SAM Team

KAYLA KIM

President and Co-Founder

Kayla Kim is an undergraduate student at Rice University, studying Biosciences with a concentration in cell biology and genetics. She is determined to advance the study of MIS-C and improve the lives of MIS-C patients, like her brother Derek.

DEREK KIM

President and Co-Founder

Derek Kim is a student at JSerra Catholic High School. He had MIS-C and strives to help prevent more cases of it and help other children with MIS-C.

ELIZABETH CHO, MD

Physician Advisor

Dr. Cho has focused on Emergency Medicine and urgent treatment ever since she completed residency in 2011.

She leads with thorough and efficient care. Her presence comforts patients and families in an otherwise stressful emergency room environment.

While Dr. Cho works with a variety of cases in patients of all ages, her patience and communication makes her particularly effective with children.

Dr. Cho joined SAM when she identified that Derek was suffering from MIS-C.

Academic Position
Assistant Professor of Emergency Medicine, Drexel University School of Medicine

Clinical Experience
Kaiser Permanente – Bay Area: Emergency Medicine
Mount Sinai Medical Center: Emergency Medicine

Education
M.D. – Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, NY
B.S. – Tufts University, Medford, MA

Certification
Diplomate, American Board of Emergency Medicine

CHULIE ULLOA, M.D., M.Sc.

Physician - Scientist Advisor

The Vice President for Research and Chief Scientific Officer at CHOC, Dr. Terence Sanger, has called Dr. Ulloa “a rising superstar in the field of pediatric infectious disease research”.

Dr. Ulloa was a principal investigator in debunking the early fears of widespread coronavirus transmissions at schools. Her key finding showed limited transmissions among the K-12 population.

Her research helped with successful mitigation of COVID-19 across a diverse range of schools. Her paper also explained the symptoms among school-aged children.

Now, she is tackling the challenge of the safe reopening of schools amidst the new virus.

Academic Position
Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, UCI School of Medicine

Areas of Research
Pediatric Infectious Diseases
Coronavirus Transmissions

Clinical Experience
Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC): Hubert Global Health Fellow
Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia: Infectious Diseases
Boston Children’s Hospital: Pediatrics
Children’s Hospital Orange County: Pediatric Infectious Diseases

Education
M.D. – Stanford University School of Medicine
M.Sc. Microbiology & Immunology – Stanford University School of Medicine
B.S. Physiology & Neuroscience – UC San Diego

Certifications
Diplomate, American Board of Pediatric Infectious Diseases
Diplomate, American Board of Pediatrics

Join our team!

You don’t have to be a rocket scientist to help!
There’s several ways to join us in helping children with MIS-C.

You don’t have to be a rocket scientist to help! There’s several ways to join us in helping children with MIS-C.