Editorial Team
MEET THE 2026-2027 STAFF!
Mae Ross Brockman, Editor-In-Chief
Class of 2027
Mae is a senior from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She majors in English with a concentration in Science, Medicine, and Literature and minors in Biology and Chemistry. She is passionate about social justice and women’s health and plans to attend medical school after graduating. She loves reading, Cold Stone Creamery, and watching Gossip Girl with her little sister.
London Dernis, Managing Editor
Class of 2029
London is a sophhomore from South Florida double majoring in English and Psychology. She is passionate about literature, disability advocacy, and mental health. In her free time, she can be found in the Hill Hall practice rooms playing piano or grabbing boba from Tea Hill.
Disha Sharma, Treasurer
Class of 2029
Disha is a sophomore majoring in Global Studies on the pre-med track from Charlotte, North Carolina. She is passionate about reproductive public health, writing, and the sciences. In her free time, she enjoys watching movies, reading, and working out.
Chia Liu, Art Director
Class of 2028
Chia is a junior from Chapel Hill. She is a nursing student with minors in neuroscience and Chinese. Her plan is to become a Nurse Practitioner after attending graduate school. Her favorite book(s) (this year) have been Covenant of Water and Between Two Fires. She is always desperate for book recs!
Grace Hu, Layout Editor
Class of 2029
Grace is a sophomore from Columbus, Ohio (go Bucks!). She is majoring in Chemistry and minoring in Medicine, Literature, and Culture because she enjoys learning about language and form. In addition to playing with her cats, Gus and Jorts, Grace loves listening to linguistics podcasts and eating frozen yogurt.
Alicia Equan, Co-Marketing Director
Class of 2026
Alicia is a senior from Charlotte, North Carolina. She is majoring in biomedical engineering. She hopes to pursue a career in the medical device field. In her free time, she likes to crochet, watch TV, and hang out with her friends.
Sarah Davey, Co-Marketing Director
Class of 2028
Sarah Davey is a junior from Charlotte, NC. She is majoring in English and Comparative Literature with a double major in Advertising and Public Relations. She is particularly interested in examining storytelling as a tool for shaping community dialogue and bridging empathy gaps. Outside of class, she enjoys crafting and dancing with Carolina Tap Ensemble.
Tanvi Peddireddi, Editor
Class of 2028
Tanvi is a junior at UNC majoring in Medical Anthropology with a minor in Chemistry. After graduating, she hopes to attend medical school after taking a gap year. In her free time, she love to play guitar, listen to new music, and watch/review movies on Letterboxd!
Keegan Lee, Editor
Class of 2027
Keegan is a senior studying Psychology and English and Comparative Literature with a concentration in medicine, science, and literature. She loves to travel, enjoys trying out new Italian restaurants and coffee spots, and loves to do deep dives into beautiful bits of poetry. Her favorite book is “A General Theory of Love” by Fari Amini, Richard Lannon, and Thomas B. Lewis
Jonas Laukoter, Editor
Class of 2028
Jonas is a junior from Dallas, Texas. He is majoring in English & Comparative Literature and Information Science with a minor in Screenwriting. In his free time, he likes to watch movies, hike new trails, and cook with his friends and family.
Jaya Gupta, Editor
Class of 2027
Jaya is a senior from Chantilly, Virginia. She is majoring in Neuroscience with minors in Chemistry and Creative Writing. After graduation, she hopes to attend medical school. She is particularly passionate about health literacy and women’s brain health. In her free time, she loves curating playlists, dancing, and fueling her caffeine addiction.
Joan Lee, Editor
Class of 2028
Joan is a junior from Cary, North Carolina majoring in Neuroscience and English with concentrations in Creative Writing and Science, Medicine, and Literature. As an emerging writer and researcher, her focus is on young adult literature, literary and speculative fiction, and mental health narratives. She aspires to build a career as a novelist and physician.
Beyza Guvenc, Editor
Class of 2029
Beyza is a sophomore from Cary, North Carolina with roots in Turkiye. She intends on majoring in public health and biology, with a particular interest in infectious diseases, healthcare access for low-income and immigrant families, and global humanitarian health. In her free time, she enjoys kayaking, crafting fun matcha recipes, experimenting with filmmaking, and writing for the university newspaper.
Abby Adeshina, Editor
Class of 2028
Abby is a junior from Clayton, North Carolina, studying Chemistry and Mathematics. She aspires to merge her passions for education and service through a career as a clinical research physician and public health researcher. Some of her interests include weightlifting, crafting, and trying new foods.
Claire Hjardemaal, Editor
Class of 2027
Claire is a senior from Charlotte, North Carolina. She is majoring in Medical Anthropology with a Minor in Chemistry on the Pre-Medicine track. She loves reading, watching documentaries, and building LEGO sets with her little sister.
