Rachel Spronz, earned a B.S. in Community Health in May 2019 from the University of Maryland (UMD), and completed The George Washington University’s post-baccalaureate pre-medical program in April 2020. In July 2021, she matriculated to the New York Medical College School of Medicine (NYMC). From UMD, Rachel graduated Cum Laude with honors, was elected to the Phi Kappa Phi national honor society, and received the College Park Scholars Citation in Global Public Health in 2017. During her gap year following her post-bac, Rachel worked as a research assistant in the UCLA Department of Pediatrics and as a Certified Health Coach in the UCLA Lifestyle Medicine Clinic. She is co-author on a UCLA pediatric infectious disease article regarding household transmission of COVID-19 in LA County, published in October 2021. During summer 2022, Rachel conducted pediatric health services research at UCLA, looking to understand the impact on school aged children's health and wellbeing, and what their needs are from schools, in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic.