Meet our leadership team members who organize and lead our national projects for 2026-2027!
Executive Chair
Melissa Blum
Icahn School of Medicine, Class of 2027
Melissa is a medical student at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, currently on a research year at Queens College, CUNY between her third and fourth years of medical school. She received her undergraduate degree from Macalester College, where she studied Biochemistry. In medical school, Melissa is co-Chair of her school’s MS4SF chapter and a member of the Sustainability Committee on Student Council. She has worked to improve access to composting for medical students and has led efforts to incorporate content on climate and health into the preclinical curriculum. Her research is focused on the impact of prenatal heat exposure on pregnancy outcomes and child neurodevelopment. In her free time, she enjoys running, knitting, and singing in New York Chamber Choirs.
Vice Chairs
Douglas Fritz, MS2
University of Colorado Anschutz School of Medicine, Class of 2025
Douglas knows climate change, social justice, and health are increasingly connected, and he expects our medical schools to be on the forefront of addressing it. While his work as a Vice Chair for MS4SF is focused on addressing these expectations nationally, as a MD/PhD student in Colorado he works with local civic leaders and community members to addresses heat-stress in Denver with a fantastic team of residents, fellows, and med students in addition to his student leadership in the sustainability mission on campus. Before med school he was an infectious disease researcher at the NIH and Fulbright Scholar in North Macedonia. He received his BS in both Biology and American Studies from Saint Louis University. He’s passionate about interweaving climate change more deeply into med school curricula and elevating what physicians can do to address the climate crisis.
Raushun is a third-year MD-MPH candidate at Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU). After graduating from Stanford University in 2022 with a B.S. in Human Biology and a minor in History, he served as a Clinical Research Coordinator on a Long COVID study at UCSF. As the Recruitment Lead, he worked with community centers around the Bay Area to spread awareness about the disease. His interest in the intersection between public health and medicine spurred a desire to explore the effect of climate change on health, and he looks forward to promoting sustainable practices and fostering partnerships with local and global actors in the climate health space. For fun, he likes reading, exploring new coffee shops, and watching the latest TV show/movie.
Forest is a third-year medical student at the University of Utah. He has always been interested in environmentalism and is working to one day be a medical director of sustainability and help lead a more sustainable and equitable healthcare system. For now he is passionate about planetary health curriculum reform and advocating for climate change being included in our training of future physicians. On the national level, he would like to assist other students interested in curriculum reform and integrate more planetary health into medical licensing exams. He is also an avid skier, backpacker, and loves corny rom coms.
Siddhi is currently a third-year medical student at the University of Michigan Medical School. Born in India and immigrating to the United States at a young age, Siddhi witnessed how vastly different climate and environments affect the way we live, work, and take care of each other. She completed her BS at Penn State University Park, which sparked her climate organizing, advocacy, and research efforts. After graduation, she headed back to Pune, India for a Fulbright-Nehru Research fellowship to study the impacts of climate change on the metabolic health of farmers. Through her efforts in advocacy and research, Siddhi realized she wanted to make climate change and health a central part of her career as a physician. As research chair for MS4SF, Siddhi hopes to work towards making climate and health research accessible for all!
Advocacy Team
Jordan is a fourth-year medical student at Georgetown University School of Medicine. She earned her undergraduate degree in Biological Sciences from the University of California, Santa Barbara. There, she spent two years working in a lab studying the mechanism of the plant hormone abscisic acid, an important regulator in plant growth. In understanding this hormone, seed quality could be modified to improve resilience to environmental stressors. In medical school, she has engaged in numerous projects including delivering Georgetown’s first climate health education lecture as part of a mandatory pre-clinical curriculum. She is motivated to continue pursuing similar efforts and promoting sustainable practices. Outside of school, Jordan enjoys baking, board games, and doing aerial silks.
