Council Members

Nicholas Olivas
President, Health Sciences Student Council
NEOlivas@salud.unm.edu

I am a fourth-year pharmacy student at the UNM College of Pharmacy currently on my Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experiences. I have served on the Heath Sciences Student Council since my first year as the representative for the Class of 2024 and I am proud to contribute to a greater role as President of the Student Council. As president I will serve our representatives by presiding over our meeting and making sure everything is done in accordance with our bylaws and constitution. I will also help raise awareness for our programs such as the north campus food pantry and bring our campus together as one inter professional team. In my spare time I enjoy being a nerd either by playing trombone in a local group or by playing MTG with my friends. I always enjoy meeting new people so if you see me around don't be afraid to say hey! I look forward to serving as the voice for the students and helping with any issues that need to be addressed.

Frederick Hansen
Vice President, Health Sciences Student Council
FHansen@salud.unm.edu

I am a second year medical student at the UNM School of Medicine. I am copresident of the Internal medicine interest group, a founding member of UNM Students for Integrated Health and Nutritional Education, and am involved in a variety of research projects at the School of Medicine. I received my undergraduate degree at New Mexico State University and then pursued a 2 year post-baccalaureate with the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease in a BSL-4 facility in Montana. I then worked as a program manager at the New Mexico Department of Health before beginning medical school. In my free time I like to go hiking, fishing, mountain biking, and cross country running with my wife and dog. Beyond my traditional duties as vice president of the HSSC, I hope to foster a community of collaboration and interprofessionalism to make the UNM Health Sciences a great place for students to receive their education.

Madalyn Dankocsik
Vice President of Outreach, Health Sciences Student Council
MaDankocsik@salud.unm.edu

My name is Madalyn (Maddie) Dankocsik and I am a third year College of Pharmacy Student at the UNM College of Pharmacy. As the incoming Vice President of outreach I am excited to help branch all of our health professions together and create more ways to have more Interprofessional interactions. I also currently serve as one of the AOC clinic coordinators and well as one of the IPE clinical case coordinators; which incorporate and encourage interprofessional teamwork and collaboration. This year I will be aiming to get more student involvement and to help branch the holes between communications between professions. In my free time I love to do Boxing, Skiing, Hiking, Hot Yoga and PC gaming. I love taking care of my plants and hanging out with my cat Michiko. I am extremely addicted to coffee so will always say yes in grabbing any sort of caffeine. Feel free to reach out if you have any questions or need someone to join you for a latte!

Christian Ojeda
Secretary, Health Sciences Student Council
CMOjeda@salud.unm.edu

I am a second-year MPH candidate at the UNM College of Population Health and currently also serve as the Co-Vice President and HSSC Representative for the Public Health Student Association (PHSA) chapter at UNM. As Secretary, I record all meeting minutes from executive and committee meetings held throughout the academic year. I also manage the annals of all HSSC-hosted events throughout the year. This year, I hope to create more channels of communication for all HSC programs to learn how to get involved in HSSC and provide platforms for programs to share important dates, events, and other opportunities for all HSC students! In my free time, I enjoy traveling, anything related to music (listening, production, concerts/festivals, etc.), and spending quality time with family and friends. I’m available at HSSCSecretary@salud.unm.edu, or my personal email CMOjeda@salud.unm.edu, for any questions, comments, or concerns you may have!

Rebecca Merzke
Treasurer, Health Sciences Student Council
RMerzke@salud.unm.edu

My name is Rebecca Merzke and I am a second year pharmacy student at the UNM College of Pharmacy. As Treasurer, I oversee the finances of the HSSC and maintain the HSSC accounts. I work with the executive team to plan fundraisers that benefit the entire HSC campus and support community service. I am also the one who coordinates and maintains the food pantry on North Campus and at the Rio Rancho Campus so look out for emails on how you would like to see that work for you! I am originally from San Diego, California but moved to Rio Rancho in 2004. I completed my undergraduate degree here at UNM in Pharmaceutical Sciences. In my free time, I try to spend as much time with my 3 children, Alex (6), Emma (4), and Sam (1). I LOVE gardening, specifically succulents. When the weather is nice, I try to be outside as much as I can so hopefully, once this heat wave is over, I can enjoy some hiking again! Please feel free to reach out to me at HSSCTreasurer@salud.unm.edu with any questions or concerns! I’m available to help with whatever you need!