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Tara Everett received a Thalamus.Org grant as a 4th-year medical student at Baylor College of Medicine. She has demonstrated a passion for helping underserved communities by volunteering at the Houston Food Bank, providing preventative health services, and acting as a Learning Community Volunteer Chair and Service Learning Program student leader. Tara has received her school’s Dean’s Distinction in Service Learning for three years and is completing the Care of the Underserved Pathway educational track.

Geryn Hasty Peggins (she/her) received a Thalamus.Org grant as a 4th-year medical student at Meharry Medical College. She is dedicated to compassionately serving minority communities aiming to reduce barriers to high-quality healthcare, including volunteering her time at Salt Wagon Clinic and Heart n Soul Hospice Agency in Nashville, TN. Geryn was nominated to participate in the 'Made to Save' Campaign roundtable discussion with President Barack Obama, where she directly shared her views on the COVID-19 vaccine, education, and its impact on the surrounding community.

Betlihem Dilnessa Ayalew (she/her) received a Thalamus.Org grant as a 4th-year medical student at the University of South Carolina School of Medicine Greenville. Betlihem’s areas of interest include global health, reproductive justice, immigrant and refugee women’s health. She has conducted vaccine development research with the United States Military HIV Research Program and the NIH Vaccine Research Center. She also completed the NIH Academy Fellowship Program on Health Disparities which allowed her to develop and implement community outreach projects. Betlihem is committed to health equity and is a published author on the health of children in immigrant families. Betlihem is the Class of 2023 representative for the Student Advocates for Diversity, Inclusion, and Equity, and former Vice President of her institution’s chapter of the Student National Medical Association (SNMA).

Zeke Ramos (he/him) received a Thalamus.Org grant as a 4th-year medical student at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. He is in the Primary Care Scholar program and has worked at a student-run free clinic in multiple roles including Case Manager Chair and Teaching Senior. Zeke helped lead a fundraising effort that raised over $67,000 to provide food boxes, medical supplies, and cash grants to the East Harlem low-income undocumented population.

Sabina Spigner (she/her) received a Thalamus.Org grant as a 4th-year medical student at University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine currently applying to OB/GYN residency programs. She has interests in improving inclusivity and accessibility of reproductive and sexual health spaces through several initiatives. These include creating more inclusive spaces within the hospital, collaborating with faculty to address lack of gender-neutral and inclusive language in educational materials, and helping to establish a scholarship for incoming LGBTQ+ medical students. Additionally, Sabina served as the Executive Director of Medical Student Pride Alliance (MSPA) from 2021-2023.