Homeless HEAL is a UCSD student-run organization that was established in 2016, has served 6 shelters, and has had over 60 members. We take great pride in the growth of our organization and the members who have brought us to where we are today.
Board of Advisors
Ramon A. Hernandez
Primary Board Advisor
Sadaf Chaudry
Co-Founder
Omar Sahial
Co-Founder
Lindsay Ward
Community Outreach Advisor
Christopher Larson
Curriculum Development Advisor
Erika Vargas
Program Supervisor at Oasis Clubhouse
Administrative and Non-Profit Board
Carol Hafey
Executive Director
Carol Hafey was raised in San Diego and recently graduated from UC San Diego with a BS in Public Health with a concentration in medicine sciences and a minor in Sociology. She is currently working and volunteering in health services research while applying to MD/PhD programs. Carol is passionate about advancing health equity through medicine, research and policy. Her experience living in San Diego and other parts of the country highlighted the various social, economic, and health needs of different groups of people. She also brings to the team experience as a mother and veteran. Carol hopes to contribute to much needed systemic change to improve health and access to care for all.
Katelyn McConnaughey
Operating and Strategic Director, Secretary, Project Initiatives Director
Katelyn was born in raised in San Diego, CA and received her degree in Human Biology (B.S.) with a minor in Psychology from UC San Diego in 2022. Her devotion to Homeless HEAL stemmed from early experiences in community college, where she gained exposure to the acute needs of students from East County San Diego and rural communities who struggled with food and housing insecurity. This led to becoming a student speaker for Grossmont College’s mental health awareness week in 2018, and participating in food and housing funding advocacy for the Grossmont-Cuyamaca Community College District in 2019. Through various employment opportunities, Katelyn has been dedicated to serving youth and adults who are experiencing extreme hardships such as mental illness, disabilities and housing insecurity. To best address the needs of the homeless community, Katelyn believes that the most valuable insight comes from listening to those who are currently facing homelessness.
Along with Homeless HEAL, Katelyn also volunteers with Planned Parenthood and works as a Mental Health Aid at San Diego County’s psychiatric hospital. Katelyn plans to attend medical school and incorporate her experiences to become a trauma-informed primary care physician and continue providing the community with compassionate support, education and resources.
Monisha Saxena
Education Director
Monisha was raised in Fremont, CA, and is currently a sophomore at UCSD majoring in Human Biology. She has a passion for teaching stemming from her experience as a peer tutor and enjoys giving back to the San Diego community through Homeless HEAL. Monisha is planning to attend medical school to eventually practice as a psychiatrist or dermatologist. In her free time, she enjoys reading, playing board games, and cooking.
Preethi Veeragandham
Interview and Orientation Co-Director
Preethi was born in Indiana and currently lives in Dublin, California. She is a fourth year Human Biology major and Health Care Social Issues and Theater minor. She plans to pursue a career in medicine after graduating and hopes to become a pediatric oncologist. Preethi currently works as a research assistant in the Saltiel Lab at UCSD School of Medicine, department of endocrinology. She enjoys being a part of Homeless HEAL due to how she gets to give back to the local San Diego community, while teaching subjects she is passionate about. In her free time, she likes to play tennis, hike, hang out with friends, and explore new places.
Katayoon Marzban
Interview and Orientation Co-director
Katayoon Marzban is a fourth-year student studying Global Health at UC San Diego. She is passionate about health equity and leveraging her knowledge to help those in need, ultimately leading to her joining Homeless HEAL. In addition to pursuing a career as a physician, Katayoon currently does research at The Scripps Research Institute and has volunteered for organizations providing healthcare to underserved communities like Health Frontiers in Tijuana (HFiT) and UCSD’s Migrant Shelter Clinic. She also enjoys reading, painting, and yoga.
Phoebe Wang
Outreach Director
Phoebe was born in San Diego, and spent nine years in Taiwan before returning for college. She graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry/Chemistry from UCSD. Since then, she’s continued to volunteer at the Palomar Medical Center and work as a Research Associate in the Emergency Room at the Thornton UCSD hospital. Her experiences in providing patient care and in enrolling patients for beneficial research studies in the hospital have shown her how difficult it is for the homeless community to access care due to the various obstacles created by the lack of a permanent address, as well as that itself. This inspired Phoebe to join Homeless HEAL so that she could help them avoid needing to visit the emergency room as often through preventative education. Within Homeless HEAL, she has been able to discover her passion for education, and explore her interests in community research. Phoebe hopes to become a physician in emergency medicine or anesthesiology and help patients regain control over their health by understanding disease effects on the body and the importance of a healthy lifestyle. In her free time, she loves to paint, surf, and rock climb.
