Hana Minsky in a white Johns Hopkins lab coat smiling with greenery in the background

GDB Alumni Spotlight, January 2023: Hana Minsky

Hi, all! My name is Hana (she/her) and I'm a proud alumna of GDB! I graduated in spring of 2020 and then took a gap year working as an Assistant Clinical Research Coordinator at the UC Davis Health Division of Infectious Diseases. Currently, I'm in my second year of an MD/PhD at Johns Hopkins University. In the future, I'm hoping to specialize in rheumatology or infectious disease! The GDB major definitely had a huge impact on my career trajectory, especially the practicum project, which helped solidify my decision to go the MD/PhD route. I also loved how flexible the major was, since it allowed me to explore my existing interests and try out new areas of study. Most of all, I felt that GDB had a fantastic community of students that were very caring, supportive, and thoughtful. 

While I was at UC Davis, I was a part of the Global Perspectives Initiative (GPI), which is a student-led initiative that works towards curricular improvement within GDB courses. It was a great way to become more engaged with the GDB program, and also a great learning experience! I have now been able to get involved at curricular improvement efforts in medical school using my foundation from GPI. I completed my practicum in the lab of Dr. Philipp Zerbe, researching the anti-fungal properties of dolabralexins, which are unique secondary metabolites produced by corn. I really appreciated that the practicum provided me time and guidance to get more involved in basic science research. Other initiatives I was involved in outside of GDB included the Emergency Medicine Research Associates Program (EMRAP), Joan Viteri Memorial Clinic (JVMC), Challah for Hunger (now Nazun) and Ultimate Frisbee (go Rogue!!!). Please feel free to send me a message (hana.minsky@gmail.com) if you have any questions about my time as a GDB student, postgrad experience, or the MD/PhD pathway! 

Tags