Chris Puntasecca

Chris Puntasecca, from Wayne, New Jersey, is pursuing an MD at Stanford School of Medicine. He graduated from the College of the Holy Cross with a bachelor’s degree in chemistry and classics. Chris aspires to devote his life to the holistic care of the sick by translating scientific discoveries to the treatment of patients in a clinical environment. Before coming to Stanford, he was student program director of Parsons Hill Rehabilitation Center, interned at Regeneron Pharmaceuticals in Tarrytown, New York, and was a research assistant at UMass Memorial Medical Center and in an organic chemistry lab. A varsity athlete, he was team captain of Holy Cross’s NCAA Division I track and field team, competing as a pole vaulter and decathlete. As an undergraduate, he received the Kate C. Power Award and the Polytec Award in Organic Chemistry. At Stanford, Chris has worked as a Peer Academic Coach through the Center for Teaching and Learning, and pursued research projects involving surgical outcomes, infectious diseases, and global health.