David Tran

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David Tran is a graduating senior majoring in sociology. He is currently finishing his sociology honors thesis, analyzing the strategies that HIV positive homeless individuals use to reconstruct their sense of being. He has also done research on the possible phenotypic markers of schizophrenia, the effects of morphine and a new neuroprotective treatment on SIV, which is the animal model of HIV.

In addition to research, Tran provided medical relief to underserved and disadvantaged communities locally, nationally and internationally. He has volunteered at the L.A. Free and Venice Family Clinics, AIDS Project Los Angeles and clinics in Costa Rica, Nicaragua and Mexico. His interests lie in alleviating the lack of health care in disadvantaged and underserved communities. To further this cause, he established the UCLA Global Medical Relief Program (GlobeMed), an on-campus organization that fights against the devastating effects of poverty in developing nations. His group also provided help for natural disasters, such as Hurricane Katrina and the tsunami and earthquake in South Asia. He plans to apply to medical school after taking a year off with the HealthCorps.