Fizah is a second-year medical student at Albert Einstein College of Medicine. She earned her undergraduate degree in philosophy and biology from Boston College and spent her gap year as a Fulbright scholar performing infectious disease research in the Czech Republic. Fizah has felt called to be an advocate for the planet and for environmental health from a very young age, and she is interested specifically in the spread of zoonotic disease as a result of biodiversity loss and wildlife habitat destruction. Fizah wrote her college senior thesis on the intersection of public health ethics and environmental ethics in the issue of rising global infectious disease outbreaks as a result of environmental degradation. She is hoping to continue to work in global environmental health advocacy in her future career. Outside of school, Fizah loves hiking, reading, playing board games, volunteering at animal shelters, and trying new NYC restaurants with her friends.
Aroub Yousuf
Harvard Medical School, Class of 2027
Aroub Yousuf is from Chambersburg, PA. She is passionate about the effects of environmental degradation on health and has worked to underscore humanity’s reliance on a thriving ecosystem. She spent her gap year studying the effects of microplastics on human and ocean health. At HMS, she has worked to integrate climate health into the curriculum and has advocated for transition to greener energy. Outside of school, Aroub likes to read, go on nature walks, and spend time with her cat!
Ursula Gately
Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Class of 2028
Ursula is a second-year medical student at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine in the Global and Refugee Health Leadership Track. She earned her undergraduate degree from Georgetown University and worked in climate and health advocacy with Virginia Clinicians for Climate Action and Planetary Health Alliance. At JHUSOM, Ursula serves as a Clinical Engagement Advisor with the Johns Hopkins Institute for Planetary Health and Planetary Health Alliance, leading curriculum integration and student mentorship. She also sits on her school’s Sustainability Leadership Council and the steering committee of the Chesapeake Physicians for Social Responsibility, contributing to advocacy and legislative work advancing environmental health in Maryland. She conducts research and collaborates with Medicine for the Greater Good, an initiative that partners with neighborhoods, schools, and churches to provide health resources and education. In her free time, she enjoys running and sharing her love of home-baked treats with friends.
Partnerships Team
Alexander Pralea
The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Class of 2028
Alex is a second-year medical student at Brown. After graduating from Brown in 2024 with a degree in Hispanic Studies and Biology, he moved a whopping half-mile to start medical school. He is involved in Brown’s environmental group, ECo, through which he has partnered with local tree-planting organizations and helped out a pilot composting initiative at Rhode Island Hospital. Ultimately, he hopes to merge his career as a physician with interests in planetary and global health. Beyond environmental sustainability, Alex is passionate about ice-y New England skiing and plant-based cooking (particularly anything that involves lentils).
Sydney Warner (she/her) is a third-year medical student at Wake Forest University School of Medicine (WFUSM). She graduated from Emory University in May 2023 with a BS in Environmental Science (concentration in Environmental Health). During her undergraduate years, she was heavily involved in community-engaged research with a focus on heavy metal contamination in predominantly underserved areas, as well as advocacy for more rigorous climate action at the university level. In medical school, she founded and currently serves as the president of WFUSM’s chapter of MS4SF and as the student lead of Atrium/Advocate Health’s Environmental Action Council and Medical Education Climate Task Force. She is also the University’s first Planetary Health Report Card leader and organized a group of students to integrate planetary health into WFUSM’s preclinical curriculum, with the intention of expanding to the clinical years. She is a recipient of the 2025 Emerging Physician Leadership Award, presented by Healthcare Without Harm and the AAMC at the CleanMed conference. As a part of this award, she launched her pilot program: Education and Composting Outreach (ECO), which partners with a hospital-affiliated pediatric lifestyle program and a local compost pick-up service to repurpose food waste into compost for maintenance of a hospital-affiliated garden for underserved patients. Outside of medicine, you can find Sydney bird watching, at the movie theater, or trying new foods around town!
