HST Joint Council 

The HST student association, known as the Joint Council, sponsors activities and creates policies that improve student life. The Joint Council Chairs, one MD student and one PhD student, are elected each year along with other officers and student representatives to various HST committees. HST has a rich tradition of including student voices in policy making as well as in admissions, curriculum design, and alumni relations.

Student Officers and Representatives (AY 2026 - 2027)

 

Council Chairs

Responsibilities include calling and presiding over regular meetings of the Joint Council (JC), managing the HST Joint Council budget, assembling and distributing meeting agendas.

headshot photo of PhD student Harshit Bhasin

Harshit Bhasin
PhD Chair

headshot photo of MD student Kaitlin Mrksich

Kaitlin Mrksich
MD Chair

Treasurer

Works with the Chairs to oversee the HST Joint Council budget and works closely with Graduate Administrator to ensure that expenses are properly accounted for.

headshot photo of MD student Thomas Chen

Thomas Chen

Secretary

Works with Chairs to communicate on behalf of the JC. Coordinates meetings and takes minutes at JC meetings.

Veronica Hui Headshot

Veronica Hui

Social Chairs

Work with the Chairs and administrators to plan events that build community. Examples of events are the TGIFs, Formal dinner and the Retreat.

headshot photo of MD student Sophia Chen

Sophia Chen

headshot photo of HST MD student Molly Erdman

Molly Erdman

headshot photo of PhD student Sofia Flores

Sofia Flores

photo of HST PhD student David Goh

David Goh

headshot photo of PhD student Ramin Kahidi

Ramin Kahidi

headshot photo of PhD student Catherine Kung

Catherine Kung

headshot photo of MD student Holland Stacey

Holland Stacey

headshot photo of PhD student Shashaank Venkatesh

Shashaank Venkatesh

Merch Chairs

Work closely with Co-Chairs to organize the annual HST Merch Sale.  

headshot photo of PhD student Astrid Jiang

Astrid Jiang

headshot photo of PhD student Molly Rutherford

Molly Rutherford

Public Service Chairs

Public Service Chairs are responsible for running a wide variety of service activities, such as volunteering at the Boston Marathon, helping at the Boston Food Bank, and hosting a CPR instructional course.
PRISM Chairs (Program of Ragon/IMES in Science and Medicine) specifically lead ongoing high school outreach programs that bridge IMES and the Ragon Institute, connecting high schoolers to the diverse fields of labs across IMES and Ragon and helping inform students’ paths in college and beyond.  

Logan Beatty Headshot

Logan Beatty (PRISM)

Lynn Bi - headshot - HST JC

Lynn Bi (PRISM | Public Service)

headshot photo of PhD student Jack Doughty

Jack Doughty (Public Service)

headshot photo of MD student Holland Stacey

Holland Stacey (Public Service)

Veronica Hui Headshot

Veronica Hui (Public Service)

headshot photo of MD student Divya Koyyalagunta

Divya Koyyalagunta (Public Service)

Photo of Marissa Morales

Marissa Morales (PRISM | Public Service)

headshot photo of MD student Sabahat Rahman

Sabahat Rahman (PRISM | Public Service)

Jessica Shah Headshot

Jessica Shah (Public Service)

headshot photo of PhD student Daniel Stauber

Daniel Stauber (PRISM)

headshot photo of MD student Kaylee Zilinger

Kaylee Zilinger (PRISM)

Professional Development Chairs

Organize professional development events such as interview/CV workshops, discussions with representatives from local industry/startups/other life sciences-focused businesses, and site visits.

headshot photo of PhD student Harshit Bhasin

Harshit Bhasin

headshot photo of PhD student Daniel Stauber

Daniel Stauber

Representatives to the HST-IMES Committee on Academic Programs (HICAP)

Responsibilities include attending regularly scheduled meetings of HICAP, providing student input, and communicating information regarding issues before HICAP to the student community.

