Our Team

William McCarthy

Head of Research

BA in Neuroscience and Art from Austin College

MD in progress at UTHealth Houston

Will is a medical student, researcher, writer, and artist. He is endlessly excited about nature in all forms and loves sharing this excitement through biomedical science education, discovery at the microscope, and artwork. He has conducted research in Colorado and Texas in the fields of neonatology, toxicology, cancer neuroscience, environmental health, and integrative health. He currently has an appointment at MD Anderson in the Department of Head & Neck Surgery studying the neuroscience of cancer therapeutics and psychedelics. He has studied the environmental perspectives across the Southwest through art and narrative. As a lifelong learner and healthcare professional, he tries to keep an open mind about human health and possible solutions to illness. He is excited to take this openness into the field of global healthcare innovation and help connect people to solutions along the way!

Simon Birk

Head of Operations

BS in Computational Biology from the University of Texas at Austin

MD in progress at UTHealth Houston

Simon Birk is a medical student at McGovern Medical School deeply involved in community health and advocacy. He currently serves on the board of directors of Texas Physicians for Social Responsibility, an environmental advocacy group that aims to elevate the physician perspective in discussions of environmental health. His work includes time as a team member of Texas 4000 for Cancer, a student-led advocacy organization engaged in the support of cancer research and patient support programs, as well as time on the Oxford Coronavirus Government Response Tracker (OxCGRT) team quantifying and evaluating government policy approaches to the COVID-19 pandemic. Simon holds a deep appreciation for the importance of environmental stewardship for Human wellbeing that has been fortified by his various leadership and research experiences. He sees the physician perspective as crucial in systemically tackling today’s relevant health challenges and bolstering health equity throughout Texas, the United States, and across the globe.

Caroline Crain, MPH

Head of Global Health

BS in Neuroscience from Trinity University

MPH in Community Health from UTHealth

MD in progress at UTHealth Houston

Caroline is excited to bring her experience in global health and community-led development to the HIYH team. Her work includes many years with the non-profit AMIGOS, where she worked in rural communities across Latin America to launch community-led sustainable development initiatives. Combining this love of development work with medicine, her interest in global health was sparked by her time living with a host family in rural Tanzania where she spent time conducting ethnographic research on traditional birth attendants. Now in medical school, she has her sights set on a career in global health genetics where she hopes to empower communities to improve the diagnosis and care of complex genetic conditions. Her approach to global health is staunchly anti-colonialist and grounded in the belief that all communities are capable of solving their most pressing challenges when given the right tools.

Rakesh Kathiresan

Head of Strategy

BA in Medicine, Health, & Society and Neuroscience from Vanderbilt University

MD in progress at UTHealth Houston

Rakesh brings his experience in clinical research and strategy consulting to the Health in Your Hands team. His experience includes an internship at Boston Children's Hospital, where he conducted research on dietary supplement use among adolescent men. After graduating from Vanderbilt, he moved to Chicago to work at ZS Associates, where he contributed to healthcare projects ranging from territory alignment to oncology market forecasting. Now at UTHealth, he studies cardiovascular risk factors and health outcomes among Turner Syndrome patients with aortic dilation. Rakesh is an avid traveler with a passion for cultural exchange. He is excited to contribute to the team's mission of enhancing access to affordable and reliable diagnostics in rural communities.

Jon Beaubrun

Head of Engineering

BS in Chemical Engineering at University of Florida

M.Eng in Systems Engineering in progress at Cornell University

Jon is a chemical engineer with experience working in the semiconductor industry as an engineer focused on technology transfer and high volume manufacturing of transistors. Jon also has experience with technology de-risk and scale-up in controlled environment agriculture working on projects ranging from vetting novel sensing technologies to scaling from R&D/pilot to commercial scale production.

Thomas Copeland

Head of Media

BS in Audio Engineering Technology from Belmont University

Thomas Copeland is an adventure and expedition photographer with a background in audio engineering and field recording, as well as avian conservation and bird banding for migration research.

Portfolio:

http://thomas-copeland.com/

Phillip Koether

Head of Non-Profit Organization

AA from Lone Star College

BA in Healthcare Administration in progress at University of Houston Clear Lake

Phillip Koether is a Medical Assistant and student at the UHCL. His interests span the gap between social activism and accessible healthcare. A member of the American College of Healthcare Executives, Phillip strives to create a healthier relationship between healthcare organizations and patients.

Cristina Salas

Head of Education & Outreach

BSA in Biology from the University of Texas at Austin

MD/MPH in progress at University of Texas Medical Branch

Cristina is a medical student with experience researching socioeconomic factors that inhibit equal access to healthcare in Brazil and currently conducts statistical research on incidence of STDs based on forms of contraceptives for women. Although she is still growing within this field as a new medical student, has big dreams of applying her upcoming MPH to ensure equal access to healthcare for global populations.