MD/PhD Panel
Can’t decide between getting an MD or conducting your own research? Why not get both?!!? Come and learn more about the benefits of getting into an MD/PhD program! Listen to professions who fought their way into these programs and now conduct their own research while still looking at patients! Come and sit down and be ready to change your career to a path to an MD/PhD!
Jenise Wong MD, PhD
Jenise Wong, MD PhD, Associate Professor of Pediatrics in the Division of Endocrinology at the University of California San Francisco (UCSF), was born and raised in the East Bay. She earned her BA in Molecular Biology from Pomona College, and her PhD in Genetics from Harvard University, where she studied the molecular genetics of cancer. Her graduate studies and collaborations with physicians drew her towards medicine, and she returned to California to pursue her MD at Stanford University School of Medicine. Dr. Wong completed her general pediatrics internship at UCSF and residency at Boston Children’s Hospital and Boston Medical Center. She returned to UCSF to complete her clinical fellowship in pediatric endocrinology. While a fellow, she studied the metabolic effects of inherited-short sleep mutations in mouse models. She was appointed as a faculty member at UCSF in 2012, and her work has shifted from basic science to clinical, patient-oriented research. Her current research explores how novel technologies influence patient, family, and health care provider understanding and management of diabetes. Her goal is to optimize use of these technologies to ease the burden of diabetes and improve the lives of those living with this chronic condition.
Ziad Mohamoud Jowhar MD/PhD candidate
Ziad was born and raised in Atlanta, GA to Eritrean parents. He is a first generation college graduate from Emory University in 2016. He previously was working at the NIH at the NCI and is currently pursuing his MD/PhD at UCSF in the medical scientist training program.
Sergio Aguilar-Gaxiola MD, PhD
Sergio Aguilar-Gaxiola, MD, PhD is Professor of Clinical Internal Medicine,
School of Medicine, University of California, Davis. He is the Founding Director of
the Center for Reducing Health Disparities at UC Davis Health and the Director of
the Community Engagement Program of the UCD Clinical Translational Science
Center (CTSC). He was co-chair of the NIH’s Community Engagement Key
Function Committee for the NIH-funded Clinical Translational Science Awards
(CTSAs) for seven years. He is currently co-chair of the National Institute of
Health/NCATS’ CTSA’s Collaboration Engagement Domain Task Force Lead
Team. He is a past member of the National Advisory Mental Health Council
(NAMHC), National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH). He is Past Chair of the Board
of Directors of Mental Health America (MHA; formerly the National Mental Health
Association) and Past Chair of the Board of NAMI California. He is currently a
board member of the California Health Care Foundation, a member of the California
Future Health Workforce Commission’s Technical Advisory Committee and co-chair
of the Behavioral Health Subcommittee and a member of the California Department
of Public Health Office of Health Equity’s Advisory Committee. He is a national and
international expert on health and mental health comorbidities on diverse
populations. He has held several World Health Organization (WHO) and Pan
American Health Organization (PAHO) advisory board and consulting appointments
and is currently a member of the Executive Committee of the World Health
Organization (WHO) World Mental Health Survey Consortium (WMH) and its
Coordinator for Latin America and the Caribbean, overseeing population-based
national/regional surveys in Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, México and Peru.
Dr. Aguilar-Gaxiola’s research includes cross-national comparative epidemiologic
research on patterns and correlates of mental disorders and substance abuse in
general population samples. His applied research program has focused on
identifying unmet mental health needs and associated risk and protective factors to
better understand and meet population mental health needs and achieve equity in
health and mental health disparities in underserved populations. He is also very
active translating health, mental health and substance abuse research knowledge
into practical information that is of public health value to consumers, service
administrators, and policy makers. He is leading efforts in a five-year, community-
initiated, outcome-driven project aimed at improving access and utilization of
mental health services in underserved communities and promote interagency and
community collaboration through innovation at the county level. This project takes a
collaborative and Community-Based Participatory Research approach to achieve its
goals of developing, implementing, and evaluating a process for community
outreach and engagement in the Filipino American, Latino, and LGBTQ
communities and enhancing interagency collaboration by implementing and
evaluating a tailored Culturally and Linguistically Appropriate Services standards
(CLAS) training. Dr. Aguilar-Gaxiola is the author of over 170 scientific publications.