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!

Student Representatives

Emily Alden
President, Health Sciences Student Council
HSSCPresident@salud.unm.edu

I am a second year medical student at the UNM school of medicine and a graduate of the Biomedical Sciences Graduate Program. As the president I ensure that the HSSC functions to support the student body across the Health Sciences campus by presiding over the HSSC meetings, inviting guest speakers to communicate with our representatives on important events and resources on campus, organizing charity events, and serving as the representative to the HSC Information Technology Advisory Committee (ITAC). I have been an active member of the HSSC since 2019 and as president I am looking forward to expanding our council of student representatives and creating a space for any and all students to have their voices heard. In my off time I enjoy being outdoors playing soccer and hiking. I also play the guitar and clarinet and spend time volunteering with a local high school marching band. Please feel free to reach out to me at HSSCPresident@salud.unm.edu with any questions or concerns!

Michael C. Bennett
Vice President, Health Sciences Student Council
HSSCVP@salud.unm.edu

I am a fourth year PhD candidate in the Biomedical Sciences Graduate Program and work in Dr. Bill Shuttleworth’s lab in the department of Neurosciences. I am currently investigating potential preclinical stroke therapies for my dissertation and am very interested in the coupling of the cerebral vasculature to neural activity. As the vice president it is my job to assist the executive committee with any tasks needed and branch communication between the voting members and the officers. I also spearhead any amendments to the society by-laws and form different sub-committees to tackle specific topics (i.e. steering committee, DEI committee). I have played an active role in the BSGP Student Society since joining the program in 2019 and am excited to use that knowledge to help expand our representation on North campus. I am passionate on advocating and fostering a diverse and inclusive environment that is the most conducive for student success. In my free time I enjoy hiking and other outdoor activities. I have also worked in the New Mexico wine industry for many years prior to my studies and enjoy exploring all the different wineries throughout the state. Please feel free to reach out to me at HSSCVP@salud.unm.edu with any questions or concerns.

Sahana Ummadi
Vice President of Outreach, Health Sciences Student Council
HSSCVPOutreach@salud.unm.edu

I am a 2nd year medical student at the UNM School of Medicine. I am involved with the Peer Success Network, CQI for multiple blocks, the scholarly project committee, an anatomy lab TA for the first year medical students, and I am the head of house for my learning community group. Additionally, I work with UNM IHOP as a co-chair to plan events centered around encouraging students of the high schools of New Mexico to consider STEM. I love UNMH, but also believe there is always further improvement and changes that can be made, and plan on leaving UNM SOM even better than it was when I arrived. In my free time I enjoy the outdoors, spending time with my loved ones, and traveling. My email is HSSCVPOutreach@salud.unm.edu and my personal email is SaUmmadi@salud.unm.edu, please don't hesitate to reach out to me with any questions or concerns!

Kylee Hamilton
Secretary, Health Sciences Student Council Council
HSSCSecretary@salud.unm.edu

I am a Level 3 nursing student at the UNM College of Nursing. I'm originally from Tucson, Arizona and have an undergraduate degree in English from the University of Arizona. In my free time I enjoy hiking, saturdays at the farmers market and binging Netflix on the weekends. As Secretary, I make sure to record the meeting minutes and keep a record of all HSSC activities and membership. I'm available at HSSCSecretary@salud.unm.edu or my personal email KFHamilton@salud.unm.edu.

Robyn Turner
Treasurer, Health Sciences Student Council
HSSCTreasurer@salud.unm.edu

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 HSSC executive team to plan fundraisers that benefit the school and the community as a whole. I am from San Diego, California and completed my undergraduate degree in Microbiology and Chemistry at California State University, Chico. In my free time, I enjoy traveling and spending time with my family and friends. Please reach out to me at HSSCTreasurer@salud.unm.edu with any questions or concerns!