2020-2021 OACA Interprofessional Interns

Kaushik Mukherjee MSc, PhD
School of Dentistry

Kaushik Mukherjee, MSc, PhD (Craniofacial Biology) is currently pursuing a DDS (2022). He previously worked for an interdisciplinary team at USC on tooth enamel regeneration and also volunteered in a community healthcare clinic in Los Angeles. His interests lie at the intersection of translational research and transformative studies to improve oral health outcomes in the community.

Vanessa Santamaria, BS
School of Public Health

Vanessa Santamaria, BS (Public Health) is pursuing a Master's in Healthcare Administration (Class of 2022). She previously worked as a home health aide and as a research intern to to improve tobacco cessation support among the Hispanic/Latinx community. She hopes to implement more equity and diversity driven initiatives in healthcare for vulnerable populations.

Ally Taubenheim RN, PHN, BSN
College of Nursing

Ally Taubenheim, RN, PHN, BSN is pursuing a DNP degree in primary care pediatric specialty area (2022). She currently works at Community University Health Care Center (CUHCC) serving low-income children and families with a mission to advance health equity. She has a passion to engage interprofessionally to improve the health of children and young adults with neuropsychiatric disabilities.

Ananda Vigneswari Anebarassou, MBBS
School of Public Health

Ananda Vigneswari Anebarassou, MBBS, is pursuing MPH in Maternal and Child Health. She previously worked with a community grassroots organization to improve access to health care for women and neonates in Kenya. In the future, she hopes to be a leader in the field of medical education while practicing patient centered medicine and Public Health.

Bethany Leah O'Bryan, DVM
College of Veterinary Medicine

Bethany O'Bryan, BS (Health Sciences) is pursuing a Doctorate in Veterinary Medicine (2023). Growing up and attending undergrad in Rochester, MN, nicknamed Med-City, helped develop her passion for medicine in both animal and human patients. Bethany plans to spend her career as part of the One Health initiative, specifically focusing on conservation medicine as a zoo veterinarian.

Trang Nguyen DDS, PhD
School of Dentistry

Trang Nguyen, DDS (Doctor of Dental Surgery), PhD (oral implantology) is pursuing a US licensed dental degree at the University of Minnesota School of Dentistry. She previously practiced dentistry in Asia (Vietnam, Japan) and then moved to the US in 2018 doing dental research at several US dental institutions. She hopes to some day create a united platform to provide evidence-based resources to clinicians from different healthcare professionals based on a collection of case scenarios.

Sara Dasler, BS
College of Liberal Arts

Sara Dasler, BS (Communication Science and Disorders), is pursuing her Master's in Speech Language Pathology (2022). She previously worked for a group home taking care of residents that experience a Traumatic Brain Injury and worked at Mayo Clinic as a Pharmacy Technician. She hopes to work with both kids and adults that have langauge difficulties.

Mariah Witt, BS
Center for Allied Health Programs

Mariah Witt, BS (cellular and molecular biology) is pursuing a Master's in Medical Laboratory Science (2021). She has previously worked as a researcher for one of UMNs medical discovery teams, the Institute on the Biology of Aging and Metabolism, where she optimized a diagnostic assay and implemented a virtual training program for interns who could not come to lab during COVID.

Karen Chen, BS
School of Public Health

Karen Chen, BS (Psychology) is pursuing a MPH In Public Health Administration and Policy (2022). She is currently completing an internship with the Metropolitan Area Agency on Aging, analyzing and comparing comprehensive plans to determine if they meet the needs of the aging population in their communities. She hopes to work in health care systems to improve the accessibility and quality of care that patients receive. 

Emily Moccio, MSN
College of Nursing

Emily Moccio, MSN, is pursuing a DNP (2023) in the psychiatric-mental health field. She currently works in an outpatient psychiatry setting and enjoys working with patients of all ages and backgrounds. The majority of her nursing career has been in the area of eating disorder treatment, which she continues to be passionate about. She appreciates nursing for the ability to incorporate the whole person in treatment planning and care.

Arazu Kian, BSN
School of Dentistry

Arazu Kian, BSN (Nursing), is pursuing a DNP in Women's and Gender Related Health (2023). She previously worked as a teaching assistant in the Nursing and Chemistry departments at the St. Catherine University. While there she was chosen as a clinical scholar working on an interprofessional team in collaboration with Allina Health for quality improvement measures. She hopes to create equitable healthcare for her patients across the lifespan.

Taylor Sinn, BS
School of Public Health

Taylor Sinn, BS (Biology) is pursuing a MPH in Health Care Administration (2022). She previously worked in clinical research assisting in pharmaceutical research trials. She hopes to be the administrator of a federally qualified healthcare center one day and improve health outcomes in underserved communities.

Allison Au, BS, MHA
College of Nursing

Allison Au, BS (finance), MHA, is pursuing a Master in Nursing (2021). She previously worked as a float staff at the Community-University Health Care Center. She supported the center in health informatics, nursing triage, referrals, and in the pre-authorization department. She hopes to someday be an advanced practice provider. 

Tara Dillon, MA
College of Nursing

Tara Dillon, MA (Counseling and Student Personnel Psychology), BA (Communication Studies) is pursuing a Master of Nursing (2021). She previously worked for the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities as a career and academic counselor and instructor, with a focus on empowering female and BIPOC students in underrepresented fields. Tara is interested in critical care nursing and on dismantling systems of oppression that create inequities in healthcare.

Julia Ngep, BASc
School of Public Health

Julia Ngep, BASc (Health Services Management) is pursuing an MPH in Public Health Administration & Policy (2022). She previously interned at a safety net hospital to implement initiatives to increase patient portal utilization. She hopes to someday be in a position analyzing current health policies and data to create programs that’ll eliminate health disparities and increase access to quality care.