Executive Board
Please meet the 2020-2021 MedVets Executive Board!
President
Wesley Baisley
Wesley Baisley is from Lancaster Pennsylvania and enlisted in the Marine Corps in 2013 as an Airfield Technician. During his time in the Marine Corps he witnessed the impact of addiction and suicide within active duty military and it ignited his interest in pursing medicine, specifically neuroscience. In 2016 he deployed to the Middle East and then finished his contract in 2017, at which point he began college at Penn State University. He was intent on attending Columbia since he heard about their Neuroscience and Behavior program while still in the Marine Corps, and in 2019 was accepted as a transfer student to the School of General Studies. He became involved in MedVets in the spring of 2020, taking over as President in fall of 2020. He hopes to see the group not just connect pre-medical veterans within Columbia, but also attract new and incoming students with military experience to a career in medicine.
Vice President
Cameron Blackburn
My name is Cameron Blackburn, I am the current Vice President of MedVets. I was in the Army for 4 years as an Army Ranger Infantryman with 3/75. I started at Columbia in spring 2019 and am majoring in Biology. I am excited to help veteran students at Columbia and continue to improve the club. Please feel free to contact me with any questions!
Director of Community
Pablo Chavez-Hernandez
Hey guys, my name's Pablo and I'm a rising sophomore, from NJ. I was a lab tech stationed at the US Army's Medical Research Institute of Chemical Defense. I'm hoping to complete a BS in Neuroscience and hopefully minor in Linguistics.
Board Advisor
Javon Ross
Former U.S. Marine Staff Sergeant Javon T. Ross, is a California native who is literally “Straight Outta Compton.” Javon is a 100% Disabled Combat Veteran, with over 40 months of combined combat deployed time. In 2011, while deployed, he suffered an ankle injury which led to five ankle reconstruction attempts. Consequently, he was medically retired; however, shortly after his last surgery, he decided to move to Philadelphia to help a friend, and after, found himself compelled to return to school. A year later he transferred into Columbia University and is a double major in Biochemistry, and Neuroscience & Behavior where he is beginning his junior year. He is pursuing his dream goal of becoming a Neuropsychiatrist and a Civil Rights Attorney. He looks forward to continuing in service as your Post-Bac Representative.
Communications Director
Meredith Cole
I grew up in the Greater Cincinnati area and joined the military in 2010. In January 2020, I transitioned from active duty after spending nearly 8 years at Fort Bragg, NC with the Army, completing my service as a Special Operations Civil Affairs Medical Sergeant. Currently, I am in the Texas Army National Guard with Special Operations Detachment - Africa. My goal is to continually improve my skills and increase my impact on those around me, which led me to prioritizing my pursuit of an undergraduate degree and ultimately, attending medical school. I joined GS this fall and plan to major in Economics in order to have a better understanding of resource allocation and scarcity in regards to public health policy and international relations.
Post-Bacc Representative
Ricky Ditzel Jr.
Ricky Ditzel Jr. is a post-bacc student serving as the post-bacc representative for spring 2021.