LEM at JHU
Life-changing advice at the tip of your fingers
Introduction
LEM members have spoken with various health professionals to hear about their experiences in their career and the factors they attribute to their success in the field. Click below to dive a little deeper into the lives of these noteworthy professionals
PIHPS: Professionals in Health Podcasting Series
Click to join our social media!
Sonja Scholz, M.D., Ph.D.
Dr. Scholz is a neurologist and neurogeneticist specialized in movement disorders. She received her medical degree from the Medical University Innsbruck, Austria. Following graduation, she was a post-doctoral fellow at the National Institutes of Health under Drs. Andrew Singleton and John Hardy. She obtained a Ph.D. in neurogenomics from the University College London, UK in 2010. She then moved to complete her neurology residency at Johns Hopkins. In 2015, Dr. Scholz received the McFarland Transition to Independence award for Neurologist-Scientists. She is an assistant clinical investigator at the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NIND). Her lab focuses on identifying genetic causes of neurodegenerative diseases, such as dementia with Lewy bodies, multiple system atrophies, and frontotemporal dementia.
Adam Kaplin, M.D., Ph.D.
Dr. Adam Kaplin is a neuropsychiatrist and serves as the principle psychiatric consultant to the Johns Hopkins Multiple Sclerosis and Transverse Myelitis Centers at Johns Hopkins. He received his M.D. and Ph.D. degrees after completing the Medical Scientist Training Program at Hopkins, where he subsequently completed a residency in psychiatry. Dr. Kaplin's research focuses on the biological basis of affective disorders in autoimmune diseases of the central nervous system, such as depression as a symptom of multiple sclerosis. We are very excited to feature his perspectives on career paths in medicine and the mind-brain sciences!
Dr. Adam Kaplin is a neuropsychiatrist and serves as the principle psychiatric consultant to the Johns Hopkins Multiple Sclerosis and Transverse Myelitis Centers at Johns Hopkins. He received his M.D. and Ph.D. degrees after completing the Medical Scientist Training Program at Hopkins, where he subsequently completed a residency in psychiatry. Dr. Kaplin's research focuses on the biological basis of affective disorders in autoimmune diseases of the central nervous system, such as depression as a symptom of multiple sclerosis. We are very excited to feature his perspectives on career paths in medicine and the mind-brain sciences!
Joshua Prudent
Joshua Prudent is a 4th-year medical student at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, who matched into pediatrics at Nationwide Children's Hospital in 2019. He grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area, where he double-majored in Integrative Biology and Molecular & Cell Biology at the University of California, Berkeley. Before medical school, Josh spent two years working in the production lab of a genetic screening company and TA-ing an Organic Chemistry lab course at UC Berkeley. During his medical school education, he has been involved actively involved in community youth education and mentorship, URM recruitment, peer medical education, interest group leadership, and medical student government, and took a year away from his medical education to do pediatric oncology research. Joshua is pursuing a career as a pediatric oncologist, and hopes to become an exceptional clinician researcher and medical educator at an academic center.
Carolyn Sufrin, M.D., Ph.D
Carolyn Sufrin, M.D., Ph.D
Dr. Carolyn B Sufrin is an obstetrician/gynecologist who focuses on family planning and general obstetrics and gynecologic care. After receiving her medical degree at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, she completed her residency at the Magee-Women's Hospital of University of Pittsburg Medical Center, followed with a fellowship in family planning at University of California, San Francisco. She obtained a Ph.D. in Medical Anthropology from the University of California, San Francisco. In 2017 Dr. Sufrin published Jailcare: Finding the Safety Net for Women Behind Bars. She is an assistant professor at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. As well as being a board member of the National Commission on Correctional Health Care, she is a fellow on the American on the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and of the Society of Family Planning.
