Elizabeth Canales grew up in Lima, Peru and moved to the United States to begin high school in Torrance, California. At an early age she found her passion for anatomy and cultivated it at El Camino College as a biology major and later at UCLA where she transferred as a Physiological Sciences major and Anthropology minor. During college she was an active member of the Chicanos/Latinos for Community Medicine at UCLA where she further explored her passion for medicine. The experiences she had at numerous health fairs through this organization sparked her interest in advocating for patients that lacked health care. After graduating, Elizabeth took part of a medical mission to a shantytown in Lima, Peru where she provided health services and advocated for patients’ health rights. Elizabeth is also very passionate about mentorship; being a first generation college graduate she believes that without her mentors she wouldn’t have been able to achieve her dream of attending medical school. Elizabeth is currently in the UCLA PRIME/CDU program and holds positions in LMSA, PRIME mentorship, and volunteers with the Mobile Clinic.

Undergrad Institution: UC Los Angeles

Hometown: Lima, Peru; Torrance, CA