Health and Societies Student Advisory Board

Do you have a passion for HSOC? Do you find yourself telling all your friends, family, and passersby about how great our major is? Then maybe you should consider joining the HSOC Student Advisory Board (SAB)!

The HSOC SAB plans activities, helps foster community in the major, participates in outreach and education about the major, and coordinates information to support the program. Past activities have
included career panels, alumni events, internship meetups, course fairs, philanthropies, and social events. Follow the SAB on their Instagram page: @PennHSOC_SAB and reach out directly via email to: pennhsocsab@gmail.com
 

HSOC SAB 2023-24

Incoming Chairs (class of '24), Sreya Pattipati and Dhivya Arasappan

 

Sreya Pattipati '24 Co-Chair (Public Health) 

Hello! I am Sreya Pattipati, a senior from Chandler, Arizona concentrating in Public Health and minoring in Sociology, Chemistry, and Religious Studies on the pre-med track. I am passionate about reducing health disparities and increasing access to quality care. Currently, I do research as part of a clinical trial that aims to reduce disparities for labor induction, and I have also studied women’s health and sex disparities within Parkinson’s disease. On campus, I am involved with Sangam, South Asian Women’s Space, MEDLIFE, Service Link, and Penn for Youth Debate. My time with the HSOC department has been incredible, and I am excited to be a part of SAB to continue growing our HSOC community!

 

Dhivya Arasappan '24 Co-chair (Public Health)

My name is Dhivya Arasappan, and I’m a senior pursuing a double major in Biology and Health & Societies with a concentration in Healthcare Markets and Finance. Coming to Penn, I knew nothing about HSOC, but I was immediately hooked when I took my first bioethics class during my freshman spring. HSOC has given me an incredibly multifaceted perspective of health and medicine in society and a framework to begin engaging with our current healthcare system. Over my time at Penn, I’ve since pursued research in several fields, including the history of medicine and implementation science. More recently, I’ve begun work in health care delivery research, where I’m studying financial toxicity in gynecologic cancer patients. Within HSOC, I’m passionate about writing, the history of medicine, bioethics, payment structures, and social determinants of health, and in my free time, I love cooking, photography, and puzzles. I’m happy to talk about anything HSOC, research, or double-majoring, so please reach out!

  

Fionnúir Ní Chochlain '24 (Health Policy and Law)

Hello! My name is Fionnuir but I often go by Fionn for short! I grew up around Allentown, PA, but now reside around the DMV. I am concentrating in Health Policy and Law and minoring in Bioethics at Penn, and am also a transfer student! I spent my freshman year at Northeastern University before transferring to Penn for my sophomore year. I hope to pursue a career in public health policy and work on addressing the social determinants of health through healthcare access. I love the HSOC department and have really enjoyed joining a program where both the students and faculty are passionate about the topics we discuss in class and care about learning about the past to inform our future. Outside of academics, I am a member of the Penn Glee Club, PAD Pre-Law Fraternity, UNAIDS@Penn, and JMS Pre-Law Honor Society.

 

Sejal Sangani '24 (Public Health)

Hi everyone! My name is Sejal, and I'm a senior from Cleveland, OH concentrating in Public Health. I love the wide range of disciplines that HSOC covers, which is one of the reasons I chose it as my major As part of HSOC SAB, I am so excited to get to know more members of the HSOC department, as well as bring more HSOC programming to the Penn community. I'm also involved with the West Philadelphia Tutoring Project, The Daily Pennsylvanian, GlobeMed, Synapse, and I'm a peer advisor for the College. I look forward to a great year, and I hope to meet many of you soon!

 

 Madison Goodwin '24 (Healthcare Markets and Finance) 

Hi, I'm Madison and I am a senior concentrating in Health Care Markets & Finance with a minor in Chemistry! In my free time I like to go on runs, bake, and hang out with my bunny, Basil. I'm super excited to be apart of SAB and I can't wait to help create a stronger HSOC community!

 

Dylan Norton ’24 (Public Health)

Hello! My name is Dylan Norton (he/him) and I'm a senior from Lancaster, PA. Here at Penn I am concentrating in Public Health with minors in Chemistry and Psychology. I've been drawn to HSOC since I first got to Penn because I was fascinated by how this major explores the vast and complex connections between health, policy, social justice, and more. On campus I'm also a College Peer Advisor, a CSSP student mentor, and a member of the AIR pre-health fraternity. Outside of academics, I am involved with research labs that study health communications and immune health, respectively. In my free time, I enjoy playing basketball and watching movies with friends. I can't wait to work with the SAB to foster an even more passionate, excited, tight-knit group within the HSOC major!

 

Sofia Perdomo ’24 (Health Care Markets and Finance)

Hello! My name is Sofia Perdomo (she/her), and I’m a senior from San Juan, Puerto Rico. I am concentrating in healthcare markets and finance with a minor in neuroscience. The HSOC major drew me to Penn as a pre-med student looking to gain a holistic understanding of health, modern healthcare systems and their histories, and the social determinants of health. I love the myriad of fields the HSOC department covers and am looking forward to helping other students discover their interests and enrich their experience! Outside of being an HSOC major, I am also a personal patient navigator for the Center for Surgical Health, a research assistant focused on translational research, a mentor/fellow for the educational pipeline program at the netter center, a volunteer at Service Link, and a member of the Penn Neuroscience Society.

