Before UCSF: Volunteered in a Latina maternity ward, two years of immunology research Visited: Russia, Scandinavia, Canada, Malaysia, Hong Kong, and Taiwan Double-life: The SF Choral Society

Her parents are both doctors in the public sector; her father an attending at San Francisco General Hospital, her mother a primary care provider at Health Center Number 4, a public clinic in Chinatown. Susannah had always been interested in science and biology, and her father, an amateur naturalist, would take her on hikes, where they would explore the flora, fauna and geology of the Bay area.

She learned Spanish and volunteered for social work in a maternity ward serving Latina women. She spent two years working in a lab at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston, MA, doing the type of immunology research that she is still interested in.

But like many of her peers, Susannah has led a "double-life." From the time she was seven, all the way through high school, she performed in a professional choir, the renowned Piedmont Children's Choir, and she traveled and sang with other children all over the world, including Siberia.

This was very soon after Russia was opened to the West, and the people there were very happy to see American children. "We were welcomed with affectionate hugs, big family meals, and gifts of food and flowers." The children were supposed to stay in people's homes in pairs, but so many families wanted to host them, that the children were distributed one child per family.

"Luckily, I am not a shy person, so I loved it! It helped me learn a lot of Russian, as they didn't speak any English." Susannah quickly earned herself the nickname "Boltushka" after a character in a Russian folk tale. "It means 'chatterbox'."

Living in people’s homes made her feel very connected to the culture. "It's a completely different experience from being a tourist who is just passing through. You learn more, and you make real friends."

With the choir, Susannah also traveled to Scandinavia and Canada, Malaysia and Hong Kong, and to Taiwan, where she still remembers the night markets: "A whole district in the city turns into an open air market at night, when the temperature cools down. We would stay out until midnight – very exciting when you are 13."

She attributes her love of singing to her parents, who used to sing duets to put her to sleep. Her father had lived in Germany, and he would teach German folk songs to her mom.

Today, Susannah continues her singing life along her medical studies: She has joined the San Francisco Choral Society and can be occasionally heard rehearsing with them in Cole Hall.