Hello everyone! My name is Sara Habibipour. I'm from Palm Springs, California and a current undergraduate student at UCLA majoring in Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics.

​

I created MedSoc Talk in 2019 after reading about how the West African tradition of kissing deceased family members before burial heavily influenced the spread of the 2014 Ebola outbreak. I continued to research other topics on how social factors, such as cultural traditions, can influence public health. But, to my surprise, there weren't many accessible resources for young students to learn more about these topics. Soon after, I was able to shadow physicians at my local hospital--in an area that is historically medically underserved--and I witnessed the importance of social determinants of health on disease outcomes in the real world. This gave me more motivation to educate myself and my peers on these topics. So, I created MedSoc Talk.

​

In the future I hope to become an infectious disease physician and incorporate global healthcare into my practice in order to contain outbreaks of disease in underserved communities across the world, as well as deliver modern healthcare to vulnerable populations.

​

My main hobby is ballet; I've been practicing since I was three years old and am currently a part of the Ballet Company at UCLA. Although my studies require me to use a largely analytical part of my brain, dance allows me to express my creative side, which I found has flourished throughout my college career so far. It's also great exercise and stress relief! One of my most favorite things to do is solo travel, particularly in Latin America (so far Bolivia and Guatemala). I've met some of the best people--locals and travelers alike--while traveling, and I've been able to do amazing things such as hike volcanos and dance salsa, all while learning about healthcare systems abroad and diseases that we don't often see in the US. My favorite artists would have to be Bad Bunny, Rosalía, Hozier, and Harry Styles, but I listen to just about everything. My favorite food is Persian joojeh kabob.

​

Thank you for reading about me! Please also take a moment to read about some of our current and previous Committee Members!