Kajal Patel

Kajal Patel is a first-generation Indian American who graduated from Rutgers University majoring in Biology with a dual minor in Psychology and Public Health Sciences. She is currently a third-year medical student at Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine in Miami, Florida. Since her diagnosis of IBD at the age of 12, she has actively participated in the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation from being a member of the National Council of College Leaders to being the Honored Hero at Take Steps Walks. Her interest in medicine stemmed from the diagnosis of her illness and fueled her passion for education and advocacy. 

Prior to medical school, Kajal completed an internship with Dr. Brant at Robert Wood Johnson Medical School where she began to examine the genetics of IBD in African American Populations. During her second year of medical school, she co-founded the Alliance of Disabilities and Chronic Illnesses in Medicine not only to educate the student body about illnesses faced by patients but also by health care professionals. She is very eager to work with like-minded individuals in the Scholars Program to address healthcare disparities and pave a path for future medical professionals. 

Navin Kariyawasam

Navin (she/they) is a medical student at the University of Toronto, in the class of 2024. Before entering medical school, she completed a Bachelor’s degree at the University of Toronto in Sexual Diversity Studies and Neuroscience. Throughout her professional and academic career thus far, Navin has been committed to queer advocacy and liberation. They co-led the University of Toronto MD program’s queer affinity group, Out in Medicine, for two years and were involved in numerous community and research initiatives to improve queer and trans health. Their most recent work has centered around trans youth and the ongoing regressive attacks on their access to gender-affirming care.

In her free time, Navin enjoys sewing, hiking, and music. She was also an avid collegiate debater for many years, and still occasionally coaches debate. She is passionate about community-based empowerment and is thrilled to be a part of the IBD Medical Student Scholar Program.

Hannah Wilson

Hannah Wilson is an MD-PhD student at Indiana University School of Medicine- Indianapolis hoping to specialize in gastroenterology. She graduated from Indiana University- Bloomington in May 2021 with a degree in Nutrition Science. Involvement in food geography and nutrition education research fostered an interest in pursuing research as a part of her medical career. She will begin her Ph.D. in 2023 where she will study the effects of lifestyle modification (i.e. diet, exercise) on the gut microbiome in chronic diseases. She plans to use her research training to improve communication with medical scientists studying IBD.

After a shadowing experience during medical school, Hannah saw how debilitating Crohn’s and Colitis can be for young adults and how poorly some patients are treated by their providers. Through CCYAN, she hopes to learn how she can best serve patients with IBD and gain insight into challenges not taught in medical school. She is particularly interested in advocacy focused on the improvement of resource access for patients living in rural areas.

Yeabsira T. Gurmu

Yeabsira is a university student from Addis Ababa Ethiopia. She is in her second year at Tikur Anbessa Specialized Hospital studying medicine. In addition to medical school, she is also studying for a bachelor's degree in the field of public administration and developmental management. Believing she would pursue a carrier in healthcare, she is very passionate about the field of gastroenterology, health policy, and advocacy. She enjoys traveling, reading, and serving in church.

She was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease in 2021. Since then she has faced many ups and downs in her life, including the struggles of medical school while managing her condition and relearning what her body needs. Finding an IBD community has been a world of difference in her journey. Her community taught her that many IBD patients go through similar experiences, after which she decided to start upholding IBD to be given more public attention within the Ethiopian medical system. She has been involved in the one and only sub-Saharan IBD organization (Crohn’s and colitis Ethiopia). She works as a social media manager of the organization and as a research assistant with regard to research done to study the epidemiologic burden of IBD in sub-Saharan countries set in Addis Ababa Ethiopia.

Yeabsira knows the meaningful impacts having a community can bring and in the near future she hopes to organize a support group for people with a chronic condition, especially in the environments (school and work) that are thought to be tough to pass through. Side by side she wishes to increase IBD awareness in her country and help others. As a 2023 IBD medical student scholarship holder, she hopes to learn more and meet IBD advocates and fellows along the way.

Prathikka Ramesh

Prathikka is a final-year medical student studying in Chennai, India. During her time in medical school, she has won medals in Pathology and Psychiatry and has a deep interest in understanding the links between diseases and their psychological ramifications. She’s spent time quizzing and loves watching medical shows to pass her minimally-existent spare time. As an IBD medical scholar, she hopes to better understand and find ways to address the psychosocial difficulties faced by young adults with Crohn’s and colitis.