Meet the Board

Melissa Coloma

President

UCSF School of Medicine

Melissa, a rising third year Filipino American medical student at UCSF, is grateful for the opportunity to serve as Bridging Admission's President. As previous Mentee Relations Chair and a former Bridging Admissions Hope Fellow, Melissa experienced firsthand how this organization can positively impact one’s medical school journey and would like to pay it forward. While navigating her undergraduate years at UCLA, she learned about her passion for mentorship and advocacy, which remain influential in her future plans as a physician. As a 1.5 generation immigrant, Melissa understands the importance of promoting diversity in academia and healthcare.

Sharon Tamir

Vice President of External Affairs

University of Cincinnati College of Medicine

Sharon is a second-year graduate student (4th-year overall) at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine Medical Scientist Training (MD-PhD) Program. She moved to the midwest from San Diego, CA where she volunteered extensively in the immigrant and refugee communities. Sharon’s mission is to increase accessibility to healthcare and to medicine, and to ensure that cost is not a barrier to successful application and matriculation to medical school.

Kevin Eappen

Vice President of Internal Affairs

Warren Alpert Medical School, Brown University

Kevin is a third year medical student at Brown University. During college, he helped run a young adult homeless shelter, frequently supporting guests in their pursuits of education and employment. After graduating from Harvard College, Kevin moved to Tokyo, Japan to teach English and Psychology. As a teacher, he enjoyed sharing his experiences with students and advising students on their goals. Kevin hopes to expand access to Bridging Admissions to more students across the country.

Dayana Shariff

Hope Fellowship Coordinator

UCSF School of Medicine

Dayana is a second year medical student at UCSF grateful to be serving as Hope Fellowship Coordinator. As a first generation immigrant, she has experienced barriers to education and health advocacy. She graduated from UC Berkeley with a BA. in Molecular Biology and Psychology in 2020, where she gained exposure to programs supporting URM students. With the personal and academic perspective she has gained, she is passionate about providing tangible support to increase accessibility for URM and first-get students.

Jonathan Ejie

Mentee Relations Chair

UCSF School of Medicine

Jonathan Ejie is currently a third-year medical student at UCSF. His journey navigating the medical school application process and gaining acceptance is attributed to the invaluable mentorship he received from Bridging Admissions and other mentorship organizations. Jonathan is passionate about mentorship and currently serves as the Mentee Relations Chair at Bridging Admissions, where he is tasked with pairing mentees with mentors, coordinating webinars, and providing guidance on application strategies. Have questions about Bridging Admissions? Feel free to contact Jonathan; while he might not have all the answers, he's committed to connecting you with the right resources.

Vincent Chang

Mentor Relations Chair

David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA

Vincent Chang is a first-year medical student in the last CDU/UCLA Medical Education Program cohort. As a first-generation college student from a low-income refugee family, he has experienced health inequities within his community from the lack of funding for public education to the inaccessibility of quality and culturally competent healthcare services. He graduated from Dartmouth College, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts in Geography and found a love for mentorship. He hopes to use his role to reduce burnout amongst mentors and provide a listening ear to them to collectively support other URM students in attending medical school.

Tzelzin Hernandez

Health Equity Coordinator

UCSF School of Medicine

Tzelzin is a first-generation Mexican American, born and raised in San Jose, California, where she grew up as the eldest of three children. As a graduate of community college and first-generation college student, she is deeply passionate about outreach and mentorship. Now a medical student at UCSF, she is dedicated to advocating for Spanish-speaking patient populations, focusing on researching social and legal determinants of health. In her role at Bridging Admissions, Tzelzin is excited to design a program for other medical students to engage in health equity research.