Emily Giadone
Publicity Director
Emily is a 3rd year student at UCSD majoring in Global Health and Human Biology. She has volunteered abroad in medical clinics in Panama and Mexico where she took vitals, triaged patients, and shadowed doctors providing essential healthcare to communities in need. Emily is also a Certified Nursing Assistant, and worked full-time last summer with elderly clients as well as mental health patients. Currently, she works as a clinical research assistant in a NIH-funded clinical trials study in Solana Beach, CA. Emily began volunteering at Homeless HEAL during her first quarter at UCSD after resonating with the organization’s mission and having a strong desire to support the homeless community through preventative education. In the past, she has taught and led classes on Diabetes, Eating Disorders, Anxiety and Depression, and Oral Health. Emily is pursuing a career as Physician Assistant and is looking forward to gaining more patient experience and preparing her application to PA school. In her free time, Emily enjoys running, playing guitar, and spending time with friends and family.
Raven Montallana
Volunteer Director
Raven is a graduate from UCSD. He obtained his Bachelor of Science in Global Health with minors in Biology and Psychology. He has worked as a Peer Mentor at OASIS, volunteered as a COPE Health Scholar, and has been a tutor/mentor with the International Rescue Committee. He is currently working as an EMT in Los Angeles. Raven is pursuing a career as Physician Assistant and hopes to start school in the near future. What interested him in Homeless HEAL is the collaborative aspect in teaching the classes, as well as the satisfaction in supporting many different populations in San Diego. Some of Raven’s hobbies include watching anime, snowboarding, and playing the guitar and piano.
Besma Chaudry
Co-Chair
Besma was born and raised in San Diego, California, and received her Bachelor’s Degree in General Biology with a minor in Political Science from UCSD. The experiences she has had through her extracurricular exploration drove her to join and play a pivotal role in Homeless HEAL in its early years. As an intern at the Palomar Health Pathmaker Internship, Besma was grateful to be a part of the compassionate care of the patients she served and found great fulfillment in contributing to their healing. At the Ronald McDonald House Charities of San Diego, Besma empathized with the suffering family members experienced when their loved ones were hospitalized and found that small gestures of kindness truly made an impact in supporting those who are suffering.
Additionally, Besma enjoys studying the processes underlying chronic diseases through her research at the Stein Clinical Research Center at the UCSD School of Medicine. As a research assistant, Besma explores metabolic diseases and cancer through basic science and translational experiments. Seeing how prevalent diabetes and cancer are amongst homeless populations drove Besma toward her research interests. Her experiences have taught her that prevention is the best cure, especially for homeless and other disenfranchised populations who often lack the resources to treat their chronic diseases once they develop. Besma made prevention her mission as she dedicated herself to advancing Homeless HEAL and helping establish the organization as a sustainable initiative. As an Admin Member of Homeless HEAL, Besma serves as Co-Chair, having previously served as President, Executive Director, and Interview and Orientation Director. In the past, she has also served as Lead Instructor for the Oral Hygiene and Physiological Effects of Addiction units. The interpersonal skills and biological, chemical, and physical understanding of life she gained through her extracurricular experiences have driven her to pursue a career in research and medicine.
Kian Falah
Co-Chair
Kian is a graduate of UC San Diego, recently earning an M.S. in Biology after completing B.S. degrees in Biochemistry and Cognitive Science . He currently works as a research data analyst at the UCSD School of Medicine and as a psychiatry scribe at Palomar Health. Kian began volunteering with Homeless Heal during his undergraduate studies and is currently serving as the Co-chair. He has previously worked as the publicity director and served as Lead Instructor for various topics. He is also involved in volunteer initiatives focused on tutoring, professional development, mental health and wellness.
Lead Instructors and Student Educators
Alina Trong Allison Williams AnnaClaire Rogness Antonia Sapon-Sache Chloe Le Daniela Osoweicki Danna Smith Donna Pham Harris Saddiqi Isuri Pallek Janneca Ames Joseph Siprut Keila Perez Lauren Amaya Madison Park Mie Pretlow Nabeala Salem Noamon Sahial Norma Gutierrez Phoebe Wang Raven Montallana Stephanie Nguyen Subber Kaur Dhillon Tiffany Nguyen
Past Members
Homeless HEAL is honored to have all members past and present involved in the growth of the organization. The organization has had over 50 Student Educators and Lead Instructors that have expanded the organization to where it is today. We humbly appreciate all that our members have contributed to the greater San Diego community and are certain that they will continue to strive for greatness.
Homeless HEAL 