Sat Apr 13: Pathways to Medical Excellence: Insights from Kaiser Permanente’s Medical Student Panel

Jose Barrera, MS I
Kaiser Permanente Bernard J. Tyson School of Medicine
José is a first-year medical student at the Kaiser Permanente Bernard J. Tyson School of Medicine in Pasadena, CA. Prior to starting on the pre-med route, José was pursuing a career as a firefighter. Since then, his academic career began at San Diego Miramar Community College, where he earned A.S. degrees in Chemistry, Biology, and Physics in 2015. Following his community college experience, he transferred to UCLA where he earned a B.S. in Biophysics and a Minor in Spanish in 2018. Since graduating, he has served as a Project Manager at the La Jolla Institute for Immunology in San Diego, CA, completed the UC Davis SOM Postbaccalaureate Program, and was awarded an NIH Diversity Supplement grant during his medical school application year. As a non-traditional student, José’s journey from community college to medical school spans 12 years, and he is passionate about mentoring students embarking on their premed journeys, especially those in community college.

Mariana Cabatu, MS I
Kaiser Permanente Bernard J. Tyson School of Medicine
Mariana Cabatu is a first-year medical student at the Kaiser Permanente Bernard J. Tyson School of Medicine. Mariana grew up in the East Bay before attending Vanderbilt University for college, where she double majored in Spanish and Medicine, Health, & Society with a minor in Sociology. Following the completion of her undergraduate degree, she worked as a Research Assistant at Northwestern University where she studied postpartum sterilization rates based on insurance status, and vaccine hesitancy in pregnant individuals living with HIV. Beyond this, Mariana has a passion for community service, including volunteering as a Spanish interpreter at free clinics. She greatly enjoys mentoring pre-medical students, especially those without healthcare professionals in their family, to help guide them in the same way she once was.

Trevor Marshall, MS I
Kaiser Permanente Bernard J. Tyson School of Medicine
Trevor is a 1^st year medical student at Kaiser Permanente Bernard J. Tyson School of Medicine. Trevor grew up in San Diego California where he worked in the restaurant industry for most of his life. After attending the San Diego Community College School District for 5 years, he transferred to UCSD to pursue a bachelors in Molecular and Cellular biology. Following completion of his degree, he led an organization-independent fundraiser in Arusha, Tanzania to help open an ICU. Upon return, Trevor worked at ThermoFisher Scientific and volunteered at a homeless-youth center while applying to medical school. Because of past experiences with old friends, Trevor is very passionate about street medicine and serving populations grappling with substance use disorders.

Lucero Amaral, MS III
Kaiser Permanente Bernard J. Tyson School of Medicine
Lucero Amaral is a current 4th year medical student at Kaiser Permanente Bernard J. Tyson School of Medicine, recently matched into Emergency Medicine at UCSF Fresno. She was born and raised in Central California in a Mexican immigrant household, then went off to UC Berkeley. Go bears! She studied Integrative Biology, minored in Nutritional Science, and graduated back in 2016, after which she worked in community health and care coordination, taking 4 gap years before matriculating into medical school. Although she always knew she wanted to be a physician, her path in medicine has been windy to say the least, but hopefully an experience she can use to pay it forward!

Mohamed Hamideh, MS I
Kaiser Permanente Bernard J. Tyson School of Medicine
Mohamed is an LA native and proud East Los Angeles College (ELAC) alumnus. He transferred to UCLA to study Molecular, Cell, & Developmental Biology (MCDB) and graduated in 2021. After graduating, he spent a year as a research assistant at Cedars-Sinai Inflammatory Bowel Disease institute before entering Kaiser Permanente School of Medicine. He is interested in personalized medicine, and alternative approaches to pharmaceutical agents. Mohamed attributes a lot of his accolades to the foundation his professors and MESA faculty help him build in community college.