President
Lindsey Nguyen
Cooper Medical School, Rowan University
Lindsey Nguyen is a fourth-year medical student at Cooper Medical School of Rowan University. She earned her Bachelor of Science in Biological Sciences from Rowan University. Lindsey is passionate about child and adolescent psychiatry and is dedicated to advancing mental health education, advocacy, and community engagement. As President of PsychSIGN, she is excited to collaborate with fellow students to foster an inclusive and supportive environment where learners can explore the field of psychiatry, connect with mentors, and engage in meaningful conversations about mental health. Most importantly, she looks forward to building upon PsychSIGN’s strong foundation and continuing to expand its network and opportunities for students interested in psychiatry. Outside of medicine, Lindsey enjoys baking, traveling, and spending time with family and friends.
President Elect
Chris Conquest
Rowan-Virtua School of Osteopathic Medicine
Hi! My name is Christopher Conquest, a fourth-year medical student at Rowan-Virtua SOM with a strong passion for psychiatry, mentorship, and community building. Growing up in South Jersey and training across NJ, PA, and MD, I’ve developed deep regional ties and a commitment to serving diverse populations. My background as an athlete and mental health advocate has shaped my belief in the power of resilience, teamwork, and holistic care.
Region 1: MA, ME, NH, RI, VT, CT, Canadian Provinces: ON, QC, NS, NL, PE, NB
Brittney Anderson
Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine
Brittney Anderson is a medical student at Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine. She is passionate about mental health advocacy, medical education, and creating supportive spaces where students can learn more about psychiatry and feel connected to mentors and peers.
As a Region 1 Chair, Brittney hopes to strengthen collaboration among PsychSIGN chapters, expand mentorship opportunities, and help students access meaningful resources as they explore careers in psychiatry. She looks forward to building an inclusive regional community where students can share ideas, support one another, and develop lasting professional connections.
Region 2: NY
Amy Chen
NYIT College Of Osteopathic Medicine
Amy Chen is a fourth-year medical student at the New York Institute of Technology College of Osteopathic Medicine (NYITCOM). She earned her Bachelor of Arts in Human Biology and Interdisciplinary Studies at CUNY Hunter College. Amy’s passion for psychiatry stems from her experience growing up as a first-generation Chinese American, a background that highlighted the stigma surrounding mental health. Amy has a special interest in addiction psychiatry and is dedicated to advocating for mental health care in minority populations and strives to make resources more accessible to underserved communities.
As Region Chair, Amy cultivates a supportive community for students to explore psychiatry. She focuses on facilitating mentorship connections and curating educational resources to guide members through their career development.
Outside of medicine, Amy enjoys cuddling her dogs, weightlifting, hiking, crafting, and trying new cuisines from different cultures.
Region 3: DC, DE, MD, NJ, PA
Tucker Apgar
George Washington School of Medicine and Health
Region 4: IL, IN, IA, KS, MI, MN, MO, NE, ND, OH, SD, WI
Vikram Saudagar
Northwestern Feinberg School of Medicine
Vikram Saudagar is a fourth year medical student completing a dual MD-MBA at Northwestern University. He earned his Bachelor of Science in Biomedical Engineering. Vikram is passionate about early intervention adolescent psychiatry and interventional psychiatry. He is dedicated to expanding mentorship networks and access to the field, especially for students in resource-limited regions or those who discover the specialty later in their medical education.
As a Region Chair for PsychSIGN, he is excited to leverage his background in student clinic leadership and business operations to create high-quality exploratory opportunities for his peers. He looks forward to organizing initiatives, such as a conference focused on the intersection of community outreach and innovation, to help students discover various career niches, connect with mentors, and explore how evolving practice models can reduce mental health stigma.
Outside of medicine, Vikram enjoys wildlife photography and traveling with his fiancée.
Region 5: AL, AK, FL, GA, KY, LA, MS, NC, OK, SC, TN, TX, VA, WV, PR and Uniformed Services
Bernadine Decapia
The University of North Texas Health Science Center Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine
Bernadine Decapia is a third-year medical student at UNT Health Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine. She earned her Bachelor of Science and Arts at the University of Texas at Austin where she focused on working with the youth, researching healthcare disparities, and volunteering for marginalized groups. She is passionate about the intersection of pediatrics, psychiatry, and advocacy of minority populations when it comes to access to and quality of mental health services.
