Ryan Lin is a third-year medical student at the University of Pittsburgh studying orthopaedics. He is passionate about volunteering at free health clinics in the Pittsburgh community and has a current research interest in improving outcomes for patients undergoing hip and knee arthroplasty. He is eager to leverage his medical knowledge and conversational Spanish skills to connect with both the team and patients during Mission 2024. He told us that this scholarship will provide him with an invaluable opportunity to gain hands-on experience in international healthcare practices while making a meaningful impact on orthopaedic care in Guatemala. He is incredibly grateful for this opportunity, which he says will undoubtedly help him become a more compassionate and culturally competent medical professional.

Victoria Wong is a second-year medical student at the University of Pittsburgh and is a part of the Physician Scientist Training Program. She is interested in orthopaedic surgery and is working in Dr. Ken Urish’s lab to study recovery after knee replacement. Vicky is from Los Altos, CA, and went to the University of Pennsylvania where she studied biology and chemistry. During her gap year, she worked on a research team at UCSF that compared bone shape models from deep learning processing of MRI to CT-based models. The project goal was to train and develop a deep learning model to extract scapula bone images from MRI scans to improve diagnostic and preoperative planning for shoulder pathologies. She has an older sister and a younger brother. Outside of school, she enjoys swimming, lifting, and watching Warriors basketball.

James Kim is a first-year medical student at the University of Pittsburgh. He was born in Incheon, South Korea, and moved to Oklahoma when he was 11 years old. He attended Cornell University, majoring in Statistics and then worked as an analyst at a consulting firm in North Carolina after graduating. While working, James’ mother was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease and he spent a significant amount of time supporting her. Throughout this process, he got to know her physician and came to appreciate the impact that physicians can have on the lives of patients and their family members. He decided to switch careers and plans to become a physician that strives to provide culturally-sensitive care to patients. Outside of studying, he enjoys running, golf, and checking out coffee shops around Pittsburgh.

Olivia Lockette is a senior at DePauw University in Greencastle, Indiana, finalizing her BA in Biochemistry. Growing up, science was always her favorite field of study. Her love for understanding the systems that govern our bodies and the world around us led her to pursue a career in healthcare. Olivia has been accepted at the University Pittsburgh School of Nursing and will begin her studies in the spring of 2025. She will earn her ABSN and then plans to continue though anesthesia school to become a CRNA. She told us that this career path is the perfect intersection of her passions for care and chemistry. Olivia is well-traveled and deeply enjoys experiencing new places, people and cultures. She loves conversing with and supporting others and is always looking for new challenges.