Donate       Volunteer

Sami Abdul-al
ST. RAYMOND STEERING COORDINATOR
  asa394@drexel.edu

Sami is a first-year medical student who came from Elysburg, Pennsylvania. From a one-traffic-light town in rural America, he made his way to Pittsburgh to begin his long pursuit toward medicine. Majoring in biology, he graduated at the start of the pandemic and decided to serve his Pittsburgh community through the National Health Corps in a year of service. After engaging in numerous community projects and initiatives surrounding adolescents facing homelessness, disability and/or limited access to healthcare, Sami deepened his drive to work on the issues facing many people across the country. Once he settled into his academic career at DUCOM, Sami was motivated to get engaged in his new community. St. Raymond’s student clinic was the perfect way he could build meaningful relationships with folks that need a little help as they transition out of housing insecurity and homelessness. In this role, growth is inevitable, and he looks forward to being present and engaged with each resident. When he’s not studying or coordinating St. Raymond’s student clinic, he’s bouldering, playing video games or enjoying a new place in this lovely city.

Matthew Klein
SALVATION ARMY STEERING COORDINATOR
  mnk54@drexel.edu

Matt is a first-year medical student from Rockville, Maryland. He graduated from the University of Maryland with a degree in chemistry. Matt wanted to get involved with HOP as a means to get directly involved in community health and is ecstatic to join the HOP family. He is looking forward to serving medically underserved communities while learning the clinical tools needed to better serve them. In his free time, Matt enjoys playing Catan with friends, snowboarding and the TV show “Survivor.”

Nicholas Young
STREETSIDE STEERING COORDINATOR
  nry23@drexel.edu

Nick is a first-year medical student from Freeland, Pennsylvania. He graduated from Georgetown University with a degree in biochemistry and minored in bioethics and disability studies. Before starting medical school, Nick worked and volunteered as an EMT at home and at college. Coming from a rural area of Pennsylvania where social, economic and other structural factors contributed to the spread of the opioid epidemic in his own community, he believes in the necessity of providing various systems of support in addition to medical treatment to promote a state of health. Nick passionately supports the HOP mission for this reason, and additionally admires its overall philosophy of meeting people where they are and providing nonjudgmental care that acknowledges their unique experiences and circumstances. He hopes that his time with HOP will allow him to see the world from new perspectives and make a difference in the lives of community members who lack the resources they deserve. In his free time, Nick enjoys reading, cooking and playing the piano.

Leigh Taylor Flynn
ELIZA SHIRLEY STEERING COORDINATOR
  ltf28@drexel.edu

Taylor is a first-year student in Drexel’s MD/PhD program, hoping to pursue a degree in neuroscience following the first two years of medical school. Originally from Richmond, Virginia, Taylor graduated from Virginia Tech with majors in biology, neuroscience and psychology. Prior to coming to Drexel, Taylor was involved in research, mental health outreach and local community service events. She is particularly excited to work with the other HOP team members to help her Philly community, and to expand the resources offered by our HOP clinics. Taylor is genuinely terrible at running, but she does it anyway, and she loves knitting and cows more than a normal person should.

Mostafa Abdelhalim
THE ARC STEERING COORDINATOR
  ma3794@drexel.edu

Mostafa Abdelhalim is a first-year medical student from Ellicott City, Maryland. He received a BS in biochemistry from Northeastern University. Prior to medical school, Mostafa conducted research on COVID-19 vaccine efficacy in large-scale clinical trials. He has an abundance of personal experience working with children with learning and developmental disabilities. Mostafa loves that HOP provides students with an opportunity to serve and build long-term relationships with the different populations in the Philadelphia community. Mostafa was especially drawn to HOP's commitment to its community with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDDs) through the Arc Clinic. He and his team are grateful for the opportunity to serve and advocate for those populations with IDDs and their families! In his free time, Mostafa likes to exercise, watch sports and travel.

Tyler Beccari
LIFE CENTER STEERING COORDINATOR
  tlb376@drexel.edu

Tyler is a first-year medical student from Upper Darby, Pennsylvania. She graduated from Holy Family University with a degree in biology. HOP interested her because she enjoys working with the community and has a passion for public health. HOP’s student-run clinics give her the opportunity to engage with underserved patient populations and better understand their needs, while practicing her basic clinical skills at the same time. Tyler became more excited about the possibility of working with HOP when she learned of a new clinic serving her hometown specifically. This opportunity allows her to work and grow alongside the community she grew up with and hopes to serve for the remainder of her career. Tyler enjoys cooking new recipes and walking new trails with her dog.

David Talarico
WEST READING LEADER
  dt634@drexel.edu

David is a first-year medical student from Reading, Pennsylvania, who graduated from DeSales University with a BS in biology in 2019. Prior to medical school, he spent two years serving as a campus missionary at Towson University with the Fellowship of Catholic University Students. He is excited to be one of the first co-leaders for HOP at the new West Reading Campus, and he can’t wait to be able to start programs to serve the community that he grew up in. Outside of school, David is an avid distance runner and loves spending time with his friends and family.

Danielle Mayblyum
WEST READING LEADER
  dvm46@drexel.edu

Danielle is a first-year medical student from Boston, Massachusetts. She graduated from the University of Massachusetts Amherst with degrees in biochemistry and psychology. Before starting at DUCOM, Danielle was heavily involved in Alzheimer’s disease research and volunteered as a medical advocate through a local organization centered around providing support to survivors of sexual assault. As she transitioned to medical school, Danielle wanted to continue engaging with her new community and was inspired by the previous work done through HOP. Being at a new campus, she wanted to help start HOP in West Reading to provide students with more opportunities to engage with individuals and organizations throughout the community. Outside of medical school, Danielle enjoys traveling, crafting and staying active by trying different fitness classes.