Past Clinic Managers

Neddie Byron

Neddie is from Fairfax, Virginia and graduated from Virginia Tech in 2018 with a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering. Following graduation, she worked several jobs in the engineering field while she figured out what she was passionate about, leading her to medical school. She started volunteering with Avicenna as an Intake volunteer in the fall of 2022, before starting as a clinic manager in 2023. She is currently a second year medical student and is interested in pursuing orthopedic surgery.

Priya Shankarappa

Priya is from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and graduated in 2018 from Northwestern University with a Bachelors degree in chemistry. She then worked in pharmacology research at the National Cancer Institute near D.C., and she volunteered with the Arlington Free Clinic during her time there. In summer 2020, she joined the Carle Illinois College of Medicine and became an intake volunteer at Avicenna. She is currently a second year medical student.

Aalishba Ahmad

Aalishba is originally from Twin Cities, Minnesota and now resides in the Champaign-Urbana area. She completed her Bachelor’s degree in Community Health at the University of Illinois in 2022. Now, she is an MPH candidate at UIUC. Aalishba started at Avicenna in Fall 2019 as an Intake volunteer, has worked with the research team, and has been a part of the Avicenna student initiative RSO executive board.

Richie Li

Richie is from Phoenix, Arizona and graduated from Arizona State University with his Bachelor's in Biomedical Engineering. There, he volunteered for three years with the Neighborhood Christian Clinic. After graduation he became an engineer at W.L Gore & Associates before coming to the Carle Illinois College of Medicine in 2020. A current second year medical student, he started out as an intake volunteer in 2021 and is dedicated to helping deliver care with Avicenna.

Bara Saadah (2021-2022)

Bara is from Champaign, Illinois and graduated in 2018 from the University of Illinois with a Bachelor's in Bioengineering. He then spent a year working at Accenture in Orlando before coming to the Carle Illinois College of Medicine. He is currently a third year medical student with a passion for innovation. Bara started volunteering at Avicenna in Spring 2014 as an Operations volunteer and has served in other positions within Avicenna.

Kenny Leung, Clinic Manager 2020-2021, MD Candidate

Dylan Mann, Clinic Manager 2020-2021, MD Candidate

Mariam Bonyadi Camacho, Ph.D. Clinic Manager 2019-2020, MD Candidate

Spencer B. Mamer, Ph.D. Clinic Manager 2019-2020, MD Candidate

Richard Sanders, Ph.D. Clinic Manager 2018-2019, MD Candidate

Amogh Kambalyal, Clinic Manager 2017-2018, MD Candidate

Emilie Stojak, Clinic Manager 2016-2017, MSN, RN

Emilie started as an Avicenna Pharmacy Director Summer 2015. She graduated with her Bachelor’s of Science in Nursing from University of Illinois at Chicago in 2015 and is currently pursuing her Doctorate of Nursing Practice- Family Nurse Practitioner. She additionally works as on a Medical-Surgical unit at Presence Covenant Medical Center. Emilie has been acting Clinic Manager since May 2016 and is very passionate about bettering the clinic, thus bettering the lives of patients we serve. She is grateful for both the patients and volunteers she has had the opportunity to work with in order to better understand the complex and unique needs of patients and the challenges in accessing quality healthcare and living healthy lifestyles.

Katherine Magerko, Clinic Manager 2015-2016, Currently ACHC Board Member, MD/PhD Scholar

Katie started as an intake and outreach volunteer at Avicenna in 2012, assuming the clinic manager position in 2015 . She completed her PhD in the Department of Human and Community Development at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign and is currently a second year medical student. Her research centers on families and health. She enjoys interacting with patients and volunteers at Avicenna as a way to recharge and remember what is important in life. Lacking medical coverage for a short or long period of time could happen to anyone. Katie savors the sweet moments when Avicenna can help bridge some of the social and economic divides in our medical system. Everyone deserves access to quality medical care.

Claire Daniel, Assistant Clinic Manager 2015-2016, MD Scholar

Claire graduated from Colorado College in 2012 with BA in Biology. While earning her master's in Health Psychology from City University London, she researched the experience of substance misusers who participated in a community-based exercise intervention. Claire joined Avicenna in early 2014 as part of our nutrition team and as Spanish interpreter and served as the clinic's assistant manager in 2015. She is currently a first year medical student at the University of Illinois College of Medicine in Chicago. She is thankful for Avicenna's patients for continuing to teach her about their multifaceted needs and individual challenges in accessing health care and leading a healthy lifestyle.

Samuel T. Logan, Clinic Manager 2014-2015, Currently ACHC Board Secretary, APN-C, BSN, RN

Sam grew up in Champaign-Urbana, attended Parkland College and the University of Illinois at Chicago. His mother a nurse and father a preacher he was inspired to care for the community since an early age. He has been educated as a certified nursing assistant, licensed practical nurse, bachelors prepared registered nurse and graduated from UIC as a masters prepared nurse in 2015. He continues to care for those in need in Champaign County by providing primary care to patients at Francis Nelson Health Center in Champaign. Sam has been passionate about the delivery of healthcare and aims to simplify processes in order to make the more efficient and easier to understand for both practitioner and patient.

Paven Aujla, Clinic Manager 2013-14, Currently ACHC Board Member, Clinic Manager Emeritus, MD/PhD Candidate

Paven Aujla is an MD/PhD candidate at the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign and is pursuing a career in child and adolescent psychiatry. Paven earned her PhD in Neuroscience and her research interests include the neurobiology underlying psychiatric disorders of the developing brain. Paven is dedicated to health care equity and addressing health care disparity in local and global communities. She believes strongly in patient advocacy through education, coordination of care and patient-centered treatment plans. Paven has worked as a leader at Avicenna Community Health Center as Clinic Manager and member of the Board of Directors for a number of years.