Karen Madamba is a fourth-year undergraduate at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) . She is a pre-med student majoring in Psychobiology and minoring in Applied Developmental Psychology (ADP), with aspirations of becoming a pediatrician. 

Karen was drawn to pediatrics by her fascination with growth and development. From a biological perspective, she is curious about the mechanisms that underlie early neural development and has worked as a research assistant at Zipursky Lab to study the specificity in neural connections. But her drive to be a pediatrician comes from her belief that witnessing or being part of someone else's growth is one of the greatest honors. She had an opportunity to provide primary care to infants and toddlers as a student intern at Megan E. Daly's Infant Development Program. She is also be an undergraduate assistant for the ADP program. Ultimately, her goal is to build a village of professionals who can provide the interdisciplinary, holistic, and respectful care for all children and families. 

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Karen has also learned how social and cultural factors are interacting with biological processes to determine the state of our overall health. With Pilipinos for Community Health (PCH), she has organized health fairs that provide free, culturally-informed clinical services. As PCH's acting President, she is also spearheading new service projects focused on promoting the health of youth and families. Karen explored the role of racism on the mental health of Black and Latinx K-12 students as a research assistant for UCLA's COVID-19 Family Needs Study. Finally, as a Legislative Advocacy Intern for CACFP Roundtable, she worked with a small team to launch a story-collection project in support of Senate Bill 1481 (Food with Care). 

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Aside from her student and professional life, Karen enjoys playing her ukulele and guitar, sketching, and watching movies with her family and friends.