Alumni Spotlights & HPAO News

Brian Florenzo graduated with a dual degree in Spanish and biological sciences: physiology and neurobiology, and is currently in his second year of his MD at the University of Virginia School of Medicine.

Alum John Thompson reflects on his journey to dentistry.

Dr. Porter has experience as a Navy medic and has found purpose in the work that he continuously engages in. 

Jennifer O’Brien, a current first-year medical student at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, discusses the reapplication process for medical school and how to navigate it. 

Dr. Channa Amarasekera is director of the Gay and Bisexual Men’s Urology Program at Northwestern Medicine in Chicago, which seeks to improve the experience of gay and bisexual men, including those with prostate cancer, who seek urologic care. 

Keenan Sobol graduated from UMD in 2017 with a major in Biological Sciences: General Biology and is currently in his fourth year of an MD program at the Jefferson Medical College (now renamed the Sidney Kimmel Medical College).

Malina Howard is a former student-athlete on the Women’s Basketball team here at Maryland and a current fourth-year medical student at University of Maryland School of Medicine.

Allison Orlosky was a bioengineering major and graduated from the University of Maryland’s three-year Arts-Dentistry Program and received a B.S. degree (Arts-Dentistry) after completing her first year at the University of Maryland School of Dentistry (UMDSOD) in 2021. She shares her insights about her past life as a pre-dental student and current life as a second-year dental student.

We have valuable tips and advice from Audrey Manual who graduated from the University of Maryland in 2019 with a degree in Bioengineering and a certificate in LGBT studies. She took a gap year before matriculating into the University of Illinois College of Medicine at Chicago. During her gap year, she enrolled in Johns Hopkins Health Science Intensive Post-Baccalaureate program.

Manuella Lewetchou Djomaleu! Manuella graduated from UMD in Spring 2020 and majored in Biological Sciences: Physiology and Neurobiology. She is currently in the second year of her MD program at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF). Manuella shares valuable tips and insight about medical student life.

Chinmayi Pamala graduated in Spring 2021 with a degree in Biological Sciences: Neurobiology and Physiology. She is currently in her first year of her MD at Tufts University School of Medicine. She explains her process for drafting her personal statement and other tips for navigating applications.