Our Mission

Every year, millions of individuals around the world die due to a shortage of the necessary medical supplies available for them according to the World Health organization. To make matters worse, according to the National Academy of Medicine, the United States sees an estimated $765 billion of usable medical supplies go to waste every single year. Hoping to use the surplus of medical supplies in the US to our advantage, the Berkeley Medical Reallocation Initiative is a humanitarian aid organization founded by bright and hard-working UC Berkeley students hoping to make a positive difference in the world.
Through our efforts, we help facilitate and finance the shipment of surplus medical supplies from various facilities in the United States to hospitals and clinics abroad that need them. By partnering with other local organizations to meet this goal, we are able to help get these supplies to the individuals that need them most and save countless lives along the way.
Since its creation just under a year ago, BMRI has already helped facilitate the transportation of 3 shipments of medical equipment and supplies. These supplies include hospital beds, surgical operating tools, and more. So far, over $1 million worth of medical supplies has been shipped thanks to the hard work of BMRI. And throughout the next few years, we hope to help send millions more.

Why Peru?

BMRI helps facilitate the shipment of US medical supplies to a number of countries. One of the countries that we are currently shipping medical supplies to is Peru. The winter of 2016-2017 brought about some of the largest storms Peru had seen in decades. With record rainfall came devastating floods and landslides that displaced tens of thousands of people and destroyed almost a hundred villages. With hospitals and clinics damaged and hundreds of people injured, BMRI has been working to send desperately needed items such as gauze, hospital beds, and first aid kits to Peru.

Our Team

Ali Farzad	President Ali Farzad, originally from Washington, D.C, has always had a great passion for helping underserved communities. Believing healthcare to be a fundamental human right, he hopes to make an impact through his work for BMRI by helping send medical supplies to those in need. He currently studies Public Health with a minor in Bioengineering at UC Berkeley and during his free time enjoys spending time with his friends.
Garrett Barnett	Chief Executive Officer Garrett grew up in McKinleyville, California, where he attended a small high school and developed a love for science, specifically biology. While in high school, Garrett spent his free time playing for his high school football team and tutoring his fellow classmates to help them develop an interest in STEM. Garrett is currently majoring in Molecular and Cell Biology at UC Berkeley, where he finds time to work in a research lab at UCSF. He has a strong desire to help underserved communities, which he hopes will be possible through his work in BMRI. In his free time, Garrett enjoys spending time with friends and playing football.
Simran Bajwa	Chief Operating Officer Harsimran is a Bay Area native from Fairfield, California and is currently a third-year Public Health major at UC Berkeley. It was during a lecture on global public health that she developed an interest in the work being done to help the medically underserved regions of the world. Outside of working with BMRI, Harsimran enjoys writing, hiking, and trying new food.
Sayi Boddu	Chief Communications Officer Sayi is a second year neurobiology major from Cupertino, California. One of his main passions is traveling, and it was during these trips abroad that Sayi noticed the massive health disparities across different communities. He is excited to make a large-scale impact with BMRI to help people attain a better quality of healthcare. Outside of school, Sayi conducts anxiety research at UCSF and is a sports medicine intern with the Cal Men’s Basketball team.
Roshan Lodha	Chief Technical Officer Roshan, a first year molecular & cell biology and computer science major from Fremont, California, is passionate about tackling healthcare disparties. In an effort to ensure that the healthcare gap is minimized, Roshan has spent his time volunteering in third world countries, while simultaneously pursuing his passion for medicine. He currently is working on personal projects to address third world issues combinging the computer sciences with healthcare.
Alan Shen	Service Coordinator Alan Shen, from the Bay Area, is a current third year MCB Immunology major. He is passionate about helping the underserved community and would like to see BMRI have a strong impact globally. He currently works for a Biotech company in Emeryville and also at a Neuroscience lab in Berkeley.
Alex Vergara	Associate Alex, hailing from San Diego, California, is an undergraduate at Cal studying Integrative Biology. She joined BMRI because of the incredible impact it has. What initially attracted her to the non-profit was its brilliant idea of utilizing medical supplies that would otherwise go unused. She had never heard of organization like BMRI before and knew that she had to be a part it.
Bhanu Reddy	Associate Bhanu is a second year integrative biology major from Scottsdale, Arizona. His interest in medicine grew through volunteering at Mayo Clinic Hospital in high school, and became a passion during his time at Banner Health: assisting a research study involving transitions of care; observing numerous surgeries; and shadowing physicians. He works with BMRI to help provide resources for underprivileged areas and further his involvement in the medical field. During his free time, he likes to spend time with family and friends.
Cheyenne-Jenné Canizares	Associate Cheyenne is from Rancho Cucamonga, CA and is a third-year Integrative Biology major with a minor in Education. She is passionate about medicine and working with the youth community.Through BMRI, she hopes to make an impact on underserved communities across the globe.She currently works as a lab assistant at CHORI and goes to under-resourced preschools in Oakland where she helps preschoolers build literacy and social-behavioral skills. In her free time, Cheyenne enjoys staying active, playing the piano, and hanging out with her friends.
Eddie Fung	Associate Eddie is a second year Immunobiology major from a small suburban city with a hometown feel called Torrance, California. He puts dedication and empathy in everything he does. He spends his free time listening to music, watching, playing and analyzing sports, and being in nature. He started working with BMRI to help see healthcare around the world improve to the standards of modern technology.
Jesus Crespin	Associate Jesus is a first year intended nutritional science major with a passion for helping those in need. Originally from Fresno, California Jesus has volunteered at the local hospital which only strengthen his passion more. In his free time Jesus is often outside taking pictures or listening to music. Jesus is excited to join our team to make an impact on people’s lives.
Jeremy Giberson	Associate Jeremy is a fourth year Nutritional Science major from a small town near Sacramento, California. He is extremely interested in medicine along with helping underserved communities. Through these interests, he found the work BMRI does to be a great fit. He spends his time outside of school participating in different organizations around campus as well as aiding in the educational process of community college students. For fun, he enjoys to rock climb and hangout with friends.
Nacha Nachiappan	Associate Nacha is a first year psychology major from Great Falls, Virginia. She has a strong passion for healthcare and medicine and has spent a lot of time volunteering at hospitals and clinics. She believes that proper healthcare should be accessible to all people regardless of ethnicity or socioeconomic status. She is excited to work with BMRI and send medical supplies to underserved communities around the world. In her free time, Nacha enjoys traveling and hiking.
Ricardo Medina	Associate Ricardo is currently a first year neurobiology major who moved to Bakersfield, California at a young age from Cucuta, Colombia. He finds a passion in music, sports, and traveling. During vacations, Ricardo traveled back to Colombia where he volunteered at hospital events in order to help children whose parents could not afford healthcare. It was through these events that he developed great interest in helping communities with a lack of access to these necessities. Ricardo is excited to work with the BMRI team in order to help underserved regions around the world.
Ronik Kothari	Associate Ronik is a first year biology major who believes proper healthcare should be accessible to all, regardless of nationality or socioeconomic status. He has volunteered at multiple health fairs, offering aid to doctors providing free healthcare. Ronik is looking forward to working with BMRI to help ship medical devices to make care more accessible. In his free time, Ronik enjoys rock climbing and traveling.
Wilson Xu	Associate Wilson Xu is a third year molecular and cell biology major from Davis, California. Outside of school, he volunteers at a local hospital and emergency medical center, as well as with a non-profit emergency medical service group. Through BMRI, he hopes to continue working to provide accessible healthcare to those in need. In his free time, Wilson enjoys creating art, playing tennis and spending time with friends.