National Student Committee

Kaiya Ferguson (UQ)

Kaiya is a final year medical student from the University of Queensland. She has previously worked with AMSA Code Green, Fossil Free UQ, and other climate activist groups, fighting for the planet and the health of its inhabitants. In 2016 she joined the iDEA16 committee and enjoyed challenging apathy so much, that she went on to become a member of the 2017 DEA National Student Committee too. Kaiya is passionate about education, lobbying, and direct action, and intends to continue to expand the community of medical students and junior doctors engaging in climate justice for the sake of their families, friends, and patients.

Clancy Read (UNSW)

Clancy is a 4th year Medical student studying at the UNSW, Sydney. He is an Aboriginal man, with his people from the Bidjara mob in Queensland. He became passionate about the environment and animals at a young age through his respect for the land from Aboriginal culture. After discovering DEA in his first year at university, he soon became the UNSW representative where he worked closely with Fossil Free UNSW and 350. In 2017 he helped organise the iDEA18 Conference as a co-convenor, which soon led to his involvement with the National DEA committee in late 2017. Clancy remains passionate about actions taking place in his own university and its movement towards divestment. He also has a keen interest in animal conservation and protection with Bush Heritage Australia and minimisation of single use plastics.

Vivien Lai (Monash)

Vivien Lai is a current BMedSci (Honours) student from Monash University. She became inspired to learn more about climate change and its impact on health after her infectious diseases rotation and has since been passionate about improving the sustainability of hospitals. Having been involved in Monash University’s own DEA committee in 2017, Vivien enjoys brainstorming new and interesting ways to engage and inspire medical students to take action, drawing awareness on the intersection between medicine and our environment. Additionally, as the recruitment manager at Amnesty International - Individuals At Risk group, Vivien is a passionate believer that teamwork and persistence can bring about social change.

Shannon Lovegrove (UQ)

Shannon is a final year medical student at the University of Queensland, currently based on the Sunshine Coast. She has always dreamed of living out her retirement some place where she can make jam, surf, and talk about her time spent ‘back on the mainland’. When she learnt climate change was a threat not only to the survival of tiny islands, but also to surf conditions and fruit trees, she thought she’d better do something about it. She is also concerned about the risks to human health, loss of biodiversity, increasing population displacement, and general un-liveability of the planet. But mostly it’s the first stuff.

Edward Stoios (UQ)

Edward is a third year medical student at the University of Queensland. He has always had a concern for public health and the environment, which has lead to increasing involvement with DEA over the past year, as well as other groups such as AMSA Code Green and TIME UQ. Edward has a particular interest in the environmental effects of health in children, as well as the interaction the environment has with mental and nutritional health. In 2017 he completed a research internship with the Children’s Health Environment Project, a collaborator with UQ and WHO. He believes in a holistic approach to environmentalism and health, and sees value in entertaining all aspects that could be involved in the two.

Stephanie Hopkins (Uni of Newcastle)

Ike Schwartz (UNSW)

Ike Schwartz is a first year medical student at the University of New South Wales who has developed a love for the environment through years spent living in Sydney, rurally, and overseas. He has been involved with environmental and community groups such as Fossil Free UNSW, Parkrun Australia, and the environmental committee of his high school, and looks forward to working with the other passionate members of DEA to make change. He also enjoys running, cycling to uni, composting, and getting other people interested in those things.

Monika Coha (Deakin)

Monika is a third year graduate medical student at Deakin University in Geelong, Victoria. Her passion for environmental justice was sparked at a young age. Since commencing medical school in 2016, she has been involved with a number of different student groups on issues surrounding climate change and health including DEA, AMSA Global Health, Deakin’s Global Health Group (UHAD) and Fossil Free Deakin. More recently, she coordinated logistics for the iDEA 2017 conference in Melbourne, and engages her peers and fellow Victorian DEA members with these important issues through compassion and positivity.

Vienna Tran (Uni of Adelaide)

Vienna is a fourth year medical student at the University of Adelaide.She was an environmentally conscious Earth-dweller from a young age, constantly questioning where her food came from and how humans have been impacting the planet. She is also a chronic attender of conferences, having attended multiple AMSA Global Health Conferences, the National Leadership Development Seminar, and of course iDEA. Vienna is obsessed with innovation: she is always thinking of ways to engage students with climate change and to save the world from becoming a desolate wasteland She firmly believes that education is the foundation of change, and that people and the planet are one and the same.

Demi Vlachos (UWA)

Demi is a first year medical student at the University of Western Australia. Originally from Zambia, she grew up with one foot in the bush, which inspired her love for the natural world. In her undergraduate degree, Demi majored in Biology, which gave her opportunities to work hands-on with various conservation projects. Although it’s still early days, she is excited to get involved with like-minded people, who understand the crucial interplay between human health and the environment. Demi is also the MD1 year representative for DEA and a co-coordinator of CodeGreen WAMSS.

Chris Harvey (UTas)

Chris is a fourth-year med student at the University of Tasmania. Growing up in the Blue Mountains, Chris developed a love of nature early, and cultivated it by working with his local council to expand the LandCare program. With the growing evidence of climate change’s effect on health, Chris is hopeful for more significant climate action soon. Chris is interested in the politics of climate change and feels that with not too much work, business and community leaders will be able to bring climate-considerate policy to the political fore.

Pip Knowler (ANU)

Pip is a final year student at the Australian National University in the ACT. She is originally from Adelaide but has embraced her time in the “Bush Capital” and spent much time hiking and running in its beautiful natural surroundings. Pip was introduced to the DEA at the 2017 iDEA conference, which left her feeling inspired and uplifted. She is excited to work with passionate, like-minded people to make steps towards alleviating climate change, an issue she is deeply passionate about. She hopes that she can use her final year of medical school to increase the presence of the DEA at the ANU, educate her fellow students on the impact of climate change on health and convert others to being as paranoid about turning the lights and air conditioner off.

Manasa Saripalli (UniMelb)

Manasa is a second year medical student from the University of Melbourne who has always been passionate about protecting the environment and creating a sustainable future. She was heavily involved in her high-school’s environmental group and helped form an inter-school environmental initiative which worked together to increase campus sustainability and awareness of the impacts of climate change among students and staff. After joining Doctors for the Environment in 2017 and learning more about the adverse health impacts of climate change, Manasa joined the 2018 DEA National Student Committee. She hopes to be more involved in spreading awareness and more importantly in sparking action against climate change. Manasa is passionate about direct and individual action, lobbying and motivating doctors and patients to acknowledge, and therefore address, climate change and the deleterious and profound effects it will have on our health.

Cecilia Xu (Monash)

Cecilia is a final year medical student at Monash University with a passion for public health and the environment. She believes that we are all more powerful than we imagine, especially those in the health profession, when it comes to the climate change debate. She enjoys making music, admiring animals, and tricking her friends into eating vegan burgers.

(to be filled)

Are you based in the Northern Territory and passionate about planetary health? DEA Students are looking for a medical student to represent DEA within the NT, respond to local issues and implement national campaigns. For more information, email deastudents@gmail.com