 

Ashley To ’25 (Race, Gender, and Health)

Hi, my name is Ashley and I am an HSOC major concentrating in Race, Gender, and Health. I am a Junior on the pre med track. At Penn, I'm involved in PennPeriod, Penn Healthcare Review, and St. Elmo Club.

 

Elizabeth (Liz) Basilious ’25 (Health Care Markets & Finance)

Hi! I'm a rising junior studying Healthcare Markets and Finance. I'm from Los Angeles, CA and I love my pug, the beach, trying new foods, and Taylor Swift of course! I enjoy connecting people and working with others so I'm so excited to get involved with HSOC SAB this year!

 

Ipsita Das ’24 (Health Care Markets & Finance)

My name is Ipsita Das, and I am a senior double majoring in Neuroscience and Health & Societies with a concentration in Healthcare Markets and Finance. I’m also a Benjamin Franklin Scholar! I was drawn to the HSOC major after taking a seminar during my sophomore year. The class introduced me to the interdisciplinary nature of the HSOC major and inspired me to become better informed about the non-medical factors that influence an individual’s health. Currently, I am working on a project in the Department of Neurology that aims to improve the diagnostic accuracy of neurophysiological monitoring during surgical procedures. In my free time, you can catch me at practice for Penn Atma, watching movies, or thrifting and trying new restaurants around Philly. Being an HSOC major has played a significant role in shaping my time at Penn, so I am really excited to be part of SAB and to help bring the community together!

 

Alina Zaidi ’26 (Health Care Markets & Finance)

Hi everyone! My name's Alina Zaidi, and I'm a sophomore from Pittsburgh, PA concentrating in Health Care Markets & Finance! I'm super excited to be joining the HSOC SAB. Coming into Penn, I was very undecided about what I wanted to study, but I fell in love with HSOC after taking a freshman seminar. I love how interdisciplinary and flexible the major is, giving me the opportunity to study public health, policy, healthcare management, and so much more. And I'd love to talk to anyone who is interested in discussing how HSOC can align with their goals and aspirations! Currently, I'm focusing on learning more about addiction policy, the social determinants of health, social entrepreneurship, federal health programs, and payer-provider collaborative care models. I spend my free time watching horror movies, taking long walks, talking to new people, and napping.

 

Shahana Banerjee ’24 (Health Policy and Law)

Hi! I'm Shahana, a senior concentrating in Policy and Law and I'm from the Philly suburbs. I've loved my time with HSOC and the interdisciplinary perspective it's given me, such as exploring the business, digital/tech, and policy aspects of healthcare. The versatility of HSOC is one of the main reasons why I declared it as my major! Outside of my classes, I'm heavily involved in working with communities in West Philadelphia, as well as Civic House, Phi Alpha Delta, Wharton Undergraduate Healthcare Club, and my research projects, amongst other pursuits. I also love anything pop culture, journalism, music and vinyl records, and traveling! I'm very excited to serve on the board and help the HSOC community navigate all that there is to explore!

 

Sade Taiwo ’25 (Global Health)

Hey Everyone! My name is Sade Taiwo and I am a junior concentrating in Global Health! I was born and raised in Philly, specifically North Philly. Growing up in North Philly and in a community of Puerto Rican immigrants, I became very aware of the systemic issues facing marginalized communities. During COVID, I watched my community suffer the brunt of the pandemic and also watched my family abroad undergo really difficult situations. These experiences are what led me to major in Health and Societies and to specifically concentrate in Global Health. So I'm really interested in bridging the gaps between in health access both in the United States and abroad. On campus, I'm involved with UMOJA, Monolith, Onda Latina, and Service Link. Outside of academics, I love to dance, travel to new cities, and binge movies on Netflix. I am always open to discuss how HSOC has helped to pursue my goals at Penn!

 

Nina Kathiresan ’25 (Public Health)

Hello! I am Nina, a third-year student from Boston, Massachusetts studying Health and Societies and on the pre-med track. I am interested in assessing how demographics are differentially affected by disease in order to better inform public policy, as well as other intersections between biology, social determinants of health, and public health. Outside of the classroom, I am a writing fellow in the Marks Family Writing Center, a tutor for Penn's Community Engagement Program, a student researcher in the Natarajan Lab at MGH, and a captain of Penn’s classical Indian Dance team, Penn Thillana.

 

Grace Wang ’25 (Health Law and Policy)

Hey everyone! My name is Grace Wang, and I’m a sophomore from Dallas, TX studying HSOC, concentrating in Health Law and Policy and minoring in Legal Studies on the Pre-Law track. I love the interdisciplinary nature of the HSOC department, which has allowed me to explore the intersection between healthcare and the legal industry. Within these two industries, I’m especially passionate about improving healthcare outcomes and delivery by reshaping health policy and regulations. On campus, I’m involved in Penn’s Student Government Education Policy Branch, Moot Court, Penn Policy Consulting, WUHC, and the Undergraduate Law Journal. I’m also conducting research in health equity and law through the Wharton Legal Studies Department. Outside of Penn, I love art, cooking, traveling, and exploring nature! I am so excited to be a part of HSOC SAB!!

 

 

Updated 02/20/2024