Kim Merida is an Executive Medical Student Coordinator in UCLA’s David Geffen School of Medicine within the Department of Surgery. In this role, Kim leads the administrative management of Surgery clerkships across all affiliate sites for second-year and fourth-year medical students and serves as the lead liaison between several departments across clinical campuses.

Born and raised in Los Angeles, California, Kim is a first-generation college graduate. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Health Sciences with a minor in Nutrition from California State University, Sacramento.

Throughout her time at Sacramento State, she worked as a Research Intern & Analyst on the Statewide Study of People Experiencing Homelessness with UCSF’s Benioff Homelessness and Housing Initiative. Throughout this experience, Kim developed a passion for health access, quantitative research, and public health.

By combining her background in quantitative research and health administration with the executive training of the EMPH program, Kim looks forward to engaging in public health projects within the EMPH program to develop their knowledge and skills. After earning her MPH, Kim plans to build a career in health leadership, program development, medical education, or health policy research.