Stanford Health Equity, Advocacy and Research (IM-HEARs)

Eduardo Pérez-Guerrero is an Internal Medicine resident at Stanford. A Puerto Rico native, he earned his medical degree from the University of Puerto Rico. Aspiring to   pursue a career in Cardiology, Eduardo focuses his research on leveraging emerging technologies to address healthcare disparities. His primary objectives include enhancing Hispanic representation in clinical trials, improving healthcare delivery for non-English speaking populations, and increasing access to care for disadvantaged communities. Eduardo serves as the Graduate Medical Education (GME) recruitment chair for the diversity committee, clinic representative for Fair Oaks Health Center (a community primary care clinic), and is a Leadership Education in Advancing Diversity (LEAD) Program scholar. Through these positions and his research, Eduardo actively contributes to creating a more inclusive healthcare environment and works towards bridging gaps in medical care and research.

I grew up in Southern California and went to UC Berkeley for college, where I became involved in LGBTQIA+ scholarship and advocacy work. At the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA,    I was part of PRIME-LA, a dual-degree program dedicated to understanding and addressing health disparities.  I completed an interdisciplinary master's in public health at UC Berkeley and studied biases in clinical big data. I am interested in diverse topics including the care of vulnerable populations, cancer prevention and treatment, and improving health information systems.

Quan Tran is a PGY3 in Internal Medicine. She is interested in improving health care access for vulnerable populations. As part of IM HEARS, she is participating in a QI project to improve food insecurity screening   in the hospital, hosting health workshops at the LifeMoves shelter, and will help facilitate the IM HEARS capstone course in 2026.

Ellen grew up in Michigan and completed her education in Boston where she was developed her interest in service and health equity. Her experiences include volunteering and leading National Alzheimer's Buddies, serving as a  

board member of the Phillips Brooks House Association, and co-directing Harvard Medical School's student-run free clinic (Crimson Care Collaborative). Looking forward, she plans on continuing to advocate for and serve vulnerable patients and communities.

Karimar was born and raised in Puerto Rico, where she completed both her undergraduate studies and medical school. She then came to California for her Internal Medicine residency at Stanford.    Her commitment to addressing healthcare disparities began during her undergraduate studies, where she witnessed firsthand the impact of these disparities through her work with underserved populations on the island. Her dedication to these communities extends to supporting individuals affected by homelessness and economically disadvantaged populations both on the island and in the Dominican Republic, as well as raising funds for cancer patients and other causes. These experiences have fueled her passion for combating healthcare disparities. Karimar is dedicated to focusing her career on advocating for underserved communities through comprehensive community outreach and research initiatives.

Shankara is from central Texas and completed his medical school at Boston University / Boston Medical Center, a large safety net hospital. He loved working with this patient population and learning about   social determinants of health. His interests in medicine include caring for patients with hematologic malignancies, equitable use of genomics for improving patient outcomes, and representation in clinical trial design.

I grew up in a small town in Tennessee where I witnessed many health inequities firsthand. This experience fueled my drive to make a difference. During my time at UC San Diego,    I participated in multiple community service endeavors solidifying my commitment to working toward a more equitable world. I believe that partnering with the communities I hope to serve is essential, as people with lived experiences are my greatest teachers. 

I pursued my medical degree at UC San Diego, where I worked with individuals who are unhoused and with refugee populations. Additionally, I completed a master’s degree focused on autism spectrum disorders using cortical organoids. My goal is to combine my passion for direct service with insightful research to advance health equity at Stanford. I am excited to be a part of the HEARs program for the incredible mentorship and opportunities to help me work towards this goal. In my spare time, I enjoy kickboxing, going to the gym, and hiking!

Susannah is originally from western Massachusetts and has spent time living between the east, west, and gulf coasts. After completing a BA and MA in art history, she worked in the entertainment industry for several years. Once she moved to medicine, she worked at a federally qualified health center near Seattle and helped lead the Philadelphia Human Rights Clinic during med school at Penn, where she also obtained a master’s in bioethics. She is thrilled to be part of the HEARS community because of her interests in social medicine and advocacy.

I'm De'mond, an Internal Medicine Categorical PGY-1! I am from Kansas City, Kansas, but went to the University of Oklahoma, where I studied Chemistry with a minor in Spanish,  and got my medical degree from the University of Kansas. I am intersected in the intersection of health equity and social justice, and how physicians are able to advocate for their vulnerable patient population and cause change in their community.

Lauren is originally from Phoenix, Arizona. She completed her undergraduate studies at Stanford with a degree in Human Biology in 2018. She attended medical school at the University of Arizona in Tucson   and earned her medical degree in 2024. During medical school, she worked on increasing access to Covid-19 vaccinations in Tucson through pop-up clinics during the pandemic.  Now an internal medicine resident at Stanford, she is hoping to work on projects related to increased access to care in the Bay Area and beyond. In addition to health equity, her clinical interests include hematology/oncology.

Kate developed a passion for health equity through frequent visits to see her family in Thailand and conducting public health research in Samoa as an undergraduate at Yale College. She is excited to find opportunities  

to engage with the local Bay Area communities to promote health equity as a medical resident. She aspires to have a career working with underserved populations as a physician clinician and researcher.