Home · Team

Our people · 2026–27

The board behind BBH.

Seventeen students running everything from partnerships and research to recruitment, finance, events, and mentorship. Meet the people building BBH this year.

Executive Board

President she/her

Kyra Shah

Kyra is a senior majoring in Human Biology and Society with a minor in Public Health. From Whittier, California, she's on the pre-med track and hopes to become a physician while pursuing biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, and healthcare management. As President, she oversees BBH's operations and works with the executive board to grow the club, strengthening industry partnerships and building a collaborative community where students explore careers at the intersection of business and healthcare.

External Vice President she/her

Ira Kulkarni

Ira is a senior Bioengineering major. Having grown up between the US and India, she's passionate about making healthcare more accessible globally, with a focus on wearable technology and early disease detection, and hopes to become a product manager in that space. As External Vice President, she brings in client projects from health startups and established healthcare companies, giving members hands-on projects, competitions, and networking opportunities to build industry connections.

Internal Vice President she/her

Sofia Belen Pena

Sofia is a senior Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering major with interests spanning pharmaceutical manufacturing, biotechnology, and engineering consulting. She's drawn to how engineers create value at a systems level and hopes to build a career at the intersection of engineering, business, and healthcare. As Internal Vice President, she cultivates a welcoming, connected community, working with the Recruitment, Internal Events, and Marketing teams to strengthen BBH's culture and family program so every member feels supported.

Directors

Director of Partnerships she/her

Emma O'Connell

Emma is a junior from Seattle studying Statistics & Data Science and Economics. She loves market landscape research and is looking to go into data analytics for biotech. As Director of Partnerships, she secures and leads client projects in the healthcare space and builds connections with other campus organizations, and is most excited to spearhead BBH's client-projects initiative.

Director of Partnerships he/him

Rohan Gianchandani

Rohan is a junior Psychobiology major and Spanish minor. An aspiring physician, he's passionate about advancing equitable access to healthcare through technology that improves health systems and reduces disparities, a goal shaped by growing up in Alaska before moving to Southern California. As Director of Partnerships, he builds relationships with healthcare organizations, startups, and consulting firms to secure client projects, workshops, and networking events.

Director of Professional Events she/her

Diya Madhavan

Diya is a junior pursuing a B.S. in Computational Biology with a minor in Data Science Engineering. She's passionate about the intersection of technology, business, and the life sciences, especially product development and startups, and hopes to one day build her own company. As Director of Professional Events, she plans career development, recruiting, interview prep, and professional-skills events for all members.

Recruitment Director she/her

Aryana Satheesh

Aryana is a senior studying Computational Biology. She wants to go into biotech, with a specific interest in genomics and applying AI and data analytics to enhance the drug discovery and development process. As Recruitment Director, she leads BBH's recruitment and is excited to welcome new members who are passionate and eager to learn.

Director of Mentorship he/him

Reaves Lo

Reaves is a junior Human Biology and Society major from Dallas, Texas, interested in healthcare startups, biotechnology, and entrepreneurship, with a passion for public health. As Director of Mentorship, he runs the program end-to-end, designing the evaluation process, managing mentor outreach, and connecting members with professionals across healthcare and business so every member can grow. Outside BBH, he loves the outdoors and hopes to summit every 14er in Colorado.

Director of Research she/her

Smiraa Misra

Smiraa is a junior HBS major and Global Health minor on the pre-law track, drawn to healthcare from a public health and policy perspective. As Director of Research, she manages long-term group projects, presented at Undergraduate Research Week and campus symposiums, alongside shorter projects published within the club. She's most excited to introduce members to research and show how vast business health can be, from public health to pharmaceuticals to AI.

Finance Director she/her

Mahek Patel

Mahek is a Computational and Systems Biology major interested in the biotechnology and pharmaceutical fields, with aspirations of working in computational drug discovery or cancer genomics. She's passionate about advancing healthcare accessibility and driving innovation in life sciences. As Finance Director, she manages club funding and allocates resources across sectors, and looks forward to expanding funding so members can pursue meaningful projects.

Internal Events Director he/him

Trevor Kuo

Trevor is a junior Psychobiology major who researches in the LUNE Lab in Bioengineering, working on protein-protein interaction network modeling and quantitative systems pharmacology. He's aiming for a career in consulting focused on life sciences and healthcare. As Internal Events Director, he plans and runs the events that bring members together, from socials to professional development, and is most excited to build a stronger sense of community this year.

Internal Events Director he/him

Arek Yacoubian

Arek is a junior Psychobiology major on the pre-med track, hoping to become an MD and one day open his own practice focused on preventive, self-care-oriented medicine. As an Internal Events Director, he plans BBH's social events and wants to make them different and interactive so members never want to miss out.

Director of Marketing she/her

Jiaa Bartake

Jiaa is a third-year Human Biology and Society major from Minnesota, drawn to the intersection of healthcare and business, especially how business strategy applies to the dental field. She hopes to become an orthodontist and one day own and manage her own practice. As Director of Marketing, she's building a more engaging, cohesive, and professional image for BBH and leading creative campaigns to grow the club's visibility and engagement.

Interns

Marketing Intern she/her

Jaida Glazier

Jaida is a junior from Monterey, California majoring in Sociology with a Global Health minor. She's interested in healthcare administration and operations, currently an Administrative Intern at the Children's Hospital Los Angeles Saban Research Institute, and hopes to earn an MBA or MHA and become a hospital COO. As Marketing Intern, she creates graphics that fit the BBH image and keeps a consistent posting schedule.

Professional Events Intern she/her

Sylvia Zivnuska

Sylvia is a junior from Chico, California studying Cognitive Science (with a specialization in Computing) and Political Science. She's interested in healthcare consulting and neurotechnology, and hopes to eventually live in New York immersed in its healthcare, tech, and business scene. As Professional Events Intern, she works with Diya to source speakers and handle logistics, helping plan case competitions, workshops, and resources for new members.

Mentorship Intern she/her

Lillian Novotny

Lillian is a sophomore studying Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology. From the Bay Area and raised in Napa, she hopes to venture into the startup side of biotech. As Mentorship Intern, she works with the Director of Mentorship to connect BBH with UCLA's HBA and match each member with a suitable mentor, and is most excited to meet the incoming class.

Recruitment Intern he/him

Sam Levy

Sam is a sophomore majoring in Biology on the pre-med track, with an interest in public health. He sees himself working as a physician, drawn to ER medicine and orthopedic surgery. As Recruitment Intern, he helps seek out committed students who align with the club's mission and looks forward to fostering an environment that new recruits and current members want to be part of.