Evans Student Scholars
Evans Student Scholars Program is a 6-week career development program for Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine (SOM) medical students between their first and second years. We strongly encourage applications from candidates who bring unique perspectives and experiences that contribute to advancing excellence in medicine and health sciences.
Course directors: Sheila E. Chapman, MD, and Kaku So-Armah, Ph.D.
2025 Applications are now closed.
You cannot save your application once you have started it, so please prepare your answers in advance. A Word version of the application is available here.
Learning Objectives:
- Enhance Chobanian & Avedisian SOM student exposure to clinical faculty through experimental seminars and lectures during the summer between the Chobanian & Avedisian SOM first and second years
- Guide student scholars in developing strategies to successfully navigate a career in academic medicine.
- Enrich self-efficacy and an understanding of academic medicine career paths, enhance access to available resources, and promote professional development of Chobanian & Avedisian SOM medical students.
- Expose students to the field of Internal Medicine, and foster longitudinal mentoring relationships between the Scholars and DOM residents, fellows, and faculty.
Target Participants:
Chobanian & Avedisian SOM students between years 1 and 2 of medical school
Commitment:
6 weeks from May 19th – June 27th, 2025
Clinical medicine experience
- Participate in topical seminars lead by a diverse group of physicians and residents in inpatient and outpatient settings
- Learn about the practice of gathering patient information and presentation skills
Contribute to a research team
- Collaborate with the Department of Medicine faculty member on a research project
- Perform a systematic literature review with the assistance of a mentor and medical librarian
Mentorship from residents, faculty, and departmental leaders
- One-on-one mentorship on a scholarly project
- Career mentoring and planning based on student’s goals
- Understanding of resources available through Student Affairs and other Chobanian & Avedisian SOM offices
Stipend:
$5000
Deadline:
Friday, February 7th, 2025
2023 ESS Scholars
Alicia Huerta
Hometown: Chula Vista
Mentor(s): Dr. Sabrina Assoumou
Undergraduate Institution: Boston University
Intended Field of Medicine: Undecided
BU Email: ahuerta@bu.edu
Biography: When Alicia moved to Boston in 2015, she had no idea she was beginning her path to becoming a triple terrier. Alicia has since graduated from BU with a BS in Human Physiology and MS in Biomedical Forensic Sciences. She has a history of wanting to pursue forensic pathology but has also enjoyed learning about nephrology and heme/onc during her M1 year. Alicia especially has valued opportunities for patient interactions in Spanish, as she hopes to incorporate the language into her future practice. In her free time, you can find her at the gym, cooking, traveling, or spending quality time with loved ones.
Christina Jefferson
Hometown: Yorktown, VA
Mentor(s): Dr. Guneet Jasuja
Undergraduate Institution: Hampton University
Intended Field of Medicine: OB/GYN
BU Email: cjjeff@bu.edu
Biography: Christina loves to read, listening and playing music, trying new foods/restaurants, and using reality television for strictly anthropological purposes. She enjoys spending time with family and friends and sharing about her life as a medical student on her Youtube page Doses of Christina!
Ta’Kiya Moore
Hometown: Tchula, MS
Mentor(s): Dr. Natalia Morone
Undergraduate Institution: Tougaloo College
Intended Field of Medicine: Neurosurgery
BU Email: tbmoore@bu.edu
Biography: In her free time, Ta’Kiya loves to travel and try her hand at new recipes. Ta’Kiya also enjoys spending time with her friends and family & reading, especially fan fiction.
2024 ESS Scholars
Adjoa Fosuhema-Kordie
Hometown: Bronx, NY
Mentor(s): Lauren Kearney, MD, Renda Wiener, MD, MPH & Jackie Pendergast, BS
Undergraduate Institution: Cornell University
Intended Field of Medicine: Undecided
BU Email: afk@bu.edu
Biography: Adjoa Fosuhema-Kordie was born and raised in the Bronx, NY as one of 4 children to Ghanaian immigrants. Adjoa graduated in May 2020 from Cornell University with a degree in Human Development. She took 3 gap years before coming to BU for medical school. Apart of her always wanted to be a doctor but she needed some time to explore medicine and myself before making the commitment. Outside of academics, Adjoa loves spending time with her friends and family. She feel most herself after spending quality time with them. Adjoa love reading, Afrobeats, and reality TV (real housewives of Atlanta is an all-time favorite).
