Pre-med? Join is for Virtual: Spring Break Med School Road Trip. Note: HPA will be closed to student traffic during Spring Break.


Join us for Zoom Drop-Ins. Updated: Drop-Ins will be cancelled during Spring Break and resume Week 1 of Spring Quarter (Week of 4/1).

HPA serves all UC Davis students and alumni! HPA is currently operating with a hybrid model. HPA is available via phone, (530) 752 - 6435, and email, healthprofessionsadvising@ucdavis.edu, from Monday - Thursday, 10 am - 5 pm and Friday 10 am - 2 pm. (Updated 3/15)

Elizabeth Ann Barajas, MA

  • Staff Advisor, All Health Professions
Elizabeth is a staff advisor for Health Professions Advising, specializing in helping current students and alumni with their personal statements and other writing requirements for health professions applications. She received her MA from UC Davis in 2013 in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages. After receiving her degree, she taught writing, grammar and pronunciation classes for international students through the UC Davis Extension and the Linguistics Department. More recently, she worked for the Academic Assistance and Tutoring Centers as a Writing Specialist, helping students with their class assignments and writing requirements for graduate and professional school applications. Elizabeth is passionate about giving students the support and tools they need to reach their goals.

Doug McLemore

  • Test Prep Specialist
Doug started his career teaching Astronomy and Chemistry at community college and university in Colorado.  In 2007, he got his first test of test prep when his university started an in-house MCAT prep program. He taught the course for two semesters.  Not long after, Doug went on to work as a teacher, tutor, trainer, and developer for one of the big test prep providers.  He spent about a decade focused on learning about the test prep business and even worked in an advising capacity for pre-medical students.  Afterwards, he started his own tutoring business. At HPA he is developing an in-house test prep program for the GRE, DAT, OAT, PCAT, MCAT, and other standardized tests that students need to get into health profession post-graduate programs.

Karen Draper

  • Staff Advisor, All Health Professions
Karen graduated from UC Davis in Spring 2019 as a Biochemistry and Molecular Biology major. While she is not a transfer student, she did receive her Associated Degree in Arts and Humanities when she graduated high school. She became a staff advisor in Summer 2019, but was previously a peer advisor and co-coordinator for the Pre-Health Ambassador Network (PHAN), an organization within HPA. She also helped found and coordinate the High School Pre-Health Symposium. Karen attended the 2018 ADEA GoDental Recruitment Event in Orlando where she saw a mock interview and spoke with dental school admissions representatives. She loves advising, tabling, and hosting workshops to help students’ on their pre-health path. Her favorite part about working in HPA has been making my closest friends and working together on events, including the Summer Pre-Med Boootcamp. 

Christian Guerzon

  • Vet Student, Pre-vet Advisor
Christian (he/him/his) is currently a first year veterinary student and graduated from UC Davis with a degree in Animal Biology in 2021. During undergrad he shadowed the soft-tissue surgery service at the UC Davis veterinary medical teaching hospital where he ended up doing research with one of the surgical professors. He continued to do more research in developmental biology with another faculty member at the veterinary school that looked at the conservation of neural crest cell signaling between peafowls and chickens. During his free time Christian is into gaming and also playing golf . Fun fact, he played for the men’s golf team at community college).

Sahara Boparai

  • Staff Advisor
Sahara (she/her/hers) graduated from UC Davis Spring 2020 and majored in Neurology, Physiology, and Behavioral Sciences. During her undergraduate years she participated in Bhagat Puran Singh Health Initiative (BPSHI) clinic, Sports Medicine Student Internship Program (SMSIP), and worked as an assistant for a psychiatric office. In her post-graduate life, she has volunteered as a Lab Aide for the CHA 101L course at UC Davis, volunteered as an anatomy teacher with the Orthopedic Trauma Institute at UCSF, and worked as an EMT at On-site Medical Services. She is currently interested in pursuing a career in medicine. She also completed the HPA post-baccalaureate program in Winter 2022. In her free time, she’s often found at the ARC weight-lifting, sitting at coffee shops reading, or spending time with her family and adorable nephews. Sahara is ready to help students navigate the path to their degree and advise them on their journey through medicine.

Rachel L Becker

  • Staff Advisor
Rachel (she/her) went to UC San Diego where she studied Human Biology during undergrad. She also attended UC Davis for her post-baccalaureate. She is currently in her gap year before attending medical school. Rachel has experience serving at free clinics, conducting clinical research, interning in various healthcare settings, and working at biotech companies. Outside of work, Rachel enjoys running, skiing, cooking/baking, traveling, and spending time with her husband and their dog.  

Kimberly Aguirre

  • Vet Student, Pre-vet Advisor
Kimberly graduated from UC Davis in 2022 with a B.S. in Animal Biology and a minor in Public Health Sciences. She is originally from Calexico, CA, an agricultural bordertown in Southern California. During undergrad, she was involved with student organizations such the Pre-vet Students Supporting Diversity club, EOP, and the Transfer Research Society. She was also employed part-time in UC Davis Undergraduate Admissions as a student outreach assistant and as a research assistant in the Pires Urban Agriculture & Food Safety Lab. While in undergrad, she participated in research involving food safety, microbiology and epidemiology. She is currently a first year veterinary student at UC Davis and hopes to pursue a career involving food animal medicine and public health. In her free time, Kimberly enjoys playing tennis, biking around the arboretum, watching horror movies, cooking, spending time with loved ones and shouting "squirrel!" whenever she sees a squirrel

Jennifer W Moylan, M.A.

  • Staff Advisor, All Health Professions
Jennie studied Intercultural Healing, an interdisciplinary degree in Anthropology, Public Health and Folklore at UNC Chapel Hill. Through this coursework, she explored how people make meaning of illness and healing in diverse cultures in her hometown and around the world. After graduation, she took her liberal arts education to practical application as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Togo, West Africa, where she worked towards the eradication of Guinea Worm disease. Add this intellectual and experiential background to 10 years of advising students and coordinating experiential education programs at UC Davis, and you can see why Jennie is excited to support your career and self-development. In her free time, Jennie can be found kayaking the rivers of the Central Valley.  Jennie looks forward to finding the right balance of challenge and support for you and to assisting you when you need help navigating.

Karen Yanez

  • Front Desk Staff Advisor
Karen Yanez is an alumna who graduated from UCD June 2019 with a BA in Psychology and minor in Human Development, coming here as a transfer student from the Bay Area. As a student, Karen was an Orientation Leader and an Orientation Student Manager. She was also with research in the MARBLES Study Lab with the UC Davis MIND Institute. After graduation, Karen worked at an EdTech company as an Associate Counselor and Lead Tutor, assisting high school students with college applications. Karen is now working towards her Master’s in Education in Higher Education. She serves as the front desk staff advisor for HPA and Program Manager for the Post-Bac program.

Manisha Lakhotia, MS, NCC

  • Director of Health Professions Advising
Manisha is an alumna of UCD and has been with Health Professions Advising since October 2017. Prior to coming to HPA, she worked as an Academic Advisor for the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences Dean’s Office and served as pre-health advisor and career counselor at another UC and a private school for a number of years. As a first-generation college student, Manisha is avid about supporting students and alumni reach their personal, academic and professional goals. Outside of work, Manisha enjoys baking, reading and planning her next adventure.