PHMI Board Members

Kemile Jackson is the Pre Health Director at Hunter College. She provides a full range of pre-professional services to pre-health students. She is also responsible for the PHMI Initiative as a faculty supervisor. She works closely with the PHMI Advisory Board to ensure that mentor applicants are timely interviewed and trained.

Diana Katanov is a senior on the pre-medical track majoring in Biological Sciences and pursuing a Certificate in Business Studies. She joined PHMI as a mentee during her freshman year and became a mentor for PHMI during her sophomore year. Having experienced both the mentee and mentor aspects of mentorship, Diana took on a larger role as PHMI Mentor Relations Coordinator during her junior year, working closely with the advisory board and prospective mentors to strengthen the PHMI community. As Program Director, Diana hopes to increase outreach to pre-health students at Hunter and promote a welcoming environment for mentorship, guidance, and clear communication between mentors, mentees, and ambassadors.

Jessica Zavurova is a Senior in the Yalow Honors Scholar Program and is pursuing the Pre-Physician Assistant (PA) track. She is a Psychology major minoring in Biological Sciences. She originally joined PHMI as a Freshman mentee. She became a PHMI mentor during her Sophomore year. Jessica looks forward to serving the PHMI community as the PHMI Mentor Relations Coordinator having experiences from both perspectives. She aims to strengthen the PHMI community and ensure a welcoming environment for mentorship.

Celina Beyer-Teal is a rising Junior on the Pre-Medical track majoring in Biological Sciences with minors in Chemistry and Public Health. She joined PHMI as a mentor in her Sophomore year. Celina is excited to serve as the Mentee Relations Coordinator for the 2025-2026 year. She hopes to assist in fostering quality mentee-mentor relationships throughout the Hunter Pre-Health community.

Emily Chu is a Senior on the Pre-Medical track and is majoring in Human Biology. She has been a PHMI mentor for two years. She is a former PHMI Ambassador. Emily is a strong advocate for academic mentorship and believes it offers students meaningful opportunities to build growth connections. She is committed to supporting the PHMI network and aims to lead students toward successful careers in healthcare.

Shahd Badawi is a proud graduate of Hunter College. She majored in Human Biology with a minor in Psychology. She is presently pursuing the path of becoming a Physician Assistant (PA). Shahd is a first-generation college student and understands the challenges students’ face when navigating academic and personal endeavors. This empathy inspired Shahd to become a PHMI mentor. She currently serves as PHMI’s Social Media Director and is dedicated to expanding the presence on social media outlets, increase student engagement and ensure that student’s can access the resources provided by PHMI.

Bijay Thapaliya is a rising senior in the Macaulay Honors Program at Hunter College. He is majoring in Biological Sciences on the Pre-Medical track. Inspired by the transformative impact of personalized mentorship he received as a PHMI mentee from his Freshman year, he became a Pre-Health Mentor at the end of his Sophomore year. Through his experiences in mentorship and advocacy, he is eager to support Hunter’s Pre-Health students on a larger scale. As the Administrative Coordinator, he will leverage his organizations skills to ensure PHMI’s operations run smoothly. He hopes to ensure PHMI thrives as a supportive community that helps Pre-Health students navigate their academic and professional journeys with confidence.