At PNWU, Student Doctors step into national roles while staying grounded in the communities they serve.
In a landscape where healthcare disparities persist and medical systems strain to meet growing demands, the future of medicine is being quietly shaped in places like Yakima, Washington. Representing the Student Osteopathic Medical Association (SOMA) at the national level, Student Doctors Sejal Dhaliwal, Simi Kaur, Amber Kisielewski and Celine Zalamea are not only amplifying underheard voices in medicine but also demonstrating what it means to lead from within: with humility, with empathy, and always with their patients in mind.
Representing the Student Osteopathic Medical Association (SOMA) at the national level, these students are not only amplifying underheard voices in medicine but also demonstrating what it means to lead from within: with humility, with empathy, and always with their patients in mind.
A Place to Lead
Student Dr. Zalamea, a member of SOMA’s National Research Committee, frames her work through the lens of geography.
“Studying in a rural area like Yakima changes the way you think about care,” she says. “You begin to see the barriers that exist for patients not as theoretical, but as real and immediate.”
Her research interests have taken unexpected turns. At one point, she even studied bee venom therapy. But what ties her efforts together is a desire to make care more accessible, especially in communities that have historically been left behind.
“I want to ensure that SOMA research reflects the realities of underserved communities and supports ideas that meet their needs,” she explained.
That groundedness — in community, compassion and context — is something all four Student Doctors point to as foundational.
Student Dr. Kisielewski, serving on SOMA’s Professional Development Committee, has a different focus: making sure medical students have what they need to succeed after graduation.
“Rural and underserved communities need all types of physicians.”
“Rural and underserved communities need all types of physicians,” she says. “But the current system makes it harder for some of us to get there.”
Referring to the growing pressure on DO students to take both the COMLEX and USMLE licensing exams to be competitive for residency programs — a costly and often redundant burden – she is working to create a list of programs that accept COMLEX alone.
“It’s a small thing, but it matters,” she says. “And if I can help make someone’s path a little smoother, I will.”
Mentorship, Reimagined
Student Drs. Kaur and Dhaliwal, both serving on SOMA’s Pre-SOMA Committee, focus on the very start of that path: the decision to apply to medical school at all.
As a non-traditional applicant herself, Kaur remembers the confusion of navigating an opaque and unforgiving process.
“I learned a lot from my experiences,” she explained. “I want to do all that I can to share that knowledge with others.”
Now, as Programming Coordinator for the committee, she works to demystify the process for others — especially first-generation students and those without a network to guide them.
Dhaliwal, who mentors local high school students through PNWU’s Roots to Wings program, sees her national role as a continuation of that work.
“There’s no single story of how someone becomes a doctor,” she says. “And I think showing that — that there are many paths — is one of the most powerful things we can do.”
From Yakima to the National Table
It’s easy to think of national leadership as something distant — something reserved for larger schools in bigger cities. But national conversations often start with local realities. Student Dr. Zalamea knows this, and is driven to ensure that PNWU’s mission— to serve rural and underserved communities — is present in national dialogue.
“I want to ensure that PNWU’s mission and perspectives are heard in national conversations and research.”
“I want to ensure that PNWU’s mission and perspectives are heard in national conversations and research,” she says. “I hope to keep PNWU students at the forefront of innovation so that we are better equipped as future physicians.”
For Student Dr. Kisielewski, it’s about equipping her peers with the tools and clarity to succeed — because in a field as interconnected as medicine, her colleagues’ success directly affects her future patients.
“If my classmate goes into cardiology and I need to refer someone, I want to know they got the support they needed,” she said. “We’re all in this together.”
A Mirror of Medicine’s Future
The students are quick to point out that their roles come with learning curves. Time is limited. The work is voluntary. And like many of their peers, they carry full course loads, family responsibilities, and the weight of clinical rotations.
Still, when asked what advice they’d offer others looking to step into leadership, their answers are surprisingly consistent:
“Don’t wait until you feel qualified,” says Student Dr. Dhaliwal.
“Getting involved in any capacity, big or small, can have a real impact.”
“Say ‘yes,’” adds Student Dr. Zalamea. “Getting involved in any capacity, big or small, can have a real impact.”
“Keep your resume updated,” Student Dr. Kaur says with a laugh, “and don’t ignore those emails.”
Those attitudes reflect not just SOMA or PNWU, but a broader evolution in what it means to be a physician in 2025: collaborative, curious, mission-driven, and unafraid to speak up.
At a time when health care continues to grapple with disparities in access, burnout, and a shifting professional identity, their leadership opportunity reminds us that medicine is not just learned in lecture halls or hospital corridors, but shaped in the questions we ask, the paths we create for others, and the voices we lift — starting with our own.
Pictured in feature photo at the top of this story is Student Dr. Dhaliwal at the US Capitol