Annalise is a second year student at the Tulane School of Medicine. After graduating from the University of Colorado Boulder with degrees in Integrative Physiology and Biochemistry, she moved to England to pursue a Master of Public Health at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. Her dissertation examined barriers to healthcare accessibility in the aftermath of natural disasters. Previously, she worked for the Colorado Department of Public Health this past year, coordinating mental health resources for healthcare workers to increase workforce resiliency and retention. She has previously served as a Climate Smart Healthcare Chair within MS4SF. Annalise is committed to exploring the impact of climate change and natural disasters at the crossroads of public health, medicine, and the environment. Climate disasters are only increasing, and she believes it is our responsibility as future medical professionals to advocate and adapt to sustainable practices.
Communications Team
Michael is a 3rd year medical student at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston. He graduated from Harvard University in 2022 with a degree in History of Science and Global Health & Health Policy and spent a year before starting medical school working at the Center for One Health Research at the University of Washington. Outside of school, he enjoys running, exploring new neighborhoods (trying to walk every street in the Heights!), and going to local coffeeshops.
Amal is a second year student at Georgetown. She received her undergraduate degree from Emory University and graduated from Rollins School of Public Health at Emory with a MPH in Environmental Health. She is passionate about the intersection between medicine and the environment with a particular interest in climate change, heat, infectious disease, and sustainability.
Liv (she/her) is a first year osteopathic medical student at Michigan State University College of Osteopathic Medicine. She holds a Bachelors of Science in Biology with a minor in Environmental Science from Wayne State University. Liv spent her undergraduate summers working on a small farm and is passionate about local food systems and composting. She is currently establishing a MS4SF chapter at her school and is also involved with the Lifestyle Medicine Interest Group. In her free time, she loves knitting, camping, and gardening.
Hope (she/her) is a second-year medical student at Rowan-Virtua School of Osteopathic Medicine. She received her undergraduate degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in biochemistry. Her passion for planetary health was sparked during her time as an undergraduate researcher after recognizing the significant waste footprint within lab and medical settings. During her gap years, she formalized this advocacy by working as a sustainable healthcare advocate within the UK’s NHS. Currently, her work at Rowan-Virtua SOM focuses on developing an integrative planetary health curriculum and advocating for sustainable solutions across her larger University system. When she’s not studying, you can find her hiking, traveling, and practicing yoga.
Climate Smart Healthcare Team
Fiona Flynn
George Washington University School of Medicine & Health Sciences, Class of 2029
Fiona (she/her) is a medical student at the George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences. She earned her undergraduate degree from the Georgia Institute of Technology, where she studied Biology. Her interest in the intersection of climate change and healthcare grew from her upbringing in a rural Southern community, where a deep appreciation for the natural world was instilled in her by her parents. As a student in Washington, DC, Fiona is eager to expand her involvement in advocacy and health policy. She is pursuing a Concentration in Health Policy alongside her medical degree, driven by a commitment to shaping equitable, climate‑resilient healthcare systems. Outside of medicine, Fiona enjoys tending to her many houseplants and keeping up with the latest fiction picks for her book club.
Melissa Wang
Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians & Surgeons, Class of 2027
Melissa is a dual medical and public health student at Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians & Surgeons. She received her undergraduate degree at Dartmouth College, where she studied Biology and Anthropology of Global Health. As a medical student, she co-led Columbia’s MS4SF chapter, advocated for institutional sustainability, and created climate health curriculum modules for the medical and public health schools. Her work has focused on decarbonization in obstetric units, building a climate-ready healthcare workforce, and broadening the scope of MS4SF to include all health professional students at Columbia. She is currently pursuing an MPH in environmental science and epidemiology. In her free time, Melissa loves spending time outdoors, whether that is running, hiking, walking, or sitting.
Akhil (he/him) is a medical student at Harvard Medical School. He received his undergraduate degree at the University of Texas at Austin, where he studied Public Health. His interest in climate change and healthcare stemmed from his experiences growing up in Houston and witnessing the impacts of floods, freezes and heat waves on the community. As a medical student, he led Harvard’s MS4SF chapter and conducted research investigating the impact of hospital sustainability interventions. Outside of medicine, Akhil can be found in the gym, in the kitchen or settled in with a good book.
