Division of Biology and Medicine
Office of Belonging, Equity, Diversity & Inclusion
Student Belonging
The OBEDI works closely with leadership across campus to provide the student community with a supportive learning environment.
A year-long program that seeks to develop healthcare leaders who have an aptitude and passion for engaging their peers in dialogue around issues of racism, cultural diversity, inclusion, social justice, and health equity.
Student Belonging
The OBEDI works closely with leadership across campus to provide the student community with a supportive learning environment.
Affinity Groups
Executive Board: Dorra Guermazi MD'28, Saira Moazzam, MD'28
Contact: AMMSA@Brown.edu
Islam’s fundamental values of excellence, service, and intellectual curiosity have motivated thousands of American Muslims to pursue careers as physicians. The American Muslim Medical Students Association (AMMSA) is a student-led organization welcoming Muslim students, physicians, and leaders to explore the inherent intersection between Islam and medicine. AMMSA’s goal is simple: to empower American Muslim medical students by providing opportunities for excellence in spiritual growth, professional development, and community building.
Executive Board: Jerome Dovan MD'28, Sophia Dutton MD'28, Nikhil Harikrishnan MD'28, Ashley Kim MD'28, Nina Li MD'28, Alfonso Roque MD'28, Tinglin Shi, Tinglin (Ting) Shi MD'28, Brain Vu MD'28
Contact: APAMSA@Brown.edu
The Asian Pacific American Medical Students Association (APAMSA) is a national organization of medical and pre-medical students committed to addressing the unique health challenges of Asian and Pacific Islander American (APIA) communities. The mission of APAMSA is to promote the health and well-being of APIA communities and to teach health care providers who work with these communities to understand how to care for APIA patients in a culturally sensitive manner. Finally, APAMSA provides an important forum for APIA medical students to meet, exchange information and experiences, and to develop personally and professionally. The goals of the Alpert Medical School chapter of APAMSA include fostering a sense of community among APIA students, organizing panels and lectures related to APIA advocacy and health issues, and hosting community health fairs which include HIV and hepatitis screenings.
Co-Presidents: Rodolfo Fernandez-Criado, MD and Shana Talbot, MD
Contact: BMHA-AMS@Brown.edu, RFernandezCriado@WIHRI.org, Shana_Talbot@Brown.edu
The Brown Minority Housestaff Association (BMHA) aims to promote the advancement of underrepresented housestaff through mentorship, networking and advocacy. The BMHA seeks to increase the presence of underrepresented faculty and housestaff through active recruitment and community building within Brown, foster the development of professional and social connections that will increase retention of minority housestaff and faculty, and use the strength of a diverse workforce to more effectively meet the needs of a diverse population.
Co-Presidents: Zain Alfanek, MD, Matthew (Matt) Genelin, MD, Leif Knight, MD, Acacia Sheppard, MD
Contact: ZAlfanek@Brownhealth.org
The Brown Sexual and Gender Minority Alliance (BSGMA) is an organization devoted to education, advocacy, and support for sexual and gender minority trainees and faculty affiliated with The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University.
Executive Board: Melissa Andolfato MD'28, Gabriela Garcia MD'28, Natasha Kuklis MD'28, Saira Moazzam MD'28
Contact: FIRST-GEN-MED@Brown.edu
FirstGenMed@Brown is a student-led organization aiming to create an inclusive and empowering community for medical students who identify with the first-generation, undocumented, and/or low-income experience. Our mission is to support students who share these identities through educational programming, community building, opportunities for professional development, and mentoring to provide navigational support on the journey towards becoming a physician.
Executive Board: Benjamin (Ben) Katz MD'28, Jacob Licht MD'28, Mollie Ockene MD'28, Savannah Shepherd MD'28
Contact: JEMSA@Brown.edu
The mission of JeMSA is to foster a supportive and inclusive community for Jewish medical students while promoting cultural awareness, religious understanding, and professional growth among The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Brown graduate programs, and the broader Rhode Island Medical community.
