Dahai Yonas
Dahai Yonas is a rising third-year student pursuing a Bachelor of Arts in Neuroscience with a minor in Bioethics at the University of Pennsylvania. Dahai plans on attending medical school with hopes of specializing in Neurology. In his current role as a student assistant in Perelman’s Neurology department, he continues to navigate the complexities of neurological research and patient care, gaining valuable experience that will help his future medical career. He is also immensely committed to advocacy and hopes to serve underserved communities in his hometown. He plans to leverage his medical training and knowledge to establish clinics in his neighborhood in Michigan where access to healthcare is limited.
As a scholar in the Get Experience in Aging Research Undergraduate Program (GEAR UP) at Penn, Dahai interns with Dr. Onyeali to address the continuity of healthcare among incarcerated individuals. He works on a project focused on follow-up care for new medical diagnoses and imaging findings in older and formerly incarcerated individuals. Under Dr. Onyeali’s guidance, Dahai develops skills in research design, and data collection through Penn’s electronic medical record software and statistical analysis. He also measures cognition in these patients, applying his interest in neurology to understand the neurological impacts of incarceration.
Dahai is deeply involved at Penn, serving as the Political Chair for UMOJA, External Chair of the Penn African Student Association (PASA), and Social Chair for the Penn Eritrean Ethiopian Student Association (PEESA). He is also the Vice President of the Wharton Undergraduate Healthcare Club and a Lead Peer Mentor for the Africana Summer Institute.