Council of Young Filipinx Americans in Medicine
Mentorship Conference Committee
Geno Tai, MD, MBA
(He/Him/His)
Mentorship Committee Mentor
Marycon Jiro
(She/Her/Hers)
Co-Head of Mentorship Committee
Marycon Jiro is an incoming third year medical student and masters student at the UC Berkeley-UCSF Joint Medical Program (JMP). She was born in Iloilo, Philippines and raised in Union City, CA, and her experiences from her environment informed her decision to join the Program in Medical Education for the Urban Underserved (PRIME-US), a program for medical students committed to serving marginalized communities in medicine. Driven by her passion in addressing systemic health inequities faced by disenfranchised communities, especially her Filipinx-American community, and tying in her interest in eliminating eye health disparities, her thesis under her masters degree in Health and Medical Sciences within the UC Berkeley School of Public Health focuses on understanding the needs and barriers of the San Francisco Bay Area Filipinx-American community in terms of eye care. Additionally, she is also a co-founder of the White Coats for Black Lives (WC4BL) Berkeley Chapter, medical coordinator at UCSF’s Ophthalmology Shelter Clinic and medical volunteer at the UCSF’s Mabuhay Health Center. Currently, she's interested in pursuing Ophthalmology. Her immigration experience, family and culture drive her to continue “lifting as she climbs” and prioritize serving her first generation, minority and disenfranchised communities as a medical student at at the UC Berkeley-UCSF Joint Medical Program (JMP) and PRIME-US. She continues this work as the Mentorship Co-Chair. In her spare time, she loves listening to music, playing tennis, singing, spending time out doors, going on adventures, reading, and cooking new meals!
Sophia Anne Marie B. Villanueva
(She/Her/Hers)
Co-Head of Mentorship Committee
Sophia graduated from Eagle Rock High School and is a fourth-year majoring in Biochemistry at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). As co-head of CYFAM's mentorship committee, she has helped organize the first of its kind national Filipino American mentorship program. The CYFAMilya Mentorship program looks to connect Filipino American pre-medical and medical students to a mentor that can help them navigate and shape their career in medicine. She is invested in growing the program to include and accommodate more students and physicians nationwide and to provide a sense of community, mentorship, and belonging for Filipino Americans in medicine.
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At UCLA, Sophia is an undergraduate researcher in the Colwell Lab which focuses on circadian rhythms and sleep. By better understanding the basic biology of this timing system, their lab is studying new therapies to improve the quality of life of patients with neurological and psychiatric disorders and the people who care for them. She anticipates on continuing her work in the Colwell Lab during her gap year and potentially pursuing research in a medical scientist training program. She is the vice president for the UCLA Taekwondo team and served as the communications officer and treasurer in her second and third year, respectively. She is also a general member of the Pilipinos for Community Health (PCH), an organization that aims to improve the health literacy and outcomes of the Pilipino community as well as the greater Los Angeles area through its components of Preventive Health, Pre-Health Advising and Mentorship, and Community Outreach.
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During high school, she played varsity tennis for two years and was involved in the swim team for one year. She was an active member of the 2018 Class Officers for multiple years and served as secretary in her senior year. She worked as a tutor at her local elementary school for three years and was an active volunteer in the Diabetes Center and Sterile Processing Unit of Glendale Memorial Hospital. In addition, she completed and received her diploma for the International Baccalaureate Diploma Program.
Michelle Zabat
(She/Her/Hers)
Mentorship Committee Member
Christelle Cayton
Mentorship Committee Member
Jovy Rex-Al Orbon
Mentorship Committee Member
Caleb Solivio
(He/Him/His)
Mentorship Committee Member
John Dayao
(He/Him/His)
Mentorship Committee Member
John Kevin Dayao (Kevin) is a second year medical student at UC San Diego School of Medicine. He was born in Manila, Philippines and immigrated to San Jose, California in high school. He received his B.S. in Cognitive Science from UC Davis. While he's keeping his options open, he is currently interested in Pediatrics, drawing from his experiences working as a behavior therapist for children with autism during his gap years. As the regional chair for San Diego/Imperial/Riverside, Kevin is working with his team to spread the word about CYFAM and to build a close network of Fil-Am students in region 10. In his spare time, he likes to hike, walk by the beach, eat meals with friends, go to the gym, and sing.