Logan Beatty Headshot

Logan Beatty

Favour Oladimeji Headshot

Favour Oladimeji

Devang Sehgal Headshot

Devang Sehgal

PhD Advocacy Chair and 4th HICAP Rep

Responsibilities include leading and coordinating student advocacy efforts, including but not limited to diversity, equity, & inclusion, mainly on the MIT side of HST in collaboration with HST/IMES leadership. This requires coordination with the MD Advocacy Chair and other groups working on these issues to forge relationships with many different resources across HMS/MIT. The PhD Advocacy Chair also serves as a fourth student representative to the HST-IMES Committee on Graduate Programs (HICAP). 

Nick Oh Headshot

Nick Oh

PhD Representatives to the HST MD Curriculum Committee

Responsibilities include attending the monthly meetings of the HST MD Curriculum Committee, providing student input, and communicating details of MD Curriculum Committee deliberations to the student community.

headshot photo of PhD student Anette De Leon Barba

Anette De Leon Barba

headshot photo of PhD student Ginger Schmidt

Ginger Schmidt

Maxina Sheft headshot

Maxina Sheft

headshot photo of PhD student Sophie Sigfstead

Sophie Sigfstead

MD Advocacy Chair

Responsibilities include leading and coordinating student advocacy efforts, including but not limited to diversity, equity, & inclusion, mainly on the HMS side of HST in collaboration with HST/IMES leadership. This involves coordination with the PhD Advocacy Chair and other groups working on these issues and forging relationships with many different resources across HMS/MIT.  

headshot photo of MD student Maya Groff

Maya Groff

Representatives to MIT’s Graduate Student Council

Responsibilities include attending the meetings of the MIT Graduate Student Council to represent HST student interests, and making reports to the HST graduate council at their meetings on issues discussed by the GSC.

Favour Oladimeji Headshot

Favour Oladimeji

James Pan Headshot

James Pan

headshot photo of PhD student Sophie Sigfstead

Sophie Sigfstead

IMES Access, Belonging, and Outreach (ABO) Student Representatives

Responsibilities include attending regularly scheduled meetings of the ABO, providing student input, and coordinating activities/initiatives between the ABO and the JC.

Alexis Jones Headshot

 Alexis Jones

Favour Oladimeji Headshot

Favour Oladimeji

headshot photo of PhD student Alaina Parker

Alaina Parker

Queer & Ally Community Chairs

Responsibilities include organizing events and creating programming to strengthen the HST queer and ally community. Some examples of past events include a board game night and an art and dessert picnic. 

Jane Kelleher Headshot

Jane Kelleher

Alana Mermin-Bunnell Headshot

Alana Mermin-Bunnell

Jessica Shah Headshot

Jessica Shah

MD Representatives to the HST MD Curriculum Committee

Responsibilities include attending the monthly meetings of the HST MD Curriculum Committee, providing student input, and communicating details of MD Curriculum Committee deliberations to the student community. Each entering MD class has three representatives

Evans

Kathryn Evans
MD Class 2022

Lee

Gha Young Lee
MD Class 2024

Rory Mather headshot 2022

Rory Mather
MD Class 2024

Ramirez

Nereida Ramirez
MD Class 2024

Akshay Jaggi

Akshay Jaggi

MD Class 2025

Michelle Walsh headshot

Michelle Walsh

MD Class 2026

Jenny Yao headshot

Jenny Yao

MD Class 2026

Katelyn Li - headshot - HST JC

Katelyn Li
MD Class 2027

Sam Marglous

Samantha Marglous
MD Class 2027

Audrey Phan Headshot

Audrey Phan
MD Class 2027

Claire Brown Headshot

Claire Brown
MD Class 2028

Talie Fulton Headshot

Talie Andresen
MD Class 2028

Tara McDonald Headshot

Tara McDonald
MD Class 2028

headshot photo of MD student Claudia Lozano

Claudia Lozano
MD Class 2029

headshot photo of MD student Veronica Lucian

Veronica Lucian
MD Class 2029

headshot photo of MD student Kaitlin Mrksich

Kaitlin Mrksich
MD Class 2029

headshot photo of MD student Orlee Marini-Rapoport

Orlee Marini-Rapoport
MD Class 2030

headshot photo of MD student Carl Nist-Lund

Carl Nist-Lund
MD Class 2030

headshot photo of MD student Emre Toner

Emre Toner
MD Class 2030