Catherine Shen is a third-year medical student at University of Pennsylvania. She graduated from the University of Virginia in 2023 with a BA in Human Biology. At Penn, she has been involved in projects examining the environmental footprint of artificial intelligence, sustainable healthcare procurement and supply chains, and integrating climate-conscious principles into medical education and research. Outside of school, Catherine enjoys going to the gym and fostering animals.
Research Team
Shreya Gupta is a third -year medical student at Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School. She completed her undergraduate studies in psychology and the biological sciences at Rutgers University-New Brunswick. She realized physicians’ role in addressing climate change after doing life cycle analyses and waste audits at the hospital. She serves on the Rutgers Office of Climate Action Student Advisory Board and is a student doctor at the student-run free clinic at RWJMS. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with friends and doing anything creative. Shreya hopes to inform hospital sustainability practices and learn more about the impact climate change can and will have on patients’ health.
Maya Navarro
Northwestern University – Feinberg School of Medicine, Class of 2028
Maya Navarro (she/her) is a second-year medical student at the Northwestern University – Feinberg School of Medicine. She graduated cum laude, in cursu honorum from New York University in 2023 where she studied Global Public Health and Biology with a concentration on infectious diseases. In her time at Feinberg, Maya has served as the president of the Climate Action Group and Medical Students for Choice, Vice-President of the Feinberg LGBTQ+ Alliance, and is the current Public Relations Co-Chair for the LMSA Midwest region. Through both her extracurricular involvement and research efforts, Maya aims to one day bridge the gap in providing dermatologic care for underprivileged members of the Chicagoland community.
Austin Le (he/him) is a 3rd year medical student at the University of Illinois College of Medicine. He graduated from UC Berkeley in 2020 with bachelors degrees in Integrative Biology and Molecular Environmental Biology and in 2023 with a Master’s of Science in Environmental Health Sciences where he studied the joint impact of chronic air pollution exposure, Adverse Childhood Experiences, and neighborhood opportunity on telomere length among children. As a medical student, he served as his school’s first Planetary Health Report Card leader, founder of his campus’s MS4SF chapter, and recipient of the APHA 2024 Student Champion for Climate Justice award to lead a clinical climate change case competition. He currently researches machine learning in modeling adolescent climate change anxiety and reducing greenhouse gas emissions from hospital inpatient metered-dose inhaler usage. He is involved in health policy as chair-elect of the Illinois State Medical Society Medical Student Section. Outside of medicine, you can find him playing ultimate frisbee, cooking plant-based recipes, and singing with his medical school’s acapella group, Docapella.
Anna Mulhern (she/her) is a M2 student at Harvard Medical School. Originally from Minneapolis Minnesota, she studied biochemistry and gender & sexuality studies at St. Olaf College. Anna has conducted community-based environmental health research and advocacy in rural Alaska, Minnesota, El Salvador and Northern Sweden. She has also worked on climate health policy in Minnesota and Alaska. As a medical student she serves as the HMS ‘28 Class President, is a member of various advocacy student organizations and helps develop and teach health workshops at Boston carceral facilities. She plans to have a career in global climate health equity and gender health justice work. Outside of medicine, you can find Anna backpacking, painting, playing ultimate frisbee, and trying to keep her houseplants alive.
Finance Chair
Miri Goodman
Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, Class of 2028
Miri is a second-year medical student at Robert Wood Johnson Medical School (RWJMS) in New Jersey. Born and raised in Northern New Jersey, Miri enjoys exploring the outdoors and local parks in the tri-state area. She earned her undergraduate degree in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology from Washington University in St. Louis, with a minor in Film and Media Studies. She learned about recycling and sustainable practices from her mom, an OB-GYN, and wants to apply the passion for climate health she developed growing up to the MS4SF National Board. She is now doing research on quality improvement to help reduce medication overuse and participating in climate health advocacy across New Jersey. In her free time, Miri loves reading, playing with her dog, caring for her plant children, and singing any Broadway song she can.
Medical Students for a Sustainable Future 