Carlo Salas Salinas
Hometown: Lima, Peru
Mentor(s): Marla Clayman, PhD, MPH & Jason Vassy, MD, MPH
Undergraduate Institution: University of Pennsylvania
Intended Field of Medicine: Internal Medicine & Hem/Onc
BU Email: carlor@bu.edu
Biography: Carlo was born and raised in Lima, Peru before coming to the United States at age 14. He moved to Philadelphia for college, where he got his bachelors in Biochemistry and a minor in Francophone studies at the University of Pennsylvania. Afterwards, Carlo spent another four years in the city, working on hematology research at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. During his time in Philadelphia, he fell in love with marathon running, and became a proud Philadelphia Eagles fan. Aside from these two passions, he also likes to spend his free time both playing and hosting tournaments for the board game Settlers of Catan, and you will oftentimes find him trying to use airline miles to squeeze in a little vacation during the school year!
Cyerra Cruise
Hometown: Winston-Salem, NC
Mentor(s): Mara Murray Horwitz, MD
Undergraduate Institution: North Carolina Central University
Intended Field of Medicine: Undecided
BU Email: ccruise@bu.edu
Biography: Cyerra Cruise, hailing from Winston-Salem, NC, is an alumna of North Carolina Central University, a prestigious Historical Black College University (HBCU) located in Durham, NC. With a dedication to advocating for women’s health, she aspires to specialize in obstetrics and gynecology. Additionally, she has a passion for fostering diversity in medicine, Cyerra is part of a podcast with other fellow underrepresented minority medical students, sharing their experiences to inspire others and cultivate a supportive community within the field. Outside the medical realm, Cyerra cherishes moments with loved ones, explores new destinations through her lens as a photographer and videographer, and finds solace in listening to music.
Latifa Pina
Hometown: Fogo, Cabo Verde
Mentor(s): Natalia Morone, MD
Undergraduate Institution: University of Massachusetts Boston
Intended Field of Medicine: Emergency Medicine & Internal Medicine
BU Email: latifap@bu.edu
Biography: Latifa Pina is a 1st year medical student at Boston University Chobanian and Avedisian School of Medicine. She is originally from Fogo, Cabo Verde where she grew up surrounded by a very big family and tight-knit community. At 13 years old she moved to Massachusetts, where she’s been ever since. She completed her bachelor’s degree at University of Massachusetts Boston in 2018 and then spent the next 5 years in cancer immunology research, first at Dana Farber Cancer Institute and then at Merck, a biopharmaceutical company. Research has been an integral part of her academic and professional development and although she’s not sure about what specialty she would like to practice, she would like to incorporate oncologic research in her career. In her free time, Latifa loves watching soccer (favorite teams are Manchester City and FC Barcelona), spending time with her family, practicing Taekwondo and painting-by-numbers. She especially loves traveling, immersing herself in the local culture and engaging her knack for learning languages.
Nardeen Khella
Hometown: Cairo, Egypt
Mentor(s): Miriam Komaromy, MD
Undergraduate Institution: Princeton University
Intended Field of Medicine: Undecided
BU Email: nardeenk@bu.edu
Biography: Nardeen’s life journey has been primarily based in Cairo, EGY > NJ > MA, and she is slowly exploring the land of Boston! When she is not in L4, you may spot her watching birds, admiring beautiful trees and flowers, going on walks, leaning into a creative hobby (crochet, embroidery, cooking, …), or spending quality time with her loved ones. If you see her with a hearty salad or a nice cup of tea, know that she is grateful for the small joys of life.
Shelby Goodson
Hometown: Detroit, MI
Mentor(s): Sabrina Assoumou, MD, MPH
Undergraduate Institution: Hampton University
Intended Field of Medicine: Surgery
BU Email: sgoodson@bu.edu
Biography:As an incoming M2 from Detroit, Michigan, Shelby Goodson brings a profound commitment and dedication to advancing health equity and health policy reform. Amidst the rigors of medical school, Shelby enjoys traveling to new places, trying new restaurants in Boston, and spending time with family and friends. Recently, she began learning American Sign Language, driven by a profound desire to foster inclusivity and enhance communication accessibility for individuals with hearing impairments.
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