Monica Grova grew up in Santa Cruz, California, the daughter of two artists. In addition to her artist endeavors, she was also an athlete, devoted first to basketball then the Varsity rowing team at UCLA. Her interest in human psychology and teaching led her into the pre-medical field and she graduated with a degree in neuroscience. Monica was detoured briefly by Teach for America and spent two years as a science teacher at an underserved high school in the Bronx. UCSF medical school was her next destination. She spent the summer at a South African trauma center and had her first exposure to true health disparities. Through medical school and into her surgical residency at UC Davis she has taken every opportunity to engage in Global Health issues and plans to make it part of her future career.