Lochan Shah
Lochan Shah is a third-year medical student at Johns Hopkins passionate about the intersection of medicine, technology, and public health, and the potential for technology to improve healthcare delivery as well as patient safety and outcomes. She graduated from UC Berkeley, where she double-majored in Public Health and Molecular & Cellular Biology. At Hopkins, Lochan has led a student health consultant team in using EDCAHPS data to inform operational changes in the Johns Hopkins Hospital Emergency Department. Additionally, she has been engaged with the Martin Research Group in the development of Corrie, a digital health intervention that incorporates an iOS app, Bluetooth-enabled blood pressure cuff, and Apple Watch to guide patients through recovery after acute myocardial infarction with the goal of reducing 30-day readmission rates. Her research interests include understanding how digital health interventions can be used to empower patients, reduce healthcare costs, and improve clinical outcomes, the usability and feasibility of such interventions, and the barriers to bringing them into everyday practice. Ultimately, she hopes to leverage these experiences as well as a career as a future cardiologist to help bridge the gap between clinicians, patients, technology, and the greater healthcare system to improve healthcare.
Rachel Salas, M.D.
Rachel Salas, M.D.
Dr. Salas attended St. Mary’s University in San Antonio where she received a B.S. in biology. She then went on to earn her medical degree at The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston where she also completed her medical internship and Neurology residency. After her Chief Resident year, Dr. Salas completed a two-year Sleep Medicine fellowship at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine.
​
Dr. Rachel Salas' primary area of research interest involves exploring the underlying mechanisms of sleep and chronic sleep disorders such as insomnia and Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS). More specifically, her long-term goal is to better understand changes in cortical activity associated with insomnia and RLS, in order to improve treatment for these conditions.
​
In addition to her clinical research, Dr. Salas is involved in medical student, resident, and fellow education and currently serves as the Co-Director of the Neurology Core Clerkship for Medical Students and is the Co-Director for the Neurology Resident and Neurophysiology Fellow JHH Sleep Rotation. She is particularly interested in enhancing sleep education at all levels.
Josh Yang
Joshua Y.C. Yang, M.Eng. is a MD-PhD student at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine as part of the Medical Scientist Training Program (MSTP) in the Department of Bioengineering and an MBA student at the Stanford University Graduate School of Business. He is also a co-founder of KIT Bio, Inc., a biotech startup that has raised $3.8 million to develop noninvasive diagnostics for kidney injury detection. Prior to medical school, he attended UC San Diego on a full-ride through the Jacobs School Scholarship and completed a Masters degree in Translational Medicine jointly offered at UC San Francisco and UC Berkeley. With business, medical, and bioengineering backgrounds, he interfaces between these different realms to push the boundaries of how noninvasive, point-of-care technology can change clinical management paradigms and provide access to care to those traditionally underserved.
Roy Strowd, M.D.
Dr. Roy Strowd is a board-certified neurologist, specialty trained neuro-oncologist, clinician educator, and translational researcher. He is an Assistant Professor of Neurology and Internal Medicine (Section on Hematology and Oncology) at the Wake Forest School of Medicine and Adjunct Assistant Professor in the Department of Neurology at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. As a clinician-scientist with a background in neuroscience, neurology, and neuro-oncology, he is interested in exploring the unique aspects of the nervous system’s structure and function to optimally improve outcomes for patients with nervous system neoplasms and/or nervous system complications of systemic cancer therapy. As a medical educator, his interests are in career and pipeline development in the training of healthcare professionals. He is co-Director of the Wake Forest (WF) Summer Immersion Medicine Institute for high school students, serves as faculty advisor of the WF medical student Navigating Medical School and JH undergraduate Pre-Doc programs. He also Directs the WF Health Professions Education Institute for career development of clinician educator and is passionate about developing the next generation of triple threat clinicians.
Tejus Pradeep
Tejus Pradeep is a third year medical student at Johns Hopkins University, School of Medicine. He was born in Trivandrum, India and moved to the United States at the age of 7. He is originally from Basking Ridge, NJ and graduated from Rutgers University in 2016 with a double major in Cell Biology and Neuroscience, and Psychiatry. He is currently interested in pursuing a career in the field of ophthalmology, and is interested in research questions about visuospatial memory and tracking eye patterns in various health states.
Zachary Berger, M.D., Ph.D.
