WISER/AWS Student Leadership & Members
Co-President/Co-Producer: Julia Byrnes is an M4 originally from Basking Ridge, New Jersey. She is applying into general surgery, with interests in multiple specialities including surgical oncology, pediatric and colorectal surgery. She spends her free time running, exercising, cooking, traveling, and trying new restaurants. She is also a yoga teacher and loves to teach community classes!
Co-President/Co-Producer: Rachel Holstein is an M4 from New Ulm, Minnesota. Her favorite hobbies are hiking, running, and spending time with her two dogs. She is applying into general surgery and is interested in pediatric and trauma surgery. Rachel’s favorite fun fact is that she still owns a baby blanket that her grandmother made for her!
Vice President/Event Coordinator: Harleen Kaur is an M3 from Terre Haute, Indiana. She loves art, architecture, design, reading, and dance. She dances competitively to stay sane through medical school! She plans to pursue a career in Pediatric Surgery.
Vice President/Event Coordinator: Francesca Giraudo is an M4 from Fossano, Italy. She enjoys reading and browsing bookstores. She has started to crochet during the past few years and now her house is filled with yarn! She is interested in General Surgery.
Chief Editor: Amelia Fogle is a current M3. Her hometown is Danville, KY and her favorite hobbies include gardening, reading, crochet, and running. She has also played the viola since the second grade! She is interested in Vascular Surgery.
Treasurer: Isabella Le is an M3 from Harpswell, ME. Her favorite hobbies are decluttering and listening to music. She is interested in General Surgery or OB/GYN. Her fun fact is that she just got an Eastern Hermann tortoise that she named Herman!
Mentorship Coordinator/Newsletter Director: Frannie Esposito is an M2 from Baltimore, MD. She loves cooking and traveling. She is interested in OB/GYN. Her fun fact is that she met the late Pope Francis!
Mentorship Coordinator/Newsletter Director: Sofia Sarmiento is an M2 from Atlanta, GA. She enjoys cooking, reading, attending spin classes, and spending time with her dog, Chewie! She is interested in General Surgery.
Mentorship Committee Member, M1/M2 Rep – Arielle Wallenstein is an M2 from Atlanta, GA. Her favorite hobbies include gymnastics, diving, traveling, arts and crafts, and cooking. She is currently interested in Trauma Surgery and Pediatric Surgery. Her fun fact is that an Olympic gymnast commissioned her to draw a picture of his children!
Treasurer: Isabella Le is an M3 from Harpswell, ME. Her favorite hobbies are decluttering and listening to music. She is interested in General Surgery or OB/GYN. Her fun fact is that she just got an Eastern Hermann tortoise that she named Herman!
Event Committee, Podcast Editor: Maya Sinha is an M3 from Atlanta, GA. Her favorite hobbies include hanging out with her family and friends, playing tennis, going to hot yoga classes, and watching baseball. She is interested in Orthopedic Surgery and Plastic Surgery. Her fun fact is that she can play the ukulele!
Event Committee Member: Margherita Rampichini is an M2 originally from Milano, Italy, although she has lived on 3 continents! Her favorite hobbies include cooking, playing the NYT games, and traveling. She is still exploring different specialties of interest.
M1/M2 Rep – Kate Miller is an M2 from Atlanta, GA. She enjoys running and trying new restaurants around the city. She is interested in OB/GYN. Kate ran the NYC Marathon in fall 2024!
Social Media Coordinator – Lily Kamat is an M2 from LaGrange, GA. She loves playing tennis, travel, trying new restaurants, and spending time with friends & family. She is interested in General Surgery. Her fun fact is that she has snorkeled the Great Barrier Reef!
Fundraising Coordinator, Podcast Editor – Vienna Wang is an M2 from Ellicott City, MD. Her favorite hobbies include baking and cooking, bouldering, exploring new cafes / restaurants, and going to concerts. She also used to have a embroidery business with her sister on Etsy! She is interested in General Surgery.
Podcast Editor – Nicole Semaan is an M2 from Orlando, FL. She enjoys painting, reading, and cooking. She is interested in Pediatric Surgery. Her fun fact is that she can solve a Rubik’s cube in a minute!
Executive Team
Co-Founder/Advisor: Vivian Wang is originally from Ellicott City, Maryland. She co-founded WISER during her Emory general surgery residency and has enjoyed growing with the podcast from day one. She did a MIS bariatric/foregut fellowship at the Ohio State University, and now lives in Portland, OR. She’s a proud oldest sister of 5, and loves to eat, travel, and eat!
Co-Founder: Caroline Coleman hails from Orlando, FL, and was a mathlete in high school. She enjoys live music, hiking with her dog, ghost stories, and a good IPA. As an Emory medical student, she cofounded WISER and produced the entirety of Season 1 and more… back when we thought we might just do a handful of interviews. Her interests ended up leading her to critical care, and she is now an internal medicine resident at Emory.
Advisor: Jessica Liu originally hails from Toronto, Canada and is now an endocrine surgery fellow @UABSurgery. She loves to eat, travel, hike, and scuba dive. On her honeymoon to a safari, she helped operate on a cheetah – talk about combining interests! She joined WISER in 2019.
Faculty Advisor: Dr. Barbara Pettitt attended medical school at Northwester University, completed her residency in general surgery at Keck Medicine of the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, and completed her pediatric surgery fellowship at Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh in Pennsylvania. She is the director of medical student education for the Emory Department of Surgery and the longstanding faculty advisor for WISER!
Special Acknowledgments
Logo Design: Elle Su is a freelance artist and graphic designer, who happens to be Shannon Su’s sister. Shannon graduated from Emory School of Medicine in 2025 after serving WISER for 4 years.
Theme Music: Patrick Postlewait is songwriter and producer based in Atlanta, who also happens to be married to a former Emory general surgery resident, who is now a breast surgeon.
We also like to thank the Emory General Surgery Department, specifically Dr. Thomas Dodson for his inspiration in starting a project, Dr. Keith Delman for creating a supportive, equitable residency, and Dr. Barbara Pettit who has been a great mentor to WISER.