PROJECT: Improve emergency department care for people with autism by conducting a needs assessment to identify components for a toolkit of resources that are practical in an emergency department setting.

Mami Horikawa is a first-year medical student at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, with a passion for promoting research and health equity.

Before medical school, Horikawa earned a PhD in Chemistry from the University of Michigan and collaborated with the Department of Radiology to develop PET imaging reagents. While inspired by the potential of advanced medical imaging, she became concerned about its accessibility and the role that such technologies play in exacerbating health disparities. To bridge the gap between innovation and equitable health care delivery, Horikawa aspires to become a physician scientist.

Horikawa is on the internal communication team for the Disability in Medicine Mutual Mentorship Program (DM3P) at Stanford Medicine and previously served as the national network coordinator for the Disability Advocacy Coalition for Health Professions at the University of Michigan.

Horikawa is excited about the opportunity to develop her grant-writing skills through the Health Equity Challenge and make a meaningful impact in the community.