Plastic Surgery Interest Group - Leadership
Leadership Team
Mitchell Koss, MS2:
Mitchell grew up in Long Beach, California and earned his B.S. in Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics at UCLA. As an avid researcher he also spent three years in the Scott Kitchen laboratory at the UCLA AIDS Institute advancing CAR T cell therapy to fight HIV. As a Co-Director of the UCSF Plastic Surgery Interest Group, Mitchell endeavors to further learn about the impact plastic surgery can have on transforming and improving patient lives. He is currently involved in plastic surgery research examining abdominal wall reconstruction, as well as orthopedic surgery research investigating social determinants of health and wide awake hand surgery. Outside of his professional endeavors Mitchell enjoys running and hiking in San Francisco and volunteering at the SF LGBT Center.
Nathan Ramrakhiani, MS2:
Nathan was born in Saint Louis, Missouri, but grew up in Palo Alto, California and calls the Bay Area home. He graduated with a B.S. in Biomedical Engineering from Brown University in 2023, with extensive involvement in biomedical device development, clinical and translational research, and other pursuits at the intersection of medicine and innovation. Currently, his research spans several of these areas, with key focuses on (i) gender-affirming surgery and (ii) the development of new point-of-care assays for the diagnosis of complex diseases. Outside of medicine and research, Nathan is an avid outdoorsman, spending most days surfing, hiking, cycling, or camping.
Pariswi Tewari, MS2:
Pariswi was born in Kathmandu, Nepal and grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area. She studied Integrative Human Biology and English as an undergraduate student at UC Berkeley. After college, Pariswi worked as a clinical health policy researcher for Stanford Medicine and a patient care coordinator for Oakland's Native American Health Center. Pariswi is now in her second year at the UCSF- UC Berkeley Joint MD/ MS Program (JMP) and intends to conduct her master's work at ZSFGH's OASIS clinic, with a focus on understanding drivers of health disparities/improving the quality of patient care for non-English proficient patients. Pariswi is passionate about reconstructive cancer care and advancing equitable healthcare. In her free time, Pariswi enjoys exploring the myriad local coffee shops and spending time with her loved ones.
Reta Behnam, MS2:
Reta was born in Baghdad, Iraq and now calls San Diego home. In her undergraduate career at Yale, she focused on studying the effects of childhood trauma on neural development and was involved with national nonprofits emphasizing the power of community in improving health and quality of life. During her gap year, she worked in post-Mohs reconstructions and fell in love with the artistry associated with plastic surgery and developed a passion for post-ablative reconstruction. Since beginning medical school, her research focuses on understanding patient reconstructive experiences post-mastectomy and evaluating standards of care for craniofacial reconstructions. In her free time, she loves baking and decorating birthday cakes for her loved ones and taking long runs to Ocean Beach through Golden Gate Park.