HCC Columbia was initiated in 2023 as a partnership between Columbia University Medical Center and High School for Health Careers and Sciences.

The faculty sponsor of the program at Columbia is Dr. Lisa Wiechmann, and the surgical resident founder is Dr. Angel Rosario.

Dr. Lisa Wiechmann is an Assistant Professor and board certified surgeon specializing in breast cancer at Columbia University Irving Medical Center. She was born and raised in Florence, Italy, received her medical degree at Universita’ Degli Studi Di Firenze Facolta’ Di Medicina e Chirurgia in Florence, Italy prior to completing her training as a General Surgery at TUFTS University, and her clinical fellowship at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. Her interests include diversifying the medical profession through mentorship and pathway programming.

Dr. Angel Rosario Jr, MD MPH  is a current PGY3 General Surgery Resident at NewYorkPresbyterian-Columbia University Medical Center. He is a first-generation and first-to-college Dominican-American, from Harlem in New York City. He obtained his medical degree from UCSF, and his MPH from Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health where he was a Zuckerman Fellow at the Center for Public Leadership. His interests include exploring and eliminating health disparities, social justice & surgical equity, mentorship, and pathway programming for underserved communities to reach higher education.

Health Career Collaborative 2024-2025 Medical Student Leads

Born and raised in Southern California, Catherine Ibarra Channell is a first-year medical student at Columbia VP&S. In 2024, she graduated from Loyola Marymount University where she studied Biology, volunteered with the service organization Gryphon Circle, and served as a clinical Spanish Interpreter for the Venice Family Clinics. She now serves as a community service chair for VP&S’ Black and Latino Student Organization (BALSO) and is involved in leadership with VP&S’s student-run free-clinic CoSMO and the Dígame Más organization. She looks forward to exploring the East Coast, visiting all of NYC’s Botanical Gardens, and collaborating with others!

Demetrius Bryson is a first-year medical student at Columbia VP&S. He earned his bachelor’s degree in Biological Sciences from Cornell University in 2023, where he cultivated a passion for serving others. During his undergraduate years, Demetrius gained valuable clinical experience as a nursing assistant on a surgical unit and as a medical assistant in a general surgery clinic. Now at VP&S, Demetrius continues to merge his interests in medicine and service. He is now a community service chair for VP&S’ Black and Latino Student Organization (BALSO). Demetrius is also a part of Columbia-Harlem Health and Medical Partnership (CHHMP), a student-run free clinic. With a strong interest in orthopedic surgery, he is eager to explore research and innovation in these fields. Outside of medicine, Demetrius enjoys staying active in the gym, exploring NYC’s diverse neighborhoods, and finding inspiration in new challenges and collaborations.

Luis A Ortiz Vasquez was born and raised in the Dominican Republic and moved to Washington Heights when he was 19. He graduated from the University of Rochester with a B.S. in Environmental Health and took three gap years before medical school. During the first year, he worked as a COVID-19 bilingual contact monitor for NYC Test and Trace Corps. For the following two years, he worked as a clinical research coordinator for the Spinal Cord Damage Research Center located at the James J. Peters VA Medical Center in the Bronx. At VP&S, he currently serves as one of the community service representatives for the Black and Latinx Student Association (BALSO) and one of the events coordinators for Digame Mas. In his free time, he enjoys spending time with friends and baking.

Alex Pile was born and raised in Los Angeles, CA and graduated from UC San Diego in 2021 with degrees in Biochemistry and Global Health. After graduating he took one gap year during which he did clinical research in sleep medicine and pulmonary critical care while working as a medical scribe and volunteer at clinics on both sides of the Tijuana border. At VP&S he served as the finance chair of the Columbia Care Access Project (CCAP), community service chair of the Black and Latino Student Organization (BALSO), and is currently the yearbook representative on the class council. So far, he has taken an interest in emergency medicine but remains undifferentiated. In his free time he enjoys rollerskating, playing basketball, barbering, and taking film photos.

Justin Love is a 3^rd year medical student at Columbia VP&S. Prior to medical school, he studied Chemical Engineering at Cornell University. At Cornell, and was a member of the track and field team where he also worked as a tutor for other student-athletes in Calculus, Chemistry, and Physics. He also participated in the Ryan Scholar Program, which focused on peer mentorship in the Engineering department. At Columbia, he has have served as the community service co-chair of the Black and Latino Student Organization (BALSO), and hopes to continue to incorporate teaching and mentorship throughout his career as a student and eventually a doctor. 

Gerardo Ramos-Lemos is  a third-year medical student at Columbia University VP&S. He was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York, and went to College at the CUNY- The City College of New York where he graduated with a Bachelor in Biology and a Minor in Spanish Language. During his initial years at Columbia, Gerardo was the President of the Columbia Latino Medical Student Association chapter, in addition to being a Co-Leader of the Columbia Digame Mas club and Latin Dance club. Once he graduates medical school, he hopes to become a surgeon and work in predominantly underserved and undocumented communities.

The High School Program Leader at High School for Health Careers and Sciences is Assistant Principal Barbara Gonzalez-Alarcon under the leadership of Principal Javier Trejo.