As the Region 5 Chair, she aims to focus her work towards minimizing stigma surrounding mental health in underserved populations and normalizing conversations about the importance of mental wellness.
In her free time, she likes to play basketball and piano, go to Thursday Trivia nights with her friends, go to concerts, and eat delicious food in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. After medical school, she aims to pursue a career in child and adolescent psychiatry.
Region 6: CA
Phil De Vera
California Health Sciences University College of Osteopathic Medicine
Phil De Vera is a third-year medical student at the California Health Sciences University College of Osteopathic Medicine (CHSU-COM) with a passion for psychiatry, mental health advocacy, and medical education. As a Filipino American medical student, he is especially interested in reducing mental health stigma and expanding access to culturally responsive psychiatric care, particularly within Filipino, Asian American, and LGBTQIA+ communities. His clinical interests include behavioral neurology and neuropsychiatry, community psychiatry, and consultation-liaison psychiatry.
At CHSU-COM, Phil serves as the Upperclassman Liaison for the Psychiatry Interest Group and as a Student Ambassador. He previously served as President of both the Psychiatry Interest Group and the Lavender Alliance, where he helped create opportunities for mentorship, advocacy, and student engagement in mental health and LGBTQIA+ initiatives. As PsychSIGN’s Region 6 Chair, Phil hopes to foster an inclusive community that connects students across California with mentors, educational resources, and meaningful opportunities to explore psychiatry, while advancing mental health advocacy at the national level.
Outside of medicine, Phil enjoys listening to K-Pop and EDM, trying new restaurants with friends, and documenting meaningful moments with loved ones. He also loves meeting new people and is always excited to connect with students who are interested in psychiatry or mental health advocacy.
Region 7: AK, AZ, CO, HI, ID, MT, NV, NM, OR, UT, WA, WY, Canadian Provinces: AB, BC, MB, SK
Natalie Musial
Pacific Northwest University of Health Sciences College of Osteopathic Medicine
Natalie is a third-year medical student at Pacific Northwest University of Health Sciences (PNWU). Prior to medical school, her passion for psychiatry was driven by lived experience with disability, shaping her commitment to empathetic care and pediatric advocacy. During her time as a medical student, she has taken on numerous leadership roles, including serving as President of PNWU’s Neurology, Psychiatry, and Behavioral Medicine Club and Vice President of the Student National Medical Association. As PsychSIGN Region 7 Chair, she hopes to foster inter-school collaboration, launch subspecialty mentorship pathways in Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, and build a unified network for PsychSIGN chapters across the Northwest. Natalie values the importance of maintaining a healthy work-life balance and loves reading, playing cozy games like Stardew Valley, and hanging out with her cat.
Region 8: International
Haider Ashfaq
Allama Iqbal Medical College
Haider is a final-year medical student at Allama Iqbal Medical College in Lahore, Pakistan. He has led and contributed to research projects across various methodologies and has conducted nationwide workshops to mentor students. With leadership experience in multiple organizations and a strong commitment to service, Haider brings a global and collaborative perspective to his work. His clinical interests include child and adolescent psychiatry, psychotherapy, and telepsychiatry, and he is especially passionate about advocacy in mental health. Outside of medicine, he enjoys cricket, tennis, chess, and boxing as a fan of MMA. He’s also passionate about entrepreneurship and connecting with people from diverse backgrounds.
Media Outreach Co-Chair
Chloe Pak
Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine
Chloe Pak is a fourth-year medical student at the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine–Georgia (PCOM Georgia). She graduated from Emory University with a degree in Human Health and has a strong interest in pursuing psychiatry. She is passionate about advocating for mental health and believes that mental health is the foundation of overall well-being. Outside of medicine, Chloe enjoys expressing her creativity through knitting and crocheting, getting lost in a good book, spending time with her dog, and making memories with her family and friends. She is excited to serve as PsychSIGN’s Media Chair and hopes to help foster a supportive, engaged community while promoting mental health awareness and education.
