The Medical Humanities Student Ambassador program responds to the increasing student interest in courses, events, and research opportunities related to medical humanities. This year, Meghna Yennu and Alicia Chan are serving as the Ambassadors and are representing the Medical Humanities Program and sharing opportunities with other undergraduates. Previous Ambassador Molly Kyles created the designs for the Medical Humanities stickers distributed at various events throughout the year.
Alicia Chan
Hansen '26
Major: Biosciences
Minor: Medical Humanities
Alicia has always believed that the key to truly improving the medical field is not just an advance in technical knowledge, but an advance in the humanities side of medicine. The intersection of topics such as history, sociology, ethics, and the arts are critical in understanding the scope of medicine. Furthermore, understanding communities and how they have been impacted by medicine is fundamental in moving forward with more equitable and personalized care. As Alicia has explored the Medical Humanities program at Rice, she has become particularly interested in gender and racial inequalities in medicine, medical histories of different countries, and the ethical debates that permanently surround the field. She is also passionate about sharing narratives in medicine, and has pursued this through her work as the Medical Humanities Journal Committee’s Editor-in-Chief. In addition to this position, she is also excited to serve as the club’s 2024-2025 External Vice President. She is honored to be an Ambassador for the Medical Humanities program, and hopes to spark interest in classes, research, and the club to the Rice student body through this role.
Nayounghee Tuetkin
Lovett '27
Major: Neuroscience
Minor: Medical Humanities
Nayounghee, as she describes herself, is "adventurous, curiosity-driven, and multi-faceted," all aspects of which she has been able to fully explore within medical humanities. This field encompasses medicine through the lens of science, humanities, and the arts - the very definition of Nayounghee's pursuit to better understand medical equity and its application in communities that rely on quality healthcare, such as the underprivileged and under-researched. Her belief that advancements in research can bridge the gap between patients and health professionals drives her to traverse a variety of interests in order to gain a more diverse perspective on medicine. Currently, she is involved in a research project studying the effects of women's menstrual cycles on emotion regulation. In addition, she is also researching injustices individuals face within the present-day kidney donation system under the guidance of Dr. Melissa Bailar. Lastly, she is pursuing an independent research project with the support of the Medical Humanities department to address the lack of sexual education and women's wellness in rural communities of West Africa. Within the past couple of years, she has had the pleasure of being an editor of the Medical Humanities Journal and the publicity director of the Medical Humanities club. Nayounghee is excited to continue her involvement as an ambassador and hopes to be a peer whom others can come to for a chat about the vast and inspiring field of medical humanities!