Our Team

Kavya Gangasani

Founder & Executive Director

Kavya is a social impact leader who started Bay Area Medical Explorers to help students learn about careers in healthcare. She cares a lot about giving youth chances to grow, learn new skills, and give back to their communities. Kavya leads the programs and works with team leaders to make sure students have great experiences.

Lahari Yerragunta

Secretary

Lahari is the secretary of Bay Area Medical Explorers. As the secretary, they oversee, organize, and help coordinate teams, reiterating the values that BAME aspires to uplift within the community. With patience and optimism, Lahari assures that team leaders, members, and students obtain the goals that they wish to accomplish through BAME.

Disha Pamakuntla

Activities Director

My name is Disha Pamukuntla, and I am the activities director for Bay Area Medical Explorers as a sophomore at Homestead student. Some hobbies I enjoy include art, reading, and drinking boba. I’..ll’m serving the role of customer service representative which includes serving as the main point of contact for questions and concerns as well as promoting clear communication through email.

Vivienne Ko

Social Media Director

My name is Vivienne Ko, and I am a junior at Homestead High School with a strong interest in nutrition, psychology, and public health. I am particularly interested in how nutrition and mental well-being intersect with community health and youth education. I currently serve as a social media manager and as a member of the executive team, where I focus on creating engaging content and strengthening outreach to support our organization. Outside of academics and leadership, I enjoy playing the piano, listening to music, and exploring different cuisines as a way to connect creativity with curiosity about health and culture. I value meaningful community engagement and am always open to new ideas. Please feel free to reach out regarding collaborations or events related to our organization.

Amanda Li

Customer Service Representative

Brian Choi

Customer Service Representative / Outreach Head

My name is Brian Choi, and I am a second-year UCLA student majoring in Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics (MIMG) on a pre-med path. Some hobbies I enjoy are going to the gym, taking walks in nature, listening to music, trying out new food places, and drinking lots of matcha and boba. I'm serving the role of customer service representative which includes serving as the main point of contact for questions and concerns as well as promoting clear communication through email.

Alanice

.

I am Biomedical Sciences student at Universidad Interamericana de Puerto Rico, pursuing a future career in trauma surgery. She is passionate about health equity, clinical research, and community outreach, with experience in volunteer work and academic support programs. Outside of the academic world I am a booklover.

Melanie Ochoa

Outreach Team Leader

Hi there! My name is Melanie and I am an outreach team leader for BAME. I have experience in event planning and management, and enjoy working with others to create meaningful and fun experiences for others. In my free time, I do cheerleading and practice music.

Lathika Satishkumar

Research Team Leader

Hello! My name is Lathika Satishkumar. I serve as one of the research team leaders for BAME. A few things about me: I currently am publishing a pediatric treatment research paper outside of BAME. I am the founder/host of Vitals & Voices, a podcast dedicated to amplifying the voices of our healthcare system/workers by conducting interviews twice a month. My podcast will be featured in a book that will be self-published by a well-known CTSO officer/member. I also serve as South Carolina's FBLA State Secretary for the 25-26 program year! In this role, I lead over 1,400+ members everyday. Fun fact about me is that I rely on my reminders/notes app for anything AND everything!

Yashika Pagidipalli

Fundraising Team Leader

Hi everyone, my name is Yashika and I'm beyond thrilled to help you guys in any way that you need and give you full support and kindness, and I'm going to be a team leader for the Fundraising Team for BAME! I'm very excited to start because I want to pursue medicine for my post-secondary education and become a doctor! Please feel free to reach out to me by my instagram handle ~ yashika.p.14 if you have any questions or just want to talk!

Isamar

Research Team Leader

Hello! My name is Isamar, I am a Research Leader with a strong passion of teaching others! I love writing both investigatively and creatively, and I'm currently working on my own personal fiction book. Outside of research, I enjoy spending time at beaches, pools, and springs, and I'm currently enrolled in a technical school where I study HVAC!

Janice Bynum

Research Team Leader

Hello everyone! My name is Janice Bynum and I am a Research Team Leader for BAME based in North Carolina. I am passionate about exploring innovative ideas, leading collaborative projects, and using our research to make a meaningful impact in our communities! Outside of academics, I love traveling due to the unique experiences I can get! Fun fact, I have been to over 12 different countries.

Varnika G

Strategy and Innovation Leader

As BAME's strategy and innovation lead, Varnika is excited to develop new ideas, programs, and collaborations to support students exploring healthcare careers. She enjoys dancing, trying new dishes, and watching comedy movies in her free time.

Kenisha

Outreach Team Leader

I'm Kenisha, the Outreach Team Leader at BAME, where I help coordinate community engagement and promote youth involvement in healthcare. I'm passionate about making healthcare more accessible and collaborating with others to inspire future medical professionals. Outside of BAME, I enjoy drawing!

Yumin Chiang

Member

Hi, I'm Yumin, currently studying molecular and cell biology. I love playing basketball and guitar. Fun fact: I don't like eating green peppers!