Media Outreach Co-Chair
Jennifer Ipe
University of the Incarnate Word School of Osteopathic Medicine
Jennifer Ipe is a fourth year medical student at the University of the Incarnate Word School of Osteopathic Medicine. She was born in New York and raised in California. She earned her B.S. in Biology from Pepperdine University in 2020. After graduating, she spent her gap years conducting research on health disparities within her local community. During this time, Jennifer also volunteered with a local advocacy group committed to protecting students’ legal right to a Free and Appropriate Public Education. She has also served as her institution’s delegate to the American Medical Association. These experiences have fueled her passion to continue advocating for patients in all aspects of their life – inside and outside of the hospital. She hopes to use her skills to help her patients as a psychiatrist in the future. In her free time, Jennifer loves to explore new areas through visiting cafes, restaurants, and parks with her friends. She loves to relax by spending time chatting with her friends and family, In an attempt to stay off her phone, she has started journalling, reading more books, and baking! Jennifer is so excited to serve as on of your PsychSIGN Media Outreach chairs and share opportunities in advocacy, mentorship, leadership and more to other aspiring psychiatrist!
Mentorship Co- Chair
Rodrigo Bravo
University of Arizona College of Medicine -Tucson
Rod is an MD candidate at the University of Arizona College of Medicine–Tucson. He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in psychology and neuroscience from Harvard College and his Master of Public Health focused in healthcare management and policy from Yale University. Rod is an APA/SAMHSA Minority Medical Student Fellow with interests in consultation-liaison integrative psychiatry, spirituality and psychotherapy, and redefining whole-person psychiatric care. He is an entrepreneur who investigates spontaneous remission and biofield sciences, exploring how identity, meaning, belief, and transformative experiences influence mental health and healing, particularly in medically complex disease.
As Mentorship Co-Chair, Rod supports creating meaningful connections between students, residents, and psychiatrists while making mentorship more accessible to students from diverse and nontraditional backgrounds. Having benefited from a slew of mentors across psychiatry, public health, and integrative medicine, he enjoys helping students align their lives to their individual interests and career goals.
Outside of medicine, Rod enjoys meditation, singing, escape rooms, and working on his novel.
Mentorship Co-Chair
Marina Malcolm
Geisenger Commonwealth School of Medicine
Marina is a fourth year student at Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine. She earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in neuroscience from Franklin & Marshall College in Lancaster, PA where she also minored in German Language and Culture. Marina has a special interest in interventional psychiatry and hopes to serve patients who are treatment-resistant find therapeutics that help them live a fulfilling life. She also holds interest in working directly in communities to create spaces for youth to develop resilience as a precursor for strong mental health throughout their lives. Marina is a fourth year student at Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine.
As mentorship co-chair, Marina hopes to connect students with mentors to help create vibrant connections that help students achieve their academic goals. Marina is the product of many great mentors that helped shape her education to what it is today, and she hopes to strengthen PsychSIGN’s network to share the benefits of quality mentorship.
Outside of medicine, Marina enjoys antiquing, cooking, and doing NYT crossword puzzles!
Research Chair
Dhilan Mohit Thapar
John F. Kennedy University School of Medicine
Dhilan earned his MD from John F. Kennedy University School of Medicine and aspires to enter psychiatry, driven by a deep intrinsic commitment to expanding access to high-quality mental health services for underserved and high-burden populations. Before medical school, he spent about a decade at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID/NIH), contributing to studies of HIV pathogenesis, T cell gene modification and transduction safety, and long-term outcomes among survivors of the 2001 anthrax attacks.
Currently, Dhilan is a postdoctoral research collaborator in neuropsychiatry and neuroimaging at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, where he works under the mentorship of Dr. Milap Nowrangi. His research examines how hearing loss, changes in brain networks, and cognitive decline shape financial decision-making in older adults, integrating structural MRI, audiometry, and detailed neurocognitive assessments. He has co-authored manuscripts on the neuroeconomic and neuroimaging correlates of financial decision-making processes in aging. He has presented his work at the National Institutes of Health, the Washington Psychiatric Society Presidential Symposium, the Weill Cornell Medicine Emergency Medicine Research Symposium, and the New York ACEP Scientific Assembly.
As PsychSIGN Research Chair, Dhilan’s mission is to make psychiatric research more accessible and less intimidating for medical students. His goals include demystifying study design and authorship, expanding mentorship pipelines for students with non-traditional paths or limited resources at their home institutions, and highlighting the real-world clinical and policy impact of psychiatric research. He is especially committed to supporting students interested in projects at the intersection of psychiatry, neuropsychiatry, and public mental health.
