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: Ummara Khan MD'27, Ali Mansour MD'27, Saba Paracha MD'27, Mazen Taman MD'27. Asghar Shah MD'27
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: Hari Dandapani MD’27, Megan Hoang MD'27, Erin Chang MD'27, Mark Romero MD'27, Elizabeth Song MD'27, Angelo Blancaflor MD’27, Jenna Kwon MD'27, Nathaniel Kim MD'27
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: Ogechukwu Uwanaka, MD and Esther Henebeng, MD
Contact: bmha-ams@brown.edu; ogechukwu_uwanaka@brown.edu; esther_henebeng@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.
Director: Erin Baroni, MD
Contact: brownsgma@gmail.com
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: Keyana Zahiri MD'27, Grace Kim MD'27, Ummara Khan MD'27, Dylan Bush MD'27
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: TBD
Contact: TBD
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: Jorge Sulca MD '27, Karla Monge MD'27, Cintia Collins MD'27, Samuel Escobar MD'27, Sarah Uriarte MD'27. Abel De Varona MD'27, Gabi Gonzalez MD'27
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: Fiona Griffin MD'27, Derek Schneider MD'27, Claire Pisani MD'27, Trang Truong MD'27, Zishuai Chou MD'27, Emily Neel MD'27, Teniola Ayeni MD'27, Nicole Hinz MD'27
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: Mazen Taman MD'27, Joseph Madour MD'26, Catherine Trad MD'25, Anna Rezk MD'26, Ali Mansour MD'27
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: Celeste Nsubayi MD'27, Jasmine Powell MD'27, Imani McGregor MD'27, Anne Wachana MD'27, Mazen Taman MD'27, Courtney Bowen MD'27, Chloe Vincent MD'27, Chloe Vincent MD'27, Olive Cooper MD'27
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.
A program co-sponsored by the Office of Belonging, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion and The Warren Alpert Medical School's 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.