Executive Board: Melissa Andolfato MD'28, Jessiel Castillo Espinal MD'28, Matthew Holman MD'28, Andrea Llamas Sanchez MD'28, Malia Perales MD'28, Jessica Roa MD'28
Contact: LMSA@Brown.edu
The Latino Medical Student Association (LMSA) is a national organization founded to represent, support, educate, and unify US Latino medical students. The Alpert Medical School chapter strives to work toward these objectives in an inclusive environment and encourages students from all backgrounds to join. More specifically, LMSA aims to fulfill its mission through involvement in community service. They aim to improve the health of underserved communities by creating a communication network for medical students, physicians, and leaders in our community serving underserved populations, supporting the efforts of other organizations committed to the improvement of healthcare access and quality of care, establishing a support network that will help foster a sense of community among members, and fostering the development of future Latino leaders in medicine.
Executive Board: Helena Bates MD'28, Alex Jin MD'28, Avery McNamara MD'28, Jon Olansen MD'28, Karin (Karine) Ulanovsky MD'28, Timothy (Tim) Wynter MD'28
Contact: SPECTRUM@Brown.edu
MSPA formerly Spectrum provides LGBTQ+ advocacy within The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University community. By facilitating connections with physician mentors and providing educational opportunities for medical students and other trainees, the organization fosters improvements in medical care for LGBTQ+ patient populations. Further, MSPA works closely with the Administration at the medical school to develop a more inclusive and comprehensive curriculum. The organization also serves to support and celebrate LGBTQ+-identified individuals within the medical school and the greater RI healthcare community. MSPA also helps organize medical and graduate student social events to help foster the greater Brown LGBTQ+ community.
Executive Board: Justine Elshama MD'28, Dorra Guermazi MD'28
Contact: NAAMA@Brown.edu
The National Arab American Medical Association (NAAMA) NextGen brings together Arab American medical students for advocacy, community service, and professional development. The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University chapter hopes to foster community and promote member development. NAAMA NextGen chapters accomplish these goals by hosting professional development events, socials, mentorship programs, philanthropic initiatives, and creating passive resources for students.
Executive Board: Jenee Anekwe MD'28, Helena Bates MD'28, Victor Damptey MD'28, Gregory (Nick) Gibson MD'28, Matthew Holman MD'28, Toluwalope (Tolu) Ogunfowora MD'28, She'Kyra Paige MD'28, Arianne Smith MD'28
Contact: SNMA@Brown.edu
The Student National Medical Association (SNMA) is the nation's oldest and largest student organization focused on the needs and concerns of medical students of color. SNMA programs are designed to serve the health needs of underserved communities and communities of color. In addition, SNMA is dedicated both to ensuring that medical education and services are culturally sensitive to the needs of diverse populations as well as to increasing the number of African-American, Latino, and other students of color entering and completing medical school. The Brown Chapter of SNMA works toward this goal through programs and initiatives such as community health fairs which include blood pressure and diabetes screenings, bone marrow drives, and an annual on-campus educational event for high school students called Meet the Cadaver.
Student Support and Resources
OBEDI works closely with the Offices of Medical Education and Continuous Quality Improvement and Student Affairs, to provide the student community with a supportive learning environment, offering advising and support needed to grow as a future physician.
COLE is a collaborative committee comprised of students, AMS faculty/staff, and other faculty from our clinical departments. COLE will function as an advisory board move forward with the learning environment initiatives.
TEAM (Together, Everyone Achieves More) is a peer tutoring program designed to provide support for underrepresented in medicine (URM), first generation, or low-income first-year medical students. It runs for the first semester of medical school with sessions held the week before an exam.
The format is highly interactive, with a mix of peer-to-peer teachback and team-based learning. In addition, the sessions provide an additional opportunity to build connections between medical students from all years.
For more information, please contact obedi@brown.edu.
Quick Links
The ODMA curates an evolving library of enrichment opportunities for medical students at Brown.
The Office of Belonging, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (OBEDI) Fellows Program is an opportunity for a medical student to develop skills in leadership, collaboration, and program development through the creation of initiatives that support the mission of the OBEDI.
This program is co-sponsored by the Office of Belonging, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion and The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University-affiliated medical departments.
Student Profiles
Hear from some of our students in their own words.
A year-long program that seeks to develop healthcare leaders who have an aptitude and passion for engaging their peers in dialogue around issues of racism, cultural diversity, inclusion, social justice, and health equity.