Residency Chair
Hari Rao
Marian University College of Osteopathic Medicine (MU-COM)
Hari is a third-year medical student at Marian University College of Osteopathic Medicine (MU-COM). Raised in Indianapolis, he earned his Bachelor of Science in Neuroscience at Indiana University Bloomington and a Master of Science in Biomedical Sciences at MU-COM.
Hari’s path to psychiatry stems from a deep commitment to alleviating local healthcare disparities in his community. Volunteering with health brigades and supporting community initiatives like the Indiana Recovery Alliance showed him how systemic issues, particularly the opioid crisis, disproportionately impact marginalized populations. Recognizing psychiatry as a direct avenue to address these inequities, his clinical interests center on addiction psychiatry, as well as forensic and consultation-liaison psychiatry.
For Hari, this mission to remove systemic barriers extends beyond patient care and into medical education. Having navigated the path to medicine as a first-generation medical student, he previously worked with his local chapter of the Minority Association of Pre-Medical Students (MAPS) to help fellow first-generation applicants gain equitable access to the institutional knowledge required to successfully apply to medical school.
Today, he brings that same advocacy to his role as PsychSIGN’s Residency Application Chair. As Chair, he organizes the annual Virtual Residency Fair, which connects students with psychiatry programs across the country and gives students a chance to network with program directors directly. He also leads programming on navigating ERAS and preparing for interviews. Through this work, Hari is dedicated to closing knowledge gaps and ensuring every student has the tools needed to succeed.
Outside of medicine, Hari enjoys working on his car, discovering new local coffee spots and restaurants, traveling with friends, and cheering on the Indiana Fever and IU athletics.
Wellness & Burnout Prevention Co-Chair
Danielle Springer
University of Central Florida College of Medicine
Danielle is a fourth-year medical student at the University of Central Florida College of Medicine. She earned her bachelor’s degree in Biology from the University of Florida. She is passionate about psychiatry with particular interests in addiction psychiatry and working with vulnerable populations, including individuals experiencing homelessness, substance use disorders, and incarceration.
As the Wellness and Burnout Prevention Chair, Danielle looks forward to engaging with medical students interested in psychiatry and promoting awareness of the importance of mental health and wellness for both patients and healthcare professionals. She is excited to connect with fellow students and facilitate meaningful conversations about mental health through book clubs, film discussions, and other wellness-focused initiatives.
Podcast Chair
Sam Kang
Creighton University School of Medicine
Sam is a fourth year student at Creighton University School of Medicine with a longstanding interest in psychiatry, medical education, and the medical humanities. Before medical school, he worked as a mental health clinician, which helped shape his passion for compassionate, evidence-based psychiatric care. As Chair of the Get Psyched Podcast, he enjoys highlighting the stories, ideas, and people advancing the field of psychiatry. His interests include psychotherapy, whole-person care, teaching, and helping future psychiatrists grow both clinically and personally.
Advocacy and Policy Chair
Suraj Joshi
Tufts University School of Medicine
Suraj Joshi is a fourth-year medical student at Tufts University in Boston. He earned his Bachelor of Science in Computational Biology from Carnegie Mellon University. Suraj is passionate about the intersection of technology, public policy, and psychiatry/behavioral health. He’s particularly in how digital phenotyping, frontier Artificial Intelligence, and high-resolution genetic, behavioral, and physiologic datasets can be integrated to inform detailed portraits of daily life and real-time interventions for mood and psychotic disorders.
As the National Advocacy and Policy Chair, Suraj will represent PsychSIGN to the American Medical Association (AMA) Medical Student Assembly and House of Delegates. He will coordinate a Policy Committee with PsychSIGN members to write novel policy papers with the AMA and APA, and expand PsychSIGN’s relationship with the APA Foundation to provide students opportunities to attend national APA and advocacy meetings. He will also coordinate an Advocacy seminar series where leaders in psychiatry public advocacy will speak on their expertise and current events in mental health policy.
Outside of medicine (and policy/advocacy!) Suraj runs, reads philosophy/social theory, journals obsessively (it’s not good), and consumes any and all RuPaul’s Drag Race-related content.