.jpeg.jpg "Deneb Zavala, BA photo")
Medical Student
University of Illinois Chicago College of Medicine
Deneb Zavala, BA is a third-year medical student at the University of Illinois College of Medicine in Chicago whose research bridges women’s health and medical technology innovation. As part of the Innovation in Medicine Program, she is trained to identify unmet clinical needs and close these care gaps through novel technological solutions. Her current research focuses on enabling earlier, data-driven detection of uterine atony in postpartum hemorrhage, a leading cause of maternal mortality.
She has also led initiatives improving sexual health education among women recovering from cancer treatment and co-developed a startup addressing food insecurity in the South Side of Chicago. Beyond research, Deneb has served on the board of the Latino Medical Student Association and collaborates with the Medical Organization for Latino Advancement to expand mentorship for underrepresented medical students. She is passionate about advancing health literacy and creating culturally attuned models of care that make medicine more accessible and equitable. These are the principles that guide her pursuit of a career in Obstetrics and Gynecology.