Current Undergraduate Students

Samuel Fiifi Cann is a 4th-year student at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, double-majoring in Psychology & Spanish. Interested in pain and sports psychology, he is deeply committed to addressing mental health disparities in BIPOC communities. Under the supervision of social psychologist Dr. Simone Belli, Samuel conducted research abroad at the Universidad Complutense de Madrid in Spain, which examined the cultural contexts of pain expression in Spanish-speaking communities.

Driven by his clinical training as a certified nursing assistant and his experience as a second-generation immigrant, Samuel seeks to improve healthcare experiences for English language learners and multicultural communities.

Samuel intends to pursue graduate studies in psychology, with the long-term goal of becoming a pediatric pain & international sports psychologist while being an advocate for equitable access to mental health care across cultural and linguistic boundaries.

I’m an international student from China and currently in my second year at UW-Madison majoring in Psychology. My academic and professional interests lie at the intersection of Counseling Psychology and UI/UX design, with a focus on integrating AI into the field of psychology to help individuals address challenges in daily life. Specifically, I am passionate about supporting Asian immigrants who face unique challenges in cultural adaptation and benefit from counselors who understand their cultural backgrounds. I am also deeply interested in understanding how children experience, process, and overcome adversity and trauma. Childhood trauma not only affects individuals but also has a lasting impact on communities and society as a whole. My career goal is to become a counselor who understands the distinctive challenges and concerns of underrepresented groups, providing them with the support they need to thrive in difficult circumstances. I am excited to contribute to Dr. Kim’s lab by researching the barriers Asian immigrants face in obtaining accurate assessments and treatments, as well as identifying effective interventions to address these disparities. 

I am Mallika Laasya Ramachandruni, a 1st year student majoring in Computer Science and Economics. I'm interested in working with machine learning and data analytics to help develop platforms that make a bigger impact in the world. With previous experience in web development and analyzing datasets, I hope to support the lab by developing informative chronic pain websites and trackers to make the lives of these patients easier. 

In the future, I'm hoping to enter the software engineering or financial technology industry, utilizing my skills to improve financial accessibility to underprivileged women in the world. I hope to improve my current skills in the Pain Context Innovation Lab with a hands-on approach and eventually develop a platform to increase financial education and accessibility. 

I am a third-year undergraduate at the University of Wisconsin-Madison studying Biology with certificates in Science Communication and Global Health. I enjoy learning how science, communication, and technology can be combined to build tools that facilitate communication between providers and patients from underrepresented communities. After recognizing the different factors that impact health outcomes - including language barriers and cultural differences- I am interested in learning how to develop more culturally inclusive pain assessment algorithms that make quality health services more accessible to patients of all identities. On campus, I serve as a WISCIENCE Peer Leader and am involved with various student organizations, such as Badger Volunteers and Ceramics Club. 

Tomás Sandoval Ocampo is an undergraduate scholar and advocate in his fourth year at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. He is pursuing a bachelor's degree in psychology, complemented by dual certificates in Chicanx/e and Latinx/e Studies and Political Science.

Driven by a commitment to social justice and community well-being, Tomás operates at the intersection of mental health, law, and cultural identity. His academic and career interests focus on counseling and forensic psychology, with a specific emphasis on how legal systems and institutional structures impact marginalized communities.

Central to Tomás’s academic and personal mission is a dedication to empowering Latine youth. Recognizing the unique systemic barriers, stigma, and cultural nuances surrounding mental healthcare in underserved communities, he aspires to provide culturally responsive mental health support and advocacy. By bridging psychological practice with political awareness and community-grounded insights, Tomás aims to foster resilience, healing, and equitable opportunities for the next generation of Latine youth.

Isabelle Samuel is a fourth-year undergraduate student attending the University of Wisconsin–Madison, majoring in Health Promotion & Health Equity with certificates in Global Health and Entrepreneurship. She is passionate about women’s health, addressing healthcare disparities, and improving access to quality care for underserved communities.

Through her experience as a certified nursing assistant and her internship at a fertility clinic, Isabelle has developed an interest in how stigma, cultural differences, and communication barriers affect patient care. She is particularly interested in improving pain assessment for women from diverse backgrounds whose concerns may be overlooked or misunderstood.

Outside of academics, Isabelle enjoys traveling and learning about different cultures. She plans to become a nurse practitioner, with the goal of creating a welcoming environment where patients feel comfortable expressing their concerns and receiving compassionate, individualized care.