The American Medical Association Foundation (AMAF) is excited to announce the 2023–24 Leadership Development Institute (LDI) cohort. LDI is dedicated to cultivating a diverse cohort of aspiring physician leaders who are committed to serving the needs of their communities and improving the nation’s health. Comprised of 10 students, the group will embark on a year-long program that offers a unique opportunity to gain individualized insight into the skills needed to foster their careers and the future of medicine. LDI is made possible, in part, from the generous support provided by PhRMA.
The 2023–24 cohort includes:
Victoria Cegielski, University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Medicine
Victoria Cegielski is a sixth-year student at the University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Medicine’s BA/MD program. She is excited to apply for an ophthalmology residency this year.
Cegielski finds beauty in helping people regain quality of life through their sight, as well as promoting health education in underserved communities. Academically, she enjoys researching the application of physiology and immunology to brain and eye function. She also is passionate about Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander health and stays active in the Asian Pacific American Medical Student Association through both her local chapter and the national board.
Yhan Colón Ibán, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
An MD/MPH student at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai (ISMMS), Yhan Colón Ibán is committed to serving the underserved through clinical research, quality improvement and improving health care access. At ISMMS, he is a leader in numerous organizations and a grant recipient of the National Institute on Aging.
Colón Ibán graduated from Columbia University in 2018 with a degree in political science. As an undergraduate, he conducted research on health disparities in New York City, Switzerland and several regions in Africa. He has worked as a clinical research coordinator at Massachusetts General Hospital, where he helped build Mass General Brigham Orthopedic Registries. Colón Ibán plans to pursue general surgery.
Angelika Kwak, Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine
Angelika Kwak is a fourth-year MD/MPH student at the Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine. She is passionate about integrating policy, culture and medical education as a future family medicine doctor. She is interested in women’s health and pediatric care.
In addition to serving as a teacher and president of Stritch Medical Polish, Kwak has been a Polish interpreter curriculum researcher at CommunityHealth, a free clinic in Chicago. Kwak was inducted into the Gold Humanism Honor Society, where she plans to incorporate social determinants of health into her school’s curriculum. She is a recipient of the AMA Foundation Physicians of Tomorrow and Cook County Provident Fund scholarships.
Neva Lundy, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine
Neva Lundy is a fourth-year MD/MPH student at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine. Prior to medical school, she worked in public relations and health care operations. She plans to pursue neurology while striving to integrate medicine, public health and advocacy to create institutional and organizational change.
Lundy has held leadership roles in her local and state medical societies as well as nationally at the AMA. She is most proud of her involvement in Difficult Conversations, a student organization dedicated to creating spaces for students to learn how to process ethically and emotionally challenging topics such as disability, race, end of life, religion, sexuality and obesity.
Mackenzie Moody, Oklahoma State University Center for Health Science
Mackenzie Moody is a fourth-year student at the Oklahoma State University (OSU) Center for Health Sciences. An Albert Schweitzer Fellowship recipient, she developed and initiated a sustainable community outreach project that focused on promoting secure attachment for caregivers and their children.
Moody deeply values her heritage as a tribal citizen of the Cherokee Nation and is devoted to serving indigenous populations. She is focused on diversifying the field of obstetrics and gynecology through mentorship of American Indian and Alaska Native undergraduate and medical students. Moody is the current director of the Oklahoma Menstrual Equity Coalition, the secretary and advocacy chair of the Tulsa County Medical Society Student-Resident Council and the community outreach chair of the Student Osteopathic Medical Association National Board of Directors.
Iqra Nadeem, SUNY Downstate Medical Center College of Medicine
Iqra Nadeem is a fourth-year medical student at the SUNY Downstate Medical Center College of Medicine. She is interested in the intersection of politics, sustainable medicine and socioeconomic stressors. The influence of these topics is important in the reduction of health disparities that exist in her immigrant home community in Kensington area in Philadelphia, as well as the East Flatbush borough in New York City. Nadeem is currently involved in efforts to build a telehealth clinic targeting the disproportionately high rates of Black maternal mortality in East Flatbush.
Brandon Prunty, Des Moines University College of Osteopathic Medicine
Brandon Prunty is a fourth-year medical student at the Des Moines University College of Osteopathic Medicine. An aspiring psychiatrist, he is the president of PsychSIGN, the world’s largest student psychiatry organization with more than 3,000 members who aim to shape the future of mental health.
Prunty’s passion for mental health started before college when he spent two years participating in a religious mission in Chile, where he helped people overcome addictions via 12-step programs. While he participates in LDI, Prunty is excited to help PsychSIGN partner with various professional and student organizations to provide the best opportunities in its network.
Natalie Regian, Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine
Natalie Regian is an OMS-IV at the Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine (VCOM), where she served as the first VCOM-Louisiana Student Government president. Following these terms, she was elected as the national secretary on the Council of Osteopathic Student Government Presidents.
A Los Angeles native, Regian attended the University of Louisiana Monroe on an athletic scholarship and graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology. Throughout her medical education, she has served as an osteopathic manual manipulations lab assistant and completed research on the effects of such treatments in a patient case study. Regian plans to pursue a career in child and adolescent psychiatry.
Rishab Revankar, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
Rishab Revankar is a rising fourth-year medical student at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. During his time at Mount Sinai, he has channeled his passion for creative leadership by founding the Bilingual Fluency Assessment Certification Program. This program is a direct response to the growing need for better access to medical care for marginalized populations in the East Harlem area.
Additionally, Revankar is passionate about global health. As an undergraduate, he designed a global health elective and helped create a virtual medical curriculum for institutions in Ethiopia. His calling to medicine is the earnest drive to cultivate health care teams that prioritize longitudinal relationships with patients and shared decision-making models.
Donna Tran, MPH, Michigan State University College of Human Medicine
Donna Tran is a student at the Michigan State University College of Human Medicine and obtained her Master of Public Health degree at Johns Hopkins School of Public Health. During medical school career, she was awarded the U.S. Public Health Service 2023 Excellence in Public Health Award and was inducted into the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society, Gold Humanism Honor Society and Delta Omega Honorary Society in Public Health.
Tran has served as the national president of the Asian Pacific American Medical Student Association and is involved with the Association for College Psychiatry. Previously, she worked as a health policy intern on the U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions. A public mental health advocate, Tran presented to President Biden’s Advisory Commission for Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders.
To learn more about the Leadership Development Institute and how you can support or get involved with the program, visit amafoundation.org/programs/leadership/.
