Saturday February 22, 2025
This year, we will celebrate the 10th Annual Alumni Weekend with the theme 10 Years of Impact. Alumni will share valuable insights by presenting on key competencies, helping students bridge their experiences with essential professional skills and connect with experts beyond their immediate disciplines.
Ana Reyes, MD, MPH '18
Competency: Leadership
General Surgery resident at the University of Miami/Jackson
Dr. Ana Reyes graduated from the University of Michigan in 2018 with a degree in Electrical Engineering. She was involved in WISE RP as a peer mentor and resident advisor. During her time at Michigan, she was a member of GlobeMed (now, the Global Health Alliance) and the women’s club gymnastics team. She completed a summer internship at Sandia National Laboratories in Albuquerque, New Mexico where she explored her interests in electrical engineering, but ultimately decided to pursue a path in medicine. She went on to complete her MD and Master’s of Public Health at Northwestern University and is currently a General Surgery resident at the University of Miami. She ultimately plans to complete a fellowship in trauma surgery and combine her expertise in surgery and public health to address upstream causes of firearm violence. Outside of medicine, Ana enjoys running, traveling, and cheering for the Buffalo Bills!
Ankita Mandelia '09
Competency: Cultural Competency
Environmental Engineer at U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Ankita Mandelia graduated from the University of Michigan in 2009 with a BSE in Civil Engineering. She was involved with WISE-RP during her freshman and sophomore years, serving as a peer mentor in her sophomore year. Also during college, she participated in the University of Michigan Solar Car Team, the Michigan Concrete Canoe Team, and Campus Philharmonic Orchestra. Ankita has since earned her MS in Environmental Engineering from Michigan Technological University, and held a variety of jobs all related in some way to the fields of civil and environmental engineering and relevant policy. Ankita is currently an Environmental Engineer with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency - Region 5 in Chicago, IL.
Dayna LePlatte, MD '04
Competency: Teamwork
Child, Adolescent and Adult Psychiatrist and Adjunct Clinical Assistant Professor at Michigan Medicine
Dayna J. LePlatte, MD is a board-certified Child, Adolescent and Adult Psychiatrist. She works for Grove Emotional Health Collaborative with almost 20 years of experience and a passion to truly make a difference in the lives of her clients. Dr. LePlatte is skilled at working with children ages 5+ and adolescents, as well as emerging adults and adults throughout the lifespan. Dr. LePlatte is making the transition from academia into private practice. She continues to be an adjunct clinical assistant professor at Michigan Medicine and she continues to be very passionate about teaching, mentoring, and research.
Dr. LePlatte joined the faculty at the University Of Michigan School Of Medicine in 2014. Over the years she has worn many hats and was involved in several clinical settings including the Crisis Support Clinic, ADHD Clinic, Student Athlete Clinic, General Child/Adolescent Psychiatry Outpatient Clinic, psychiatric emergency services, inpatient unit, and the Collaborative Care community.
She values the experiences she gained in each of these unique settings. Throughout her medical career, Dr. LePlatte has continued to volunteer and mentor learners at all levels. She is an active member of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (AACAP) and she was recently inducted as a Distinguished Fellow of AACAP. She is a fellow of the American Psychiatric Society. Also, she is a member of the House of Delegates for the National Medical Association.
Dayna was born in Detroit, Michigan. She graduated Summa Cum laude from West Bloomfield High School. She graduated with Honors from the University of Michigan. She went to Wayne State Univeristy of School of Medicine for medical school where she discovered her enthusiasm for the field of Psychiatry. She returned to Ann Arbor for residency, fellowship and then stayed there as a faculty member for ten years.
Emily O'Connell '22
Competency: Efficacy Building
Engineer at Lockheed Martin Skunkworks
Emily O'Connell graduated from the University of Michigan in 2022 with her BSE in Aerospace Engineering. She was involved in WISE RP as a First Year and later as a Peer Mentor. While at Michigan, she served on the executive boards of Women in Aeronautics and Astronautics (WAA) and Michigan Vertical Flight Technology (MVFT). After graduating, Emily moved to Southern California to begin her career as a Test Engineer at Lockheed Martin Advanced Development Programs, also known as Skunk Works. She is currently part of Lockheed Martin's Engineering Leadership Development Program, through which she has recently relocated to Las Vegas, NV, to complete a rotation in Flight Test Data Processing and Instrumentation. Additionally, Emily is working towards her MS in Analytics part-time online at Georgia Tech.
Julia Ditmore '15
Competency: Grit
Software Engineering at Benchling
Julia Ditmore graduated from the University of Michigan with a BSE in Biomedical Engineering in 2015 and an MSE in 2017. During her time at Michigan she was involved in BLUELab and St. Mary Student Parish. Following graduation, she worked as an engineer in product development at at Terumo Cardiovascular, a medical device company in Ann Arbor. She currently works remotely as a software engineer at Benchling, a tech company focused on enterprise software for biotech R&D. Outside of work, she's an old house enthusiast and enjoys being active in the Ann Arbor tennis community.
Sarah Jamenson-Valencia '09
Competency: Lifelong learning
Associate Director of Ventures for Life Sciences in the University of Michigan Innovation Partnerships
As the Associate Director of Ventures for Life Sciences, Sarah oversees the creation of new life science startups based on technologies invented and developed at U-M. In this role, she manages resources to build, launch, and grow new ventures, including U-M’s mentor-in-residence program, the MTRAC and Kickstart Life Science Innovation grant hubs, and the Accelerate Blue Fund.
Before joining Innovation Partnerships, Sarah spent 3.5 years as a Senior Associate on the investment team at Arboretum Ventures, an Ann Arbor-based healthcare venture capital firm. Prior to Arboretum, Sarah spent 8 years as a field clinical specialist and field clinical engineer supporting cardiac medical devices at Boston Scientific, Sorin, and Biosense Webster (J&J).
Sarah holds a BS in Cellular and Molecular Biology and an MSE in Biomedical Engineering from the University of Michigan, as well as an MBA from the Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan.
