Community Grand Rounds

Student-Led Forums

Community Grand Round events are held every week, addressing a wide range of topics including structural racism, health disparities, and various subspecialty-related topics. Our goal is to provide a forum for timely and informative education, meaningful discussion, and multidisciplinary networking opportunities for students and faculty.

Albany Medical College Community Grand Rounds is a student-led and student-organized meeting that grew in response to the Covid-19 pandemic. A volunteer group of students began meeting in early 2020 to review emerging evidence about the virus and this meeting grew into Covid-19 Journal Club, ultimately becoming Community Grand Rounds.

Leadership Team

Advising Faculty

Andrew Coates, MD, FACP
Internal Medicine Academic Hospitalist, Albany Medical Center

Secretary & Treasurer

Rushali Kothari, '25
[email protected]

Rushali is originally from the Bay Area and attended UC Santa Barbara for her undergraduate degree. She has budding interests in psychiatry and anesthesiology. In her free time, she enjoys staying active, vegan baking, and chasing sunsets.

Community Outreach & Special Projects

Yostina Soliman, '25
[email protected]

Yostina is originally from Rochester, N.Y., but has been in the Albany area for the past six years. In her free time, she loves watching rom-coms, going for walks when the weather is nice, and studying in cafes.

Deepika Kothakapa, '25
[email protected]

Deepika is originally from Philadelphia and completed undergraduate degree at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. In her free time, she loves to do arts and crafts like knitting and sewing.

Manas Sharma, '26
[email protected]

Manas is from Phoenix, Arizona. He is a die-hard Lakers fan, loves to read books and listen to podcasts, and plays tennis in his free time. He is very interested in pursuing the field of psychiatry and is interested in the intersection between mental health and numerous public and global health issues such as the opioid crisis and the mental health crisis in colleges and medical schools across the country.

Communication Chairs

Aadya Kaushik, '25
[email protected]

Aadya is an Albany native. She received her MS in Bioethics from Albany Medical College and hopes to use this lens in clinical practice. When not doing Uworld blocks, she can be found with her puppy, spending time outdoors, and trying out local cuisine.

Sarah Cunningham, '25
[email protected]

Although she spent her early years in Connecticut, Sarah completed her bachelor's degree in Florida, received a master’s degree in Boston, and spent several years in the Bay Area, California working in clinical research before coming to Albany. While she continues to explore various specialties for her career in medicine, she has enjoyed researching the psychosocial impact of childhood cancer and understanding barriers to health care faced by homeless and disabled populations. Outside of school, she loves to play tennis and try new restaurants!

Oluwanifesimi Kasali, Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences '26
[email protected]

Olu is originally from Nigeria and just completed a bachelor's degree in New York City. Olu is in the P1 class of 2026 at Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Science and is interested in specialty pharmacy. Olu is passionate about providing personalized care and support to patients with complex health conditions and helping them manage their medications effectively, minimize side effects, and improve their overall quality of life. Outside school, Olu enjoys playing soccer, listening to music, and traveling.

Monique John, '25
[email protected]

Avi Sura, '26
[email protected]

Event Planners

D’Nea Galbraith, '25
[email protected]

D’Nea has a a budding interest in pediatric neurology and a deep desire for advocacy and health equity. She grew up and attended college in New York City. At Albany Medical College, she is a leader of quite a few clubs, but was especially eager to join the Community Grand Rounds team so that she could be a part of important discussions regarding the state of health care and to promote community engagement and education. She also believes it is incredibly important to create opportunities for medical students to network, gain exposure to public speaking, and share their knowledge on this platform. Outside of her pursuit of medicine, she maintain hobbies of singing with the Keytones at Albany Medical College, breaking a sweat at the gym, and binging Netflix on free weekends.

Richa Nathan, '26
[email protected]

Richa is very passionate about public health topics and health care equity and access for all. She attended RPI and enjoys hiking in the area and being outdoors. In her free time, she enjoys singing, playing tennis, and hanging out with friends.

Ria Paradkar, '25
[email protected]

Ria is originally from Colorado Springs, but has lived in New York for the past six years. She loves to go on walks, watch movies, and spend time with friends.

Aliyah Audil, '26
[email protected]

Interprofessional Development

Diana Byk, Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences '25
[email protected]