Maxine’s passion for change in medicine has brought her to Cayenne Wellness Center. In her pursuit, she attended Columbia University in the City of New York and studied Psychology with a minor in Pre-Medicine. Maxine has always been passionate about inequalities in medicine. In the summer of 2019, she interned at a clinic in Alajuelita, Costa Rica, where she assisted in medical care for Costa Rican citizens who did not have health insurance and the refugees of Nicaragua. During this time, she was able to collaborate with the attending physician from public outreaches to minor operations. This opportunity launched Maxine’s passion to provide medical services to underserved communities. She continued her work in New York a year after the pandemic in an ophthalmology center providing a various range of patients, from in and out of state regions, with laser eye corrective surgery. She worked alongside a world-renowned ophthalmologist who is one of few doctors to graduate from three different Ivy League Universities. At this center, Maxine was able to guide patients through the most affordable plan of surgery without having to suffer at the cost of its efficiency, which made her realize there was more for patients in medicine.
While at Columbia University, she also competed as a Division I softball player and ranked amongst the top in the Ivy League. After receiving her bachelor’s degree at Columbia last year, she entered the Biomedical Sciences Master’s program at UC Riverside before applying to medical school and is continuing her athletic career there as well. Through her program, she is currently conducting research on HIV-induced neuro-cognitive disorders and drug trials for her thesis as well as working at Cayenne Wellness Center.