Dr. Zachary Berger is an associate professor in the Johns Hopkins Division of General Internal Medicine at the Johns Hopkins Berman Institute of Bioethics. Dr. Berger also serves joint appointment in the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Dr. Berger's clinical, educational, and research work focuses on the intersection of shared decision making, evidence-based medicine, and patient-center care. Dr. Begers works to understand the patient-physician relationship through the lenses of social and political inequities of our health system. Dr. Berger is Core Faculty in the Berman Institute of Bioethics, Evidence-Based Practice Center, and the Center for Health Services and Outcomes research. We are excited to feature his perspective on career paths in medicine and bioethics!
Sophia Diaz
Sophia Diaz is a third year medical student at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, and CBID (Center for Bioengineering Innovation & Design) Masters of Engineering candidate for the 2019-2020 school year. Sophia was born and raised in Miami, FL, and graduated from Brown University in 2014 with a Bachelors of Science in Biology with the advanced track in Biotechnology & Physiology. Her research experiences have ranged from studying biochemical pathways in satiety and hunger in animal models and in vitro settings, using stem cell organoid culture to study colitis-associated cancer cells, and using flow cytometry and tissue/blood processing techniques to find predictive biomarkers of drug response in IBD patients, to history of medicine research on over-the-counter DNA-related health and beauty products. Her other passions include participating in leadership and activities within the JHU-SOM chapters of SNMA and LMSA; art, design, music, dance, education and mentorship, women in STEM, and volunteering/advocating for minority youth in STEM.
Lauren Claus
Lauren Claus is a medical student at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. Originally from Massachusetts, she received a BA in English from Harvard University, where she co-founded the Medical Humanities Forum. She was a columnist for The Crimson and her writing has appeared or is forthcoming in publications such as Briar Cliff Review, Two Hawks Review, and Zone 3. Her research interests include surgeon-family communication, surgical ethics, and dermatological disorders.
Lisa Zhang
Lisa is a third-year medical student at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. She previously received her undergraduate degrees in Business Administration and Molecular and Cell Biology (Infectious Diseases) from University of California, Berkeley. She is interested in pursuing a career in otolaryngology and is currently actively involved in research in the field. When she’s not training to be a future doctor, she can be found camping in cafes around Baltimore or planning out another food adventure.
Ruoxi Yi
Ruoxi Yu is a medical student at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, where she is a member of the Primary Care Leadership Track. She attended Yale University where she received a B.A. in Anthropology. Her previous areas of research focused on the lived experiences of women undergoing fertility treatment, in particular in vitro fertilization and egg freezing.
Aravind Krishnan
Aravind Krishnan is a third-year medical student at The Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. He proudly graduated from Johns Hopkins University with a BA in Biophysics in 2015 and spent a gap year working in the Medical Affairs Department of Johns Hopkins Hospital with Dr. Redonda Miller before starting medical school. He will be pursuing residency in Cardiothoracic Surgery upon graduation from medical school, with the hopes of focusing his career on heart and lung transplantation, and mechanical circulatory support. Aravind is passionate about research and education and finds that investigation is one of the most gratifying components of a medical career; thus, he will pursue an academic career path. His current research focuses on clinical outcomes after cardiac and thoracic surgery, as well as the development of novel immunosuppressive regimens for preventing transplant rejection. He is passionate about mentorship, and is always looking for ways to encourage interest and success in medicine.
Jeremy Applebaum
Jeremy Applebaum is a third-year medical student at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. He graduated from Carnegie Mellon University with undergraduate degrees in chemistry and biomedical engineering. Though applying for residency in obstetrics and gynecology, his research thus far has focused on communication disorders of older adults and how the aging ear and larynx contribute to quality-of-life handicap. He is also interested in medical education and participates in the Medical Student Senate and various peer advising organizations.
