Alyssa Maria Zapien, Trainee

Alyssa Maria Zapien

TRAINEE

University of Arizona Student amzapien@email.arizona.edu

ALYSSA MARIA ZAPIEN is from Yuma, Arizona and is currently a junior at the University of Arizona studying Neuroscience with an emphasis in Neurobiology. Alyssa wants to attend medical school to study Radiology and eventually give back to underserved communities, similar to those she grew up in. Her parents were born and immigrated from Mexico and she grew up along the U.S-Mexico Border in San Ysidro, San Diego, CA and Yuma, AZ. In her free time, she enjoys reading and playing the clarinet in the Pride of Arizona Marching Band.

Alyssa wants to become a Radiologist because of her passion for medicine and her interest in the part that radiology modalities play in diagnosing patients. She wants to pursue medicine because her view of the health disparities faced by her family members and their experience in two health care systems makes her believe that she can do more to help those in a similar situation. She is eager to learn Spanish medical interpretation in order to help reach those in Spanish speaking communities. She hopes to gain more volunteer and research opportunities throughout her undergraduate career.

Project

IMAGING MODALITIES IN DIAGNOSING OVARIAN TORSION

This project aims to determine which imaging modalities are most important when diagnosing patients with ovarian torsion. Since ovarian torsion is a medical emergency, it is necessary to diagnose quickly in order to prevent loss of an ovary. By comparing ultrasounds and MRI scans, we see how important it is to look for ovarian torsion and which modality helps affirm the diagnosis.