SYNAPSE TEAM 2025 - 2026
The Department of Humanities in Medicine is pleased to present The Synapse, a medical and graduate student-edited journal of literature and art containing poetry, art, literature, and photography. The Synapse is a creative outlet open to submissions from the Texas A&M School of Medicine community. Its mission is to serve as a forum where students can creatively blend the scientific and humanistic aspects of medicine.
Please contact us at COM-synapse@tamhsc.edu to comment, question, or learn more!
Sunitha joined The Synapse because she is passionate about medical humanities and hopes to incorporate medical journalism into her career as a physician. It brings her great joy to be a part of a team that highlights the stories, art, and experiences of those at the College of Medicine. She is honored to be following a 10-year legacy of The Synapse and is excited to see what is in store for this year!
Sunitha Konatham
Senior Editor-in-Chief
Roshini is a third-year medical student. She joined the Synapse in her M1 year because she loves reading and writing and wanted to bring that passion back into her life despite the chaos that is med school! She is so excited to take on the role of EIC and can’t wait to see what this year will bring!
Roshini Thiagarajan
Editor-in-Chief
Divya Gupta is a third-year medical student from Sugar Land, TX. She joined Synapse to help strengthen connections between students and faculty and build a stronger community at A&M. She’s excited to share a new project of monthly medicine-themed NYT Connections puzzles, designed to bring people together. In her free time, she enjoys reading, doing puzzles, and practicing yoga.
Divya Gupta
Acquisitions Editor
Sara Montoya is a first-year medical student from Corpus Christi, TX. Joining the Synapse team gives her a perfect opportunity to express her deep love for the humanities, especially reading, writing - and after directing a high school performance of Damn Yankees that, by some miracle, did NOT completely fall apart - theatre arts. If she’s not reading or studying, she’s probably on a nature trail, at a concert, or actively planning her next concert.
Sara Montoya
Acquisitions Editor
Vy is a fourth-year medical student at the Houston campus. She was initially involved with The Synapse as a writer and loved to read the submissions of her peers with the release of each issue. She decided to join the team to be a part of the publication process—acquiring submissions, working directly with other authors, and helping them publish final pieces that they can proudly share. Outside of school, Vy enjoys running, climbing, reading and writing medical non-fiction, and shooting street photography.
Vy Dang
Senior Copy Editor
Abby is a Medical Sciences PhD student studying immunometabolism in the fruit fly model. She is originally from Pennsylvania and graduated from Grove City College with a B.S. in Biology. This liberal arts education instilled in her a love for the intersection of science and humanities, so she is excited to pursue this interest with the Synapse!
Abigail Bauder
Copy Editor
Isaac Montgomery is a M1 MD/PhD student from Garland, Texas. He loves to write poetry and short fiction. His 2025 goal is to participate in a diverse array of arts and crafts so he can set up his house like a museum. His favorite word is tête-à-tête, so if you work it into your writing, you will be his favorite author.
Isaac Montgomery
Copy Editor
Nicole is a first-year MD/PhD student from Houston, Texas. She graduated from the University of Florida with a Bachelor's in Biochemistry and minors in Anthropology and Health Disparities. In her free time, she can be found baking, playing tennis, or crafting.
Nicole Petit
Design Editor
Mihai is a first year medical student. After being heavily involved in the UC Berkeley design and marketing community during his undergrad years, he wanted to join the Synapse. He is often moved by the works submitted to the journal as he formats and prepares them for the website. Outside of school he is either: watching a movie, reading a book, going for a swim, or eating good food.
Mihai Cipleu
Design Editor
Rishi is a third-year EnMed student, though he wonders if writing and reading about people makes treating them easier. He loves to write more than other people enjoy his writing, so he elevates better authors and thinkers at the Synapse. Additional hobbies include being PNW granola (hiking and cooking seafood). Zach Mendoza’s best friend.
Rishi Ramesh
Managing Editor
Paul Oancea is a second-year MD/PhD student from Houston, Texas. He graduated with a Bachelor’s in Neuroscience from UT-Austin and is excited to serve as The Synapse’s Senior Staff Writer.
Paul Oancea
Senior Staff Writer
Michael, a first-year medical student, most recently lived in West Texas for four years but is an east coast kid at heart. Before moving to Texas in 2020, he lived in Iowa, New York, Mississippi, and was born in Pennsylvania. Outside of keeping moving companies in business, Michael loves trying out food venues, hiking, and can’t ever resist a good game of pickup basketball.
Michael Boulis
Staff Writer
Anokhi is an M1 from Albuquerque, NM. She obtained her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in astronautical engineering from the University of Southern California. She has a passion for trying new restaurants, traveling, and writing about food. Anokhi was a writer for USC’s student newspaper and joined the Synapse to continue writing about food while in medical school.
Anokhi Kolwadwala
Staff Writer
Nabeeha is a second-year MD/PhD student at Texas A&M with a current interest in infectious disease research and internal medicine as a clinical specialty. Originally from Round Lake, IL, she grew up in Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, and Plano, TX, and earned her bachelor's degree in Biochemistry from the University of Texas at Dallas. Passionate about the arts, Nabeeha has been involved in creative projects since high school and hopes to continue promoting positive self-expression by joining Synapse. In her free time, she enjoys painting, printmaking, baking, reading sci-fi/fantasy, and most arts and crafts.
Nabeeha Qazi
Social/Media Manager
Barbara Gastel coordinates the science journalism graduate program at Texas A&M University and teaches medical humanities at the College of Medicine. A medical school graduate and longtime faculty member, she specializes mainly in the communication of science and medicine. Her outside interests include travel, music, cooking, and baking.
Dr. Barbara Gastel
Editorial Mentor
Originally from Virginia, Andrew served for six years in the U.S. Navy as a Nuclear Electronics Technician. He received undergraduate degrees studying nuclear energy and health sciences and is certified as a cytotechnologist by the American Society for Clinical Pathology. He is currently a second-year graduate student in the Medical Sciences PhD program focusing his research on using stem cells and signaling pathways for treating bone diseases and cancer under the guidance of Dr. Carl Gregory. When he has free time he enjoys writing, video games, cooking, and playing games with friends.
Andrew Haskell, CT(ASCP)CM
Consultant
Karen J. Wakefield, Ph.D., R.N. is an assistant professor in the Department of Humanities in Medicine at the Texas A&M Health Sciences Center College of Medicine. She graduated with a bachelor’s of science degree and a baccalaureate in nursing from Dallas Baptist University. After 30 years in nursing she returned to academia where she received a master’s degree and Ph.D. from Texas A&M University. Dr. Wakefield’s research interests include medical history in Texas, military medicine, and battlefield medicine.
Dr. Karen J. Wakefield, R.N.
Faculty Editor