Vivian Nguyen
Vivian Nguyen is finishing up her third year at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and plans on applying for residency in Ob/Gyn. She graduated from Barrett, the Honors College at Arizona State University as a first-generation student, with degrees in Biological Sciences and Psychology. Vivian has served as a Summer Undergraduate Research Fellow with the Mayo Clinic researching the role of interleukin-9 in a tumor setting. Outside of the lab, she made a commitment to action with the Clinton Global Initiative with her non-profit organization, The Honorable Force, to provide customized mentorship and career development for individuals with disabilities. At Johns Hopkins, Vivian was President of Medical Students for Choice and The Women’s Health Interest Group, where she developed an inaugural Shadowing Program to help provide a relaxed environment where students could explore the breadth and depth of Ob/Gyn. Lastly she enjoys volunteering in the Baltimore community through her work as Clinical Director of the Charm City Care Connection and Leader of the Community Care Initiative.
Vivian Nguyen is finishing up her third year at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and plans on applying for residency in Ob/Gyn. She graduated from Barrett, the Honors College at Arizona State University as a first-generation student, with degrees in Biological Sciences and Psychology. Vivian has served as a Summer Undergraduate Research Fellow with the Mayo Clinic researching the role of interleukin-9 in a tumor setting. Outside of the lab, she made a commitment to action with the Clinton Global Initiative with her non-profit organization, The Honorable Force, to provide customized mentorship and career development for individuals with disabilities. At Johns Hopkins, Vivian was President of Medical Students for Choice and The Women’s Health Interest Group, where she developed an inaugural Shadowing Program to help provide a relaxed environment where students could explore the breadth and depth of Ob/Gyn. Lastly she enjoys volunteering in the Baltimore community through her work as Clinical Director of the Charm City Care Connection and Leader of the Community Care Initiative.
Vivian Nguyen is finishing up her third year at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and plans on applying for residency in Ob/Gyn. She graduated from Barrett, the Honors College at Arizona State University as a first-generation student, with degrees in Biological Sciences and Psychology. Vivian has served as a Summer Undergraduate Research Fellow with the Mayo Clinic researching the role of interleukin-9 in a tumor setting. Outside of the lab, she made a commitment to action with the Clinton Global Initiative with her non-profit organization, The Honorable Force, to provide customized mentorship and career development for individuals with disabilities. At Johns Hopkins, Vivian was President of Medical Students for Choice and The Women’s Health Interest Group, where she developed an inaugural Shadowing Program to help provide a relaxed environment where students could explore the breadth and depth of Ob/Gyn. Lastly she enjoys volunteering in the Baltimore community through her work as Clinical Director of the Charm City Care Connection and Leader of the Community Care Initiative.
Vivian Nguyen is finishing up her third year at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and plans on applying for residency in Ob/Gyn. She graduated from Barrett, the Honors College at Arizona State University as a first-generation student, with degrees in Biological Sciences and Psychology. Vivian has served as a Summer Undergraduate Research Fellow with the Mayo Clinic researching the role of interleukin-9 in a tumor setting. Outside of the lab, she made a commitment to action with the Clinton Global Initiative with her non-profit organization, The Honorable Force, to provide customized mentorship and career development for individuals with disabilities. At Johns Hopkins, Vivian was President of Medical Students for Choice and The Women’s Health Interest Group, where she developed an inaugural Shadowing Program to help provide a relaxed environment where students could explore the breadth and depth of Ob/Gyn. Lastly she enjoys volunteering in the Baltimore community through her work as Clinical Director of the Charm City Care Connection and Leader of the Community Care Initiative.
Emily Kluck, M.P.A.S., PA-C
Emily Kluck, M.P.A.S., PA-C
Emily Kluck, M.P.A.S., PA-C
Emily Kluck is a surgical physician assistant (PA-C) who completed a Master of Science in physician assistant studies at King’s College and then graduated from the Postgraduate Surgical Residency for Physician Assistants at The Johns Hopkins Hospital in 2007. Since then, she has worked in the Division of Thoracic Surgery and the Division of Vascular Surgery and Endovascular Therapy, where she currently aids in patient care. Check out her perspective on the physician assistant career path!
