Amrit Kannan
AED President
Hi everyone! I’m Amrit Kannan, and I’m your 2019-2020 AED President! I’m a Junior Biochemistry major and Psychology and Biology double minor from Fort Smith, Arkansas. In addition to being involved in your typical Pre-Med activities such as research, shadowing and volunteering, I’m an avid aviation photographer and traveler. My future goals include becoming involved with an organization like Doctors Without Borders, and providing medical relief to people around the world who most need it. You’ll see me at AED events introducing speakers and hosting panels, so make sure to come by and say hi!
Jennie Finch
AED Vice President
Hey everyone, I’m Jennie Finch and I’m your AED Vice President this year! I graduated from LISA North in Sherwood, AR and I am pursuing a degree in Biology. I would like to be a Neurologist someday. Service is my passion – I proudly volunteer at the Cancer Support Home here in Fayetteville and I have been to rural Nicaragua with the Global Medical Brigades. I teach math and reading to elementary students in my “free time”. I’m here to serve you all so please don’t hesitate to reach out to me!
Drew Vander Leest
AED Secretary
Hey everyone! My name is Drew Vander Leest, and I am super excited to serve as your secretary for this year! I’m a Sophomore Honors Biology student getting a minor in Anthropology. I’m from Shawnee, Kansas which is about 15 minutes outside of Kansas City, Mo. My medical aspirations are to pursue cardiology, but I plan to keep an open-mind during medical school. I volunteer at an organization called LifeSource here in Fayetteville, and I plan to start volunteering at the VA hospital as well. I try to be outdoors as much as possible when it’s warm out. Whether it is hiking, playing sports, or in a hammock relaxing, I will be be outside enjoying it. I’d love to meet you and hear your inputs for AED, so don’t hesitate to come introduce yourself!
Benjamin Moore
AED Reporter
Hey guys! My name is Benjamin Moore, and I will be your Reporter this year. I am a Sophomore Biochemistry major from Springfield, MO. As the reporter, I am responsible for all of the communication between AED and you all. Any email with an update or newsletter comes from me! I am involved in the typical pre-medical activities like shadowing, volunteering and research but in my free time I enjoy hiking the many trails in the Northwest Arkansas area as well as hanging out with friends. If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to email and I will send you in the right direction!
Emily Richey
AED Treasurer
Hello everyone! I am Emily Richey, and I am your 2019-2020 AED Treasurer! I am a sophomore biochemistry major from Paris, Arkansas. Outside of school and AED, I am very passionate about my non-profit organization that I founded called Dolls for Dementia, Inc. Find me sometime and I would love to tell you all about it! I am also a member of Kappa Kappa Gamma, a volunteer at Arkansas Children’s Hospital, a Make-A-Wish wish granter, a member of ASG, and on the Connect Team for C3! I hope to one day be a radiologist and continue my non-profit endeavors to make a difference in communities in Arkansas. Please reach out to me! I would love to get to know y’all!
Hannah Hamilton
AED Historian
Hi y’all! My name is Hannah Hamilton, and I am so stoked to be your 2019-2020 AED Historian! I am a sophomore psychology major from Atlanta, Texas. My future goal is to become a doctor of Osteopathic Medicine specializing in Family Medicine, and help out people from around the world through medical mission trips. I am also a Resident Assistant at Hotz Honor Hall on campus, and I am a member of a christian sorority Sigma Phi Lambda. I can’t wait to serve y’all in any way I can, so please reach out to me!
John Marrufo
AED Peer Mentor
Howdy y’all! My name is John Marrufo and I’m really thankful to have the opportunity to serve as your 2019-2020 Peer Mentor chair. I am a sophomore honors Biochemistry and Psychology double major from Bentonville, Arkansas. I have a huge heart for serving people and doing everything I can to help people feel comfortable, welcomed, and cared for, and this is the main reason I’m so excited to serve in this position. I am very involved in my community serving as the Vice President of the running club here on campus, leading a 7thgrade small group at my church as well as playing guitar and singing in the worship band, serving as a bible study leader for the Navigators campus ministry, and volunteering at the VA hospital. I love Jesus Christ passionately and pursue him daily. I also love anything outdoors including hiking, backpacking, and kayaking. Please reach out if you ever need anything!
Caroline Manning
AED Volunteer Co-Chair
Hi everyone, I am Caroline Manning, and I am serving as one of your Volunteer Co-Chairs this year. I am a sophomore biology major with a history minor from Shreveport, Louisiana. In addition to serving on AED exec, I also currently serve on the community service team of Kappa Delta sorority! In my very limited free time, I enjoy watching Netflix, reading, and drawing, and I am also very involved in service organizations here in NWA, such as rEcess. My dream would be to become a pediatric neurologist in the future and work with children with disabilities. If you ever have a question about volunteering or where to get started, don’t hesitate to email me!
Abigail Pieratt
AED Volunteer Co-Chair
Hey y’all! I’m Abby Pieratt, and I am so excited to serve as one of your Volunteer Co-Chairs this year! I’m a sophomore biology and psychology double major from Magnolia, Arkansas. I’m a member of Kappa Delta sorority, and I enjoy volunteering at the local animal shelter (honestly, any animal shelter ever). I would love to be either a trauma surgeon or a dermatologist someday. I can’t wait to serve our community with all of you and possibly help you find something you are passionate about being involved in! If you see me on campus, come introduce yourself, and feel free to email me with any questions you may have! I’d love to help.
David Vargas
AED Diversity Co-Chair
Hey everyone, I am David Vargas and I am honor to serve as one of AED’s Diversity Co-Chairs. I am a current sophomore studying Honors Biology from Little Rock, Arkansas with the end goal of becoming an Orthopedic Surgeon. I am originally from Bogota, Colombia where it is normal to put cheese in your hot chocolate and yes it tastes amazing. In my free time, I love to watch videos on YouTube, catch up on The Walking Dead, and relax with friends. If you see me around campus feel free to introduce yourself! I would love to tell you more about my Colombian traditions and answer any questions you have!
Weijia Shi
AED Diversity Co-Chair
Hi there! My name is Weijia, and I am so excited to serve as AED Diversity Co-chair! I currently volunteer at the VA, where I get to take vital signs for veteran. I also work in a genetics research lab, and I hope our findings on yeast heat tolerance will help improve the understanding of human diseases. In the future, I want to provide medical aid to rural areas with significant shortage of physicians. I’m very passionate about diversity in ethnicity as well as in professional and educational background within the medical field. I love looking into programs like Peace Corps, Doctors without Borders, career in rural medicine. If you would like to hear more about these programs or have suggestions for diversity within the medical field, feel free to contact me! I would love to chat with you!
Dr. Mack Ivey
AED Advisor/Faculty
Associate professor and vice-chair of biological sciences, J. William Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences. Ivey’s research focuses on microorganisms living in extreme environments and the disease mechanisms of the human pathogen Clostridium difficile.
Dr. Hanna Jensen
AED Advisor/Faculty
Dr. Jensen is a Clinical Assistant Professor at the Department of Biomedical Engineering. She received her medical training at the University of Oulu, Finland, where she also completed her Ph.D. in cardiovascular surgery and a doctorate in medical science. For more than 5 years she conducted experimental research investigating cerebral complications during and after complex cardiothoracic surgery. She has been on the PMAC since Fall 2017, with AED since January 2018, and a campus-wide premed advisor since July 2018. Please let her know if you need anything!