Hi, folks! I’m Darlene Tran (she/her) and I’m incredibly proud to be an alumnus of GDB. Since graduating in spring 2018, I spent a few years as a Life Science Research Professional at Stanford OBGYN, where I worked on submitting an investigational new drug application to the FDA for a stem cell-based therapy for stress urinary incontinence. I, like many college seniors, wasn’t sure what career I wanted to pursue when I graduated. I’m glad I took the time to work, travel, and figure out what work excites me. Taking those gap years meant that I was more focused, motivated, and mature when I switched careers to medicine. I’m currently finishing up my 1st year as a medical student at UC Davis (go life-long Aggies!), where you can catch me managing Joan Viteri Memorial Clinic (JVMC) and Stockton Harm Reduction Program (SHPR), organizing class camping trips, or conducting more research.

GDB is a unique major filled with enthusiastic professors, flexible coursework to fit with anyone’s interests, and a supportive community of passionate, well-rounded students. I am so appreciative of GDB’s capstone project and strong foundational coursework in community medicine, public health, and basic science that set me up for success first in translational research and now in medicine. As an undergrad, I also conducted research in a cardiology lab, interned in the Emergency Medicine Research Associate Program (EMRAP), completed community service with Prytanean Women’s Honor Society, and volunteered as a doula. Majoring in GDB was the best decision I’ve made at UC Davis, and I hope you all take the time to make long-lasting connections with your GDB classmates and faculty.

If you have any questions about my time as a GDB student, postgraduate experiences, or the pathway to medicine (especially as a first-generation college student or from a disadvantaged background), please feel free to contact me at drttran@ucdavis.edu.