Hands On Advocacy
Meet our Team!
Project Leads:
Erica Marie Sanders
Erica is an MS3 at the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities and one of the cofounders of the Hands on Advocacy Project. After studying psychology at Stanford University, she spent 3 years working in clinical research and project management before moving to Minnesota for medical school. She is passionate about improving the healthcare system one state at a time and believes that every doctor has a responsibility to advocate for both individual and community health. In her spare time she loves yoga, reading, being outside, and watching live music.
Project Lead
Elizabeth Fairbairn
Elizabeth is an MS2 at the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities and one of the cofounders of the Hands on Advocacy Project. After graduating from Creighton University in 2011 she spent 4 years working in nonprofit advocacy and healthcare administration. She is a Wellstone Action trained community organizer, with experience developing the capacity of social justice groups to effectively advocate for issues affecting the homeless and poor. She is excited to share her unique experiences and knowledge through the HOA project.
Project Lead
Messaging Committee:
Abigail Schnaith
Abigail is a University of Minnesota, Twin Cities MS1 from from Red Wing, MN. She graduated from St. Olaf College in 2016 as a Chemistry and Economics double major. In her spare time she loves to run, swim and cook. Her favorite inspirational quote is “What lies behind us and what lies before us are small compared to what lies within us” -Ralph Waldo Emerson.
Messaging Committee Chair
Abigail Schnaith
Abigail is a University of Minnesota, Twin Cities MS1 from from Red Wing, MN. She graduated from St. Olaf College in 2016 as a Chemistry and Economics double major. In her spare time she loves to run, swim and cook. Her favorite inspirational quote is “What lies behind us and what lies before us are small compared to what lies within us” -Ralph Waldo Emerson.
Messaging Committee Chair
Rebecca Kimyon
Becca is an MS2 at the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities. She graduated from UW-Madison in 2014 with a degree in Molecular Biology. Her enthusiasm for this project stems from her belief that a physician's duty to advocate for patients extends beyond the clinic walls, and her fascination with the immune system made her particularly excited to advocate for vaccination.
Messaging Committee Chair
Joshua Warnecke
Josh is an MS1 at the University of Minnesota - Twin Cities, having completed an undergraduate degree at the U of M in Physiology. A staunch advocate of vaccination for years, his experience in business and as a parent bring a unique perspective to his advocacy work.
Messaging Committee Member
Andrea Tinsay
Andrea Tinsay is an MS1 at the UofM, Twin Cities. She graduated from Hamline University in 2015 with a degree in Biochemistry. Her passion for this project stems from her desire to advocate for the health of the individual, and the entire community. In her spare time she loves reading, playing piano, and writing.
Messaging Committee Member
Tom Schmidt
Tom is an MS1 at the UofM, Twin Cities. Following his undergraduate degree in Biology, conducted 4 years of HIV research at the UofM and 1 year of tuberculosis and malaria research at the FDA. Tom also has a masters in Microbiology and Immunology from Johns Hopkins School of Public Health. As a new father, Tom does not have a great deal of free time, but loves running outside with his dog, spending time with his family, and watching birds.
Messaging Committee Member
Health Equity Committee:
Rebecca Kummer
Rebecca is an MS3 at the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities and the Health Equity chair for the Hands on Advocacy Project. She graduated from the University of St. Thomas in 2014 with a degree in Biochemistry and Spanish. She is passionate about global health as well as immigrant health in our local Minneapolis community. She hopes to dedicate part of her career to working abroad and studying different health care systems.
Health Equity Committee Chair
Gretchen Colbenson
Gretchen is an MS4 at the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities and the Health Equity co-chair for the Hands on Advocacy Project. She graduated from the University of Minnesota with a degree in Microbiology in 2013. She is passionate about driving health policy to fit the needs of a community and patient advocacy and education, especially in the pediatric population. In her spare time she enjoys cooking, biking, rollerblading, traveling and spending time with family and friends.
Health Equity Committee Chair
Coalition Committee:
Stephanie Kerkvliet
Stephanie is an MS3 at the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities who is excited to be serving as a co-chair of the coalition committee. She studied public health prior to medical school, and has a great passion for promoting health both at the individual and community levels. She is looking forward to involving university, local, and state organizations in our vaccine promotion campaign.
Coalition Committee Chair
