Meet Our Student Committee
Amad Amedy
Year: VMS1
Hometown: Nashville, TN
Undergrad: Wesleyan University
Hey y’all! My name is Amad Amedy, and I am a current first year student here at Vandy. Before coming back home, I attended Wesleyan University, where I majored in Neuroscience, and took a couple gap years living working at a Dermatology clinic in Boston and conducting a Fulbright Research Fellowship in Barcelona, Spain. While I loved all the places I’ve been fortunate to travel and visit, I felt like the culture and community of Nashville are unparalleled, which is why I decided to move back here for medical school. Some of the things I appreciate the most about Nashville are the opportunity to listen to live music of all genres anytime and any day. I also love the mix of city vibes (fun bars, variety of restaurants, and activities) with the small community feel (local running clubs, coffee shops, and breweries). Within the med school, there’s always so much going on. You can find me at our student run shade tree clinic or playing pick up basketball, soccer, and frisbee! Vanderbilt, and the greater Nashville community have so much to offer, and I’m so excited to share my love for this city and medical school with you all when you get here in July!
Email Amad about: Shade Tree Clinic, Nashville
James Bathon
Year: VMS1
Hometown: Pleasantville, NY
Undergrad: University of Notre Dame
Hi Y’all, My name is James Bathon, and I am a first-year medical student here at Vanderbilt. I grew up in a small suburb just north of NYC and I studied Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at the University of Notre Dame (Go Irish!). I took one gap year, doing a year of service with the Americorps National Health Corps in NY as well as volunteering as an EMT. In my free time, I enjoy working out, watching/playing sports, building wood models, and listening to podcasts. Here at Vandy, I’ve been able to get involved with many awesome opportunities. I serve as the Class of 2025 VP on the Council of Class Officers (VUSM’s Student Gov). Volunteering with Shade Tree Clinic (our Student-Run Free Clinic) is something I really enjoy. I serve as a Patient Health Educator, coordinating the logistics of care for my own small cohort of patients, as well as I volunteer as a pre-clinical volunteer. I also assist with some of STCs fundraising on the STC benefit dinner committee and STC Trot 5k. Some other involvements include the Vanderbilt Social Mission Committee and the Meharry-Vanderbilt Student Alliance. Outside of VUSM, I enjoy participating in the Nashville Medical Christian Fellowship (lots of Med Students involved), attending Vandy and Nashville sporting events or playing pickup games with other medical students, and trying out Nashville’s different HOT Chicken spots.
Feel free to reach out anytime with questions. Congrats again and I look forward to meeting you and showing you what I love about Vandy.
Email James about: Council of Class Officers, Shade Tree Clinic, Social Mission Committee
Snehal Bindra
Year: VMS1
Hometown: Gurgaon, Haryanam India
Undergrad: University of California at Los Angeles
Hello everyone! CONGRATULATIONS ON YOUR ACCEPTANCE!
My name is Snehal Bindra and I’m an MS1. I was born in Jakarta, Indonesia and grew up in New Delhi, India. I graduated from UCLA (Class of 2020) and majored in Physiological Science. I spent my gap year in New York doing research. This is my first time living in Nashville! It was personally a big move for me but I am so happy with my decision and I’m loving every bit of it. I hope you will come to realize and experience what a wonderful and supportive community we have here at Vandy!
At VUSM I’m involved in the Wond’ry consulting club, Letter & Companion Project, Shade Tree pre-clinical volunteer, first-year representative for AAPIO (American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin), and planning committee for Cadaver Ball!
A fun fact (and shameless plug) about me is that I’m a really big foodie and go by @restaurant_trotter (on instagram)! I have really enjoyed exploring the food scene in Nashville and there’s so much that the city has to offer! I’m looking forward to meeting and connecting with y’all!
Email Snehal about: Nashville, Shade Tree Clinic, AAPIO, Wond’ry Innovation Center
Yanelis Diaz
Year: VMS1
Hometown: Miami, FL
Undergrad: University of Central Florida
Hi there! I am Yanelis Diaz, a cat mom, Pilates enthusiast and first year medical student. I am thrilled to be a part of Second Look Weekend! A little about my background; my parents are from Cuba and Puerto Rico and I was raised in Miami, FL. I completed my undergrad at the University of Central Florida and took two gap years working in medical simulation and training before coming to Vandy. At Vandy my involvement includes working as a vaccine coordinator for Shade Tree Clinic (STC). Through this position I get to interact with community partners, such as The Bridge Ministry, and learn about the Greater Nashville community and underserved populations. I am also a pre-clinical volunteer with STC, a MDAmbassador, and a first-year representative for the Latino Medical Student Association. VUSM has so many resources and opportunities; for example, I have just started a Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery evening elective to dive deeper into the field. Vandy was my dream school and has surpassed my expectations! I can not wait to share with you all the amazing things this program has to offer and why Nashville is an awesome city to live in!
Email Yanelis about: Shade Tree Clinic, Latino Medical Student Association
Drew Kittleson
Year: VMS2
Hometown: Doylestown, PA
Undergrad: Northwestern University
Hi! My name’s Drew and I’m a second-year MD/PhD student at VUSM. I’m originally from Doylestown, Pennsylvania, in the suburbs of Philadelphia, and I went to school at Northwestern University outside of Chicago. I graduated in 2018 with a degree in neuroscience. After I graduated, I moved to Washington, DC, and worked as a clinical neuroscience research fellow at the National Institute of Mental Health for two years. When I graduate from the MSTP (a long time from now!), I want to work with psychiatric populations and understand the developmental basis of schizophrenia through my research and clinical work.
I have ~loved~ my time at Vanderbilt so far and am so excited to virtually welcome all of y’all to this amazing place! Outside of classes, I work with our Social Mission Committee to further incorporate social determinants of health into our curriculum, help with MD/PhD-specific community outreach, and volunteer at the student-run Shade Tree Clinic. I’m also involved with LGBT MD! In my free time I enjoy exploring all the green spaces that Nashville has to offer (there are tons of amazing hikes around here!) and ordering take-out with friends from some of Nashville’s cool restaurants. I also enjoy bingeing reality TV and taking care of my ever-growing plant collection. I’m looking forward to knowing y’all over the next few years and cannot wait for Second Look Weekend!
Email Drew about: MD/PhD, Social Mission, Shade Tree Clinic, LGBT MD, Nashville
Georgina Sellyn
Year: VMS2
Hometown: Sarasota, FL
Undergrad: Vanderbilt University
Hi everyone! My name is Georgina Sellyn, I’m a second-year medical student at Vanderbilt. I am excited to be a part of the Second Look Weekend Committee and welcome all of you to Vanderbilt. I was born and raised in Glasgow, Scotland and moved to the US for my junior year of high school and just recently became a dual citizen! I played tennis for Vanderbilt during my undergraduate degree where I majored in Cognitive Neuroscience and minored in Medicine, Health and Society. I’ve been fortunate to get involved in a variety of opportunities at VUSM. I am a member of the Curriculum Committee and serve as Mentorship Chair for our 1st Generation MD student organization and for the Association of Women Surgeons. I’m also a Co-Chair for VUSM Ambassadors and involved in the PR committee for the Shade Tree Trot, our annual fundraiser 5k for our student-run free clinic. In my free time I enjoy playing some tennis and cooking new recipes! I have lived in Nashville for many years now but there are endless new activities and experiences to try. I look forward to getting to know you all during SLW!
Email Georgina about: VUSM Curriculum Committee, Association of Women Surgeons, Nashville