior medical student at MSU College of Human Medicine and former research student with Henry Ford Department of Dermatology. During her time with Henry Ford, she co-authored multiple publications related to photomedicine/photodermatology and pigmentary disorders. Her current research experience and interests include photomedicine, photodermatology, pigmentary disorders, hidradenitis supprativa and non-invasive imaging.
She has student membership affiliations with the American Medical Association, Skin of Color Society, Student National Medical Association, National Medical Association and Photodermatology Society. A recent Gold Humanism Honor Society inductee, Brittany served two terms as a student representative on the college’s curriculum committee, Co-President of the Dermatologist Interest Group and Student National Medical Association. She currently serves as the co-chair of the VisualDx Student Advisory Board. Throughout her SpartanMD journey, she has served in various capacities to inspire first generation and underrepresented students pursuing Medicine and STEM related careers.
Chinenye Onejeme
Board member
University of Texas Medical Branch - John Sealy School of Medicine
Chinenye Onejeme
Board member
University of Texas Medical Branch - John Sealy School of Medicine
Chinenye Onejeme is a third-year medical student at the University of Texas Medical Branch – John Sealy School of Medicine. She earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Biochemistry at The University of Texas at Austin. Her professional pursuits are underscored by a dedication to aiding the underserved, advocating for heightened diversity within clinical research, and fostering advancements in pediatric dermatology.
In her free time, Chinenye also finds fulfilment in preparing delicious meals for her family and friends, dancing her heart out at Zumba, exploring new destinations, attending concerts, and calligraphy. Additionally, her research interests are equally diverse and include global health dermatology, pediatric dermatology, psychodermatology and skin-of-color research. Her goal is to persist in endeavors aimed at enhancing healthcare accessibility for marginalized communities, striving fervently to improve healthcare disparities in these regions.
Dominique F. Revan
Board member
University at Buffalo Jacobs School of Medicine
Dominique F. Revan
Board member
University at Buffalo Jacobs School of Medicine
Dominique F. Revan is a third-year medical student at the University at Buffalo Jacobs School of Medicine and an alumna of Pepperdine University. She founded Stay Ambitious Co. in order to celebrate and empower women of color and to offer mentorship to URM. In her medical program, she held positions as Co-President of the Dermatology Interest Group, Co-Manager of the student-run free dermatology clinic, and Co-President of the Jacobs Community Group Fitness Club. As an aspiring dermatologist, Dominique is determined to reduce the access gap and racial disparities in the field through community outreach and research. She is currently the Co-Chair of the VisualDx Student Advisory Board and a member of the NMA Derm Strategic Communications Committee. She is excited to be part of the mission in improving health equity and health outcomes for patients of color. Her current interests include skin of color, global health, skin cancer, pigmentary disorders, atopic dermatitis, alopecia, and health disparities. Outside of medical school, Dominique loves to work out, travel, and create content for social media.
Iain Encarnacion
Board member
Eastern Virginia Medical School
Iain Encarnacion
Board member
Eastern Virginia Medical School
Iain Encarnacion is a 3rd year medical student at Eastern Virginia Medical School (EVMS) in Norfolk, VA. After completing his undergraduate degree at the University of Virginia in 2018, he worked as a medical assistant for two years before pursuing his Master’s Degree in Biomedical Sciences at EVMS. He is particularly passionate about sexual and gender diverse (SGD) health as well as racial and ethnic disparities in healthcare. He aims to bring awareness to healthcare issues affecting these marginalized communities with the hopes of improving research, cultural competency, and ultimately equitable access to care for these groups. As a queer Filipino-American, Iain understands possessing multiple social identities impacts one’s health, and he hopes to advance intersectional approaches to all aspects of medicine.
He serves as the Co-Chair of the planning committee for an annual state-wide Virginia Dermatology Trainee Advocacy Day. Additionally, Iain has peer reviewed for the Journal of Student-Run Clinics and the American Academy of Dermatology’s Basic Dermatology Curriculum. In his research, he has examined the effect of dermatologic diseases disproportionately affecting the LGBTQ community and efforts to promote SGD curricula in medical education.
Hannah Riva
Board member
Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center El Paso
Hannah Riva
Board member
Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center El Paso
Hannah Riva is a medical student and Foster scholar at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center El Paso, Class of 2025. Hannah attended the University of Texas at Austin as a Dedman scholar and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Spanish and biology minor. She received her master’s degree in physician assistant studies from the University of Texas Health Science Center San Antonio and practiced for several years as a PA in surgery, including neurosurgery and thoracic surgery. Hannah has volunteered at local clinics for underserved patients for years and has volunteered on numerous international medical trips in Mexico and Central America. Her research interests include cutaneous oncology and psychoneurocutaneous disorders.
Idowu Olugbade
Board member
Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University
Idowu Olugbade
Board member
Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University
Idowu ‘Idee’ is a first-generation Nigerian-American medical student. After earning her bachelor’s degree from Lehigh University, she worked as a community health worker in Baltimore, MD, which ignited her passion for medicine and led her to the Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University. Currently, she serves as a LEAD Fellow at the Warren Alpert Medical School Office of Belonging, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (OBEDI), supporting
initiatives and programing for underrepresented medical students and the Providence community.
Her clinical interests are in pediatrics and dermatology, where she aims to positively impact the lives of young patients and their families. Idee is actively involved in various medical associations, including the American Medical Association, Society of Pediatric Dermatology, American Academy of Pediatrics, and the Student National Medical Association, where she holds the role of treasurer for her regional chapter. Additionally, she is a member of the
leadership team at Skin of Color Community, a non-profit organization dedicated to providing free, accessible dermatologic education to underserved communities.
Outside of her academic pursuits, Idee finds joy in photography, playing soccer, and spending time with her niece.
Roy Mendoza
Board member
University of California, Riverside School of Medicine
Roy Mendoza
Board member
University of California, Riverside School of Medicine
Roy Mendoza is a 3rd year medical student at the University of California, Riverside School of Medicine. A Southern California native, Roy received his Bachelors of Science degree in Biological Sciences with honors from California State University, Fullerton. His research during undergrad focused on uncovering health disparities, and he has continued this work as a medical student through multiple grant-funded research projects focused on cutaneous malignancies in undergraduate athletes, Latinx individuals and immunosuppressed / HIV positive populations. In his free time, Roy enjoys volunteering at free clinics throughout the Inland Empire; he recently co-founded an initiative made to provide accessible, skin cancer prevention education in multilingual free clinic settings. Looking ahead, Roy aspires to continue this work, with a particular interest in expanding his research in skin of color dermatology, LGBTQ+ dermatology, and addressing health disparities in cutaneous oncology.