Shaan Bhandarkar (MC’23, he/him/his) is a double-major in Neuroscience and HSHM from Sterling, VA. Shaan deeply believes in the merits of communication in healthcare and that health is a dialogue, not a monologue. With this mantra, he wishes to make a difference in alleviating the global stigma around sensitive issues like mental health and end-of-life care as well in creating increased transparency around healthcare affordability. As a director of the Medical Debt and Insurance Counseling Department at the HAVEN Free Clinic, Shaan is determined to assist patients with such concerns that far too often fall through the cracks of most healthcare systems. He is also more broadly conducting research into debt burden in the New Haven area as a Dwight Hall Community Mental Health Fellow. Complementing these current ventures, Shaan has extensive clinical experience through his volunteering work at YNHH and the Connecticut Hospice as well as experience in delivering health education curricula as a former lead Yale Community Health Educator for the Intro/Mental Health group. He additionally pursues computational biology research into multiple sclerosis at the School of Medicine and is an avid writer as a current Editor-in-Chief of the Yale Global Health Review.