Coming together is a beginning,
Staying together is progress,
and working together is a success.
Henry Ford
Rohan Vemu
President
Major: Bioengineering and Biomedical Engineering (Pre-Med)
Year: Senior (2022)
Hometown: The Colony, Texas
Uninteresting Fact: Rohan eats the same breakfast every morning: a bowl of Froot Loops.
Interesting Fact: Rohan is frequently found taking the ankles of opponents at Pottruck on the basketball courts.
Pallavi Jonnalagadda
Vice-President
Hometown: Kansas City, Kansas
Major: Bioengineering and Classics
Year: Junior (2023)
Favorite food: Pasta anyday
Favorite doctor or scientist: Rosalind Franklin
Why she is on E-Med board: “I joined board so that I could be more engaged with the medical engineering community in SEAS! So far, my experience here has been extremely rewarding.”
Word of advice for freshmen: “Don’t be afraid to ask for an opportunity that you want!”
In her spare time, Pallavi loves to bake, graphic design, listen to Oldies, and fondly reminisce about the Midwest’s best frozen custard spots (Ted Drewes Frozen Custard in Saint Louis is and always will be at the top of her list).
She is currently on the pre-medical path, aspiring to go to medical school and, upon completing her training, be involved with research that combines a bioengineering background with translational/clinical applications. In her spare time, she loves reading, playing piano, and hanging out with her roommates! She also loves listening to music.
Ronak Bhagia
Treasurer
Ronak is the current Treasurer of eMed, and has previously served as a Freshman Representative. He is a senior in the Bioengineering program, and is planning to go to medical school after graduating from Penn. He is also an incoming analyst at ClearView Healthcare Partners. Outside of the club, he is involved with Pi Kappa Alpha, Undergraduate Assembly, ThinkOcean, Consult for America, and more.
In his free time, he enjoys scuba diving, travel, music, chess, and golf, and his favorite food is sushi or KBBQ.
Why he is on EMed Board: Cool people, Cool content
Word of advice for freshmen: Time management is key
Favorite doctor/scientist: Paul Kalanithi, author of “When Breath becomes Air”
Kayla Patel
Community Outreach
Major: Bioengineering
Year: Freshman (2025)
Career plans: Medical school and research
Favorite hobbies: Reading, baking, watching crime shows
Favorite food: coffee-flavored ice cream
Why she is on EMed board: I wanted to join a community of people that want to connect medicine and engineering for further research and innovation – eMED does that exactly that!
Word of advice for freshmen: Use your resources! Go to office hours, register for a tutor through Weingarten, and talk to your advisors and professors – it will all help.
Favorite doctor/scientist: Marie Curie
Nicole Bedanova
External Affairs
Year: Senior (2022)
Major: Bioengineering
Career Plans: Hopefully working in R and D in the industry!
Favorite hobbies: Cooking, trying new restaurants, running
Favorite food: Pasta
Why she is on EMed Board: Wanted to get more involved with eMED as it is a great way to learn more about potential career paths involving medicine and technology and meet people with similar interests.
Word of advice for freshmen: Take classes that really interest you and it’s really not the end of the world if you bomb an exam or two.
Favorite doctor/scientist: Marie Curie