Meet the 2024 HERE students

In 2023, the Interdisciplinary Health Sciences Institute and the Mayo Clinic & Illinois Alliance launched a new program for undergraduate students interested in advancing health equity. Now in its second year, the Health Equity Research Experience at Mayo Clinic (HERE), offers two University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign undergraduates an opportunity to spend ten weeks this summer at Mayo Clinic in Florida.

Kristel Ong (she/her) and Anjali Yedavalli (she/her) will work with Dr. Kim M. Barbel Johnson and Mayo Clinic researchers on health equity research and community-based projects. Dr. Barbel Johnson is a community-centric, patient-focused clinician-researcher at Mayo Clinic with over 25 years of clinical experience in the Jacksonville community. Her leadership and dedication to advancing health equity make her an ideal mentor for the Illinois students.  

Kristel is a rising senior studying community health with a minor in Spanish. During her freshman year of college, she worked with Dr. Monika Stodolska as a SPARK scholar in the Justice, Equity, Diversity, Accessibility and Inclusion Laboratory in collaboration with the Urbana Park District on a project to increase participation in recreational resources by minoritized populations. But Kristel’s passion for health equity started earlier.

“My experience witnessing health disparities in my home country of the Philippines fueled my drive to help underserved and historically marginalized communities,” Kristel said.

Kristel is also very active in the Philippine Student Association, where she helps to promote community and personal and professional growth among fellow Filipino students.

Like Dr. Barbel Johnson, Kristel plans to become a physician with a focus on addressing health disparities. She is hopeful that this experience will make her a better doctor. 

“Through the Health Equity Research Experience at Mayo Clinic, I will strive to expand my understanding of health equity, contribute to existing literature, and ultimately enhance the quality of care I provide as a physician in the future,” Kristel shared.

Anjali Yedavalli is a rising senior in the Integrative Biology Honors program with minors in public health and chemistry. Her interest in health disparities also comes from her personal experiences and observations.

“As a member of multiple marginalized groups, I have witnessed how people within my community are treated through regressive policy, organizational, and community efforts. I have also seen disparities between the well-being of citizens within the United States and my country of origin. I know I have privilege compared to others in my community, which only motivates my research even more.”

At Illinois, Anjali works with Professor Minakshi Raj in the Aging, Caregiving, and Technology Lab  to investigate the roles that health technology can play to support caregivers and to promote health equity. Anjali also works as a communications intern with the Institute for Sustainability, Energy, and Environment (iSEE), where she writes about sustainability research and helps to conduct campuswide sustainability outreach.

Anjali’s commitment to health equity extends to her extracurricular activities as well. Anjali is the communications chair for the University of Illinois chapter of MannMukti, an organization dedicated to promoting critical conversations about the systemic issues that affect South Asian folks’ sense of identity & belonging and advocating for culturally competent mental health services and care to end the stigma around South Asian mental health.

Anjali plans to pursue a career as an epidemiologist or public health practitioner where she can research health disparities. She is specifically interested in the roles that biology and bioethics can play in innovating public health interventions for vulnerable populations.

“During the pandemic, I noticed how the same circumstance impacted different populations inequitably. I also witnessed how certain minority groups with histories of experiencing injustice did not trust public health and medical institutions. I began researching how ethics, biology, and public health could all be combined to help earn the trust of minority communities and reduce health disparities. My fascination with the field of public health was guided entirely by the potential to promote health equity.”

Under the mentorship of Dr. Barbel Johnson and Mayo Clinic clinicians and researchers, Kristel and Anjali will be able to develop their research skills and understanding of health disparities while making a concrete impact on the lives of some of Florida’s marginalized communities.

Sign up to receive updates about the HERE program and other educational opportunities with the Mayo Clinic & Illinois Alliance. For information about the Health Equity Research Experience, please contact LeaAnn Carson, IHSI Clinical Partnerships Manager, at lcarson@illinois.edu.