meet our Team

Our outstanding team is dedicated to supporting the Ithaca community and advocating for equity. RISE UP members integrate excellence and unique diversity within a collaborative atmosphere that allows both students and our supported populations to thrive.

executive board

Junior in Biomedical Engineering

Joel Orlando Gutierrez

Co-President and Co-Founder

Undergraduate Student

Biomedical Engineering Major

Inequality Studies - Health Equity Minor

Jayant Gupta

Vice-President and Co-Founder

Undergraduate Student

Biometry and Statistics Major

Rajdeep Banerjee

Treasurer and Co-Founder

Graduate Student

B.S. in Biomedical Engineering (BME)

Currently pursuing an M.Eng. in BME

Madison Susanne Stead

Co-President

Abby Badillo Cordero

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Officer

Undergraduate Student

Biology & Society Major

Latino Studies Minor

Sarah Ayusa

Marketing Officer

Undergraduate Student

Biology & Society Major

Omeed Moini

Student Recruitment Officer

Junior in Human Development

Cayuga Medical Center

Dr. Claudia Fischbach, PhD

Meinig School of Biomedical Engineering,

Cornell University

Claudia Fischbach-Teschl is the Stanley Bryer 1946 Professor of Biomedical Engineering at Cornell University, Director of Cornell’s Physical Sciences Oncology Center on the Physics of Cancer Metabolism, and Associate Director of Cornell Nanoscale Science and Engineering Facility.

Cayuga Medical Center

Dr. Fnu Seemant, MD

Clinical Advisor

Dr. Fnu Seemant is a geriatrician in Ithaca, New York and is affiliated with Cayuga Medical Center at Ithaca. He received his medical degree from LLRM Medical College and has been in practice for more than 20 years.

Cayuga Medical Center

Dr. Julie Ficarra

Jeb E. Brooks School of Public Policy

Cornell University

Associate Professor of the Practice and Faculty Fellow in Engaged Learning, Department of Global Development, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Cornell University. Julie Ficarra’s research focuses on international education policy through the lens of globally mobile groups; specifically, students and refugees.