Emily Kluck is a surgical physician assistant (PA-C) who completed a Master of Science in physician assistant studies at King’s College and then graduated from the Postgraduate Surgical Residency for Physician Assistants at The Johns Hopkins Hospital in 2007. Since then, she has worked in the Division of Thoracic Surgery and the Division of Vascular Surgery and Endovascular Therapy, where she currently aids in patient care. Check out her perspective on the physician assistant career path!
Rodger Peng, Ph.D.
Roger D. Peng is a Professor of Biostatistics at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health where his research focuses on the development of statistical methods for addressing environmental health problems. He is also a co-founder of the Johns Hopkins Data Science Specialization, the Simply Statistics blog where he writes about statistics for the general public, the Not So Standard Deviations podcast with Hilary Parker, and The Effort Report podcast with Elizabeth Matsui. He is a Fellow of the American Statistical Association and is the recipient of the 2016 Mortimer Spiegelman Award from the American Public Health Association, which honors a statistician who has made outstanding contributions to public health. Roger can be found on Twitter and GitHub at @rdpeng.
Roger D. Peng is a Professor of Biostatistics at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health where his research focuses on the development of statistical methods for addressing environmental health problems. He is also a co-founder of the Johns Hopkins Data Science Specialization, the Simply Statistics blog where he writes about statistics for the general public, the Not So Standard Deviations podcast with Hilary Parker, and The Effort Report podcast with Elizabeth Matsui. He is a Fellow of the American Statistical Association and is the recipient of the 2016 Mortimer Spiegelman Award from the American Public Health Association, which honors a statistician who has made outstanding contributions to public health. Roger can be found on Twitter and GitHub at @rdpeng.
Roger D. Peng is a Professor of Biostatistics at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health where his research focuses on the development of statistical methods for addressing environmental health problems. He is also a co-founder of the Johns Hopkins Data Science Specialization, the Simply Statistics blog where he writes about statistics for the general public, the Not So Standard Deviations podcast with Hilary Parker, and The Effort Report podcast with Elizabeth Matsui. He is a Fellow of the American Statistical Association and is the recipient of the 2016 Mortimer Spiegelman Award from the American Public Health Association, which honors a statistician who has made outstanding contributions to public health. Roger can be found on Twitter and GitHub at @rdpeng.
Andrea Cox, M.D., Ph.D.
Andrea Cox is currently a Professor of Medicine, Oncology, and Immunology at The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore. She earned her Ph.D. studying T cell immunology at The University of Virginia. She subsequently completed an M.D. and then Internal Medicine and Infectious Disease training at Johns Hopkins. As a member of the Viral Hepatitis Center in the Division of Infectious Diseases, she specializes in the treatment of patients with hepatitis virus infections and HIV. Her laboratory investigates human immune responses to HCV, HBV, and HIV, including mechanisms through which these chronic viral infections stimulate and evade immune responses, and in HCV vaccine development. She has been an active participant in clinical trials of direct-acting antivirals for the treatment of HCV, is a principal investigator on the first prophylactic HCV vaccine trial ever implemented in an at-risk population, and is the lead immunologist on an ACTG trial of HBV vaccines in HIV infected patients. She is dedicated to mentoring the next generation of physician scientists; directing the Johns Hopkins Medical Scientist Training Program since 2013, teaching immunology, and actively mentoring medical and graduate students, residents, and fellows. She is a member of the American Society for Clinical Investigation and Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Society.
Nicholas Rowan, M.D.
Nicholas Rowan is an otolaryngologist with fellowship training in rhinology and endoscopic skull base surgeries. He is a graduate of Pepperdine University and obtained his medical doctorate from Rutgers: New Jersey Medical School. Dr. Rowan completed residency training in otolaryngology-head and neck surgery at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center and then concluded his surgical training at the Medical University of South Carolina in advanced rhinology and endoscopic skull base surgery. Dr. Rowan is an active academic surgeon and an assistant professor at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine in the Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery. In addition to resident and fellow surgical training, Dr. Rowan is actively involved in rhinologic and skull base outcomes research, as well as clinical trial programs for patients with chronic rhinosinusitis. He has a special clinical and academic interest in smell and taste function and its role in patient quality of life.