Hello everyone! My name is Michael Hsieh, and I’m a third year Global Disease Biology (GDB) major and Technology Management minor. As a person who always wants to know the why and how, after learning about both the challenges women face in healthcare and the critical periods in child brain development, I came to realize how much my mom had to champion for both her health and my health ever since I was a baby. She inspired me to become a women’s and perinatal health advocate. I’m the Organizational Chair of Postpartum Anxiety N’ Depression Advocates (PAN’DA) at UC Davis, dedicated to spreading awareness about perinatal mental illnesses. UC Davis also hosts incredible research, which provided me the opportunity to assist with research on the effects of neonatal antibiotic delivery on brain development at the School of Veterinary Medicine and breast cancer at the School of Medicine.

I’ve always been immensely curious, and the GDB major has provided me the chance to both survey different facets comprising the whole GDB discipline as well as invest deeply in my passions. The One Health perspective opened my eyes to the ecosystem of health that expands far beyond purely human-centric care, and has taught me about working in a diverse team to improve health outcomes. At the same time, GDB classes like GDB 101 (Epidemiology) tackle the kind of subjects I’ve dreamed about studying ever since I completed a research report on Salmonella in 6th grade and fell in love with microbiology and physiology. Both the GDB advising office and community are incredibly friendly and supportive, and I’m excited to extend that support as the President of the Global Disease Biology Club, where we are working to grow our community of bright students who share a passion for discussing global health issues and the impact on individuals and their communities. I intend to apply to medical school and pursue a career in the medical field after I graduate from UC Davis. Thank you to the GDB advising office for your support on my journey!