We mentor the next generation of diverse clinicians and scientists committed to improving healthcare
Postdoctoral & Surgical Fellows
Dr. Andrea Meinders is a general surgery resident at Houston Methodist Hospital and a research fellow in the Texas A&M Academy of Physician Scientists through the Burroughs Wellcome Fund. She received her Bachelor of Science in Psychology from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and her medical degree from the University of Nebraska Medical Center. She is interested in finding ways to decrease the gap in the number of patients waiting for a transplant and the number of available organs by expanding the living and deceased donor pools. She is also interested in studying the factors leading to living donor dropout and ways to intervene. Her goal is to become a transplant surgeon and apply her research in her everyday clinical practice to improve the transplantation process.
Dr. Souha Farhat holds a Bachelor of Science in Biology and a Doctor of Medicine degree from the American University of Beirut. As an aspiring surgeon-scientist, she has multiple peer-reviewed publications and has presented her research at numerous national and international conferences. Her research interests include reconstructive surgery and health inequalities. Dr. Farhat’s passion for diversity, equity, and inclusion is demonstrated through her founding and serving as the inaugural Chair of the Houston Methodist Arab Heritage Employee Resource Group and her contributions to the National Postdoctoral Association’s Pilot Postdoc Council. Currently, Dr. Farhat is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow with the Patient Engagement Research Lab, focusing on health inequalities in transplant surgery. She aims to make significant contributions to this crucial field by addressing health disparities and ensuring equitable, high-quality care for all patients.
Visiting Clinical Scholars
Hannah Bass is a clinical research scholar at The Patient Engagement, Disparities & Research Lab at the Houston Methodist Hospital’s Academic Institute. Hannah graduated from the University of Georgia with a Bachelors of Science in Biological Engineering in 2019, worked for a growth strategy business consulting firm in Austin, Texas for 2 years, and is now pursuing a medical degree and Master of Engineering through Texas A&M University’s EnMed Program. Her academic interests include improving access to care in underserved communities both locally and abroad and promoting public health initiatives. In her free time, Hannah enjoys hiking, reading and traveling.
Divek Toprani is a student in the EnMed Program at the Texas A&M School of Engineering Medicine and a clinical research scholar at Houston Methodist Hospital. He graduated from the University of California, San Diego with a Bachelor of Science in Bioengineering: Biotechnology in 2019. He completed a Masters in Translational Medicine at the University of California, Berkeley, and the University of California, San Francisco in 2021. His current research interests include driving improvements in patient care through engineering innovation, gathering and implementing data based on patient-reported outcomes, and addressing social determinants of health.
Greg Wilson is a clinical research scholar in The Patient Engagement, Disparities & Research Lab at the Houston Methodist Hospital’s Academic Institute. Greg graduated from UCLA in 2018 with a BS in Molecular, Cell, and Developmental Biology. He is currently a third-year medical student at Texas A&M Health Science Center College of Medicine, and is interested in pursuing a career in interventional radiology. While attending UCLA, he worked in a research lab dedicated to exploring factors that contribute to racial disparities in healthcare. He hopes to continue to learn more about healthcare disparities and contribute meaningful research to the field of kidney paired donation as a member of The Patient Engagement, Disparities & Research Lab.
Alexandra Farhangui is a TAMU clinical research scholar in The Patient Engagement Research Lab at the Houston Methodist Hospital’s Academic Institute. She graduated from Cornell University in 2021 with a Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering and a Bachelor of Arts in Biology. Currently, Alexandra is in the EnMed program at Texas A&M School of Medicine and is completing a Master of Engineering as well as an MD. This innovation-based background in combination with her medical education positions her optimally in the mission to increase access and improve outcomes for those in need of transplants. She plans to leverage this background and research in her chosen field of Urology.
Research Interns
Aryana Suhartono is an undergraduate student at Rice University studying Psychology, Anthropology, and Medical Humanities on the Pre-Physician Assistant Track. She is passionate about the intersections between health and cultural identity and how these interests apply to digital design and marketing. Aryana’s experience varies from graphic design and marketing to health-based outreach and research. As a student intern in the lab, she hopes to employ skills she has gained through the Patient Engagement Lab to expand website and health-based resource accessibility to underserved patient populations.
Crystal Unegbu is an undergraduate student at Rice University studying Sports Medicine & Exercise Physiology, Business, and Medical Humanities on the Pre-Medicine Track. She has experience working with Houston’s unhoused population to promote sexual and maternal health equity. Crystal is passionate about preventive care, comprehensive health education, and utilizing media to help demystify medical processes. As a student intern in the lab, Crystal seeks to inspire positive public health perceptions and create innovative health communication strategies for underserved communities. She looks forward to learning more about the donor process and exploring transplant medicine’s social and ethical factors.