___________________________________________________________________________________________
Dr. Jane F. Thrailkill, Faculty Advisor
Department of English and Comparative Literature
Jane F. Thrailkill is Bank of America Honors Distinguished Term Associate Professor who advises students involved in the Literature, Medicine, and Culture program, teaches in the School of Medicine’s Intensive Integration seminar, and is co-director of the HHIVE Lab. Trained as a literary scholar, she works on the relationship between literature and science, widely construed. Her first book is Affecting Fictions: Mind, Body, and Emotion in American Literary Realism and she is finishing a second monograph on the play-based philosophies of the James siblings, Alice, William, and Henry.
Dr. Kym Weed, Faculty Advisor
Department of English and Comparative Literature
Kym Weed is a Teaching Assistant Professor, the Co-Director of the HHIVE Lab, and the Associate Director of the graduate programs in Literature, Medicine, and Culture. Her areas of interest, both in teaching and research, include health humanities, literature and medicine, and disability studies. Her work has appeared in Literature and Medicine and The Journal of Medical Humanities.
Past Health Humanities Journal Editorial Teams
Iris Kang, Editor-In-Chief
Miranda Almy, Managing Editor
Malik Tiedt, Treasurer & Editor
Halle Hunt, Treasurer In Training
SuJi Cho, Secretary & Editor
Ellen Hu, Art Director
Yan Zhu, Layout Editor
Alicia Equan, Marketing Director
Edwin Parker Savage, Lead Podcast Editor
Kate Brown, Assistant Podcast Editor
Sabrina Shaw, Podcast Marketing Director
Tess McGrinder, Editor
Joseph Kargbo, Editor
Penelope Alberdi, Editor
Ryan Phillips, Editor
Iris Chang, Editor
Lydia Meltonlane, Editor
Rotem Olsha, Editor
Heidi Segars, Editor
Aaron Stepp, Editor
Cate Hendren, Graduate Editor
Olivia Davis, Graduate Editor
Anameeka Singh, Graduate Editor
Jacqui Sanders, Graduate Editor
2021-2022
Iris Kang, Editor-in-Chief & Layout Editor
Ellen Hu, Art Director
Malik Tiedt, Treasurer
Annette Varghese, Assistant Layout Editor
Kamryn Mcdonald, Marketing Director
Jesse Bossingham, Graduate Editor
Olivia Delborne, Editor
Rhea Jayaswal, Editor
Miranda Almy, Editor
Su-Ji Cho, Editor
Iris Chang, Editor
Lydia Meltonlane, Editor
Rotem Olsha, Editor
Maura O’Sullivan, Editor
Fall 2021 only
Maia Sichitiu, Layout Editor
Cathy Choi, Podcast Editor
2020-2021
Elizabeth Coletti, Editor-in-Chief
Alice Peng, Art Director
Malik Tiedt, Treasurer
Maia Sichitiu, Layout Editor
Olivia Delborne, Editor
Anna Covington, Editor
Noah Ashenafi, Editor
Rhea Jayaswal, Editor
Miranda Almy, Editor
Fall 2020 only
Serenity Bennet, Editor
Austin Hopkins, Graduate Editor
Lydia Weinberger, Marketing Director
2019-2020
Elizabeth Coletti, Editor-in-Chief
Jillian Nguyen, Marketing Director
Alice Peng, Art Director
Shraya Changela, Editor
Jillian Shiba, Editor
Olivia Delborne, Editor
Anna Covington, Editor
Malik Tiedt, Treasurer
Maia Sichitiu, Layout Editor
Rabab Husain, Graduate Editor
Kristina Alton, Graduate Editor
Fall 2019 only
Alex Ballard, Design and Layout Editor
Alexandra Mao, Editor
2018-2019
Emily Long, Editor-in-Chief
Neha Aggarwal, Design and Layout Editor
Jillian Nguyen, Marketing Director
Alice Peng, Art Director
Shraya Changela, Editor
Elizabeth Coletti, Editor
Sanam Kavari, Editor
Rabab Husain, Graduate Editor
Nicholas Allen, Graduate Editor
Fall 2018 only
Jillian Shiba, Editor
Sania Siddiqui, Edito
2017-2018
Manisha Mishra, Founder/Editor-in-Chief
Katie Huber, Website and Layout Editor
Annie Konzelman, Art Editor
Sophia Shwartz, Treasurer/Marketing
Meredith Dorminey, Editor
Jackie Kenny, Editor
Madison Schaper, Editor
Calvin Olsen, Graduate Adviser
2016-2017
Manisha Mishra, Founder/Editor-in-Chief
Katie Huber, Editor/Website and Layout Editor
Jessie Fletcher, Art Editor
Yakin Ouederni, Marketing
Sophia Shwartz, Treasurer
Meredith Dorminey, Editor
Kaylyn Pogson, Editor
Turner Wibbelsman, Editor