Going from an idyllic Austin, Texas, childhood to college on Chicago’s South Side opened the eyes – and heart – of Dr. Anisha Ganguly to the plight of underserved communities. She’s been a change agent ever since, and now the M.D./M.P.H. graduate is a recipient of a UTSW Dr. Richard Mays Smith Award and a U.S. Public Health Service 2019 Excellence in Public Health Award.

Dr. Anisha Ganguly

What the Smith Award means: This award means a great deal to me because it serves as validation that dedication and humanism in medicine are worthy of recognition. This award is conferred to students based on clinical performance and patient-centered care, and to receive an award that stands for such core tenets of physicianship is truly humbling.

Mentor comment: We find Anisha to be precisely the hypercompetent, intelligent student driven by a clear mission to make a difference, especially in the lives of the underserved. She is passionate about high-value care, system innovation, and health care justice. – Dr. Stephanie Brinker, Assistant Professor of Internal Medicine

What the USPHS Award means: My hope is to one day make the health care system more equitable and more efficient in delivery of care for everyone. This award is a stepping stone toward making that dream possible.

Mentor comment: Anisha has demonstrated through her research a genuine interest in understanding not only the medical problems, but also the social determinants of health faced by a largely uninsured patient population cared for in Parkland Hospital’s safety-net hospital setting. – Dr. Kavita Bhavan, Associate Professor of Internal Medicine and Associate Vice Chair of Clinical Innovation and High Value Care

Background and family: My parents are both engineers, and I have a younger sister who is an elementary school teacher in Austin. My mother was the only woman in her electrical engineering class in her college in India and has really been a trailblazer for women her entire life. My dad is also the most feminist dad I could have asked for. Growing up, he taught me how to fix lots of things myself, how to use power tools, etc.

What led to your career path: I grew up in Austin and had a wonderful childhood. I had a rude awakening when I went to the University of Chicago and moved from Austin – considered one of the nicest places in America to live – to the South Side of Chicago. I was overwhelmed by all the poverty I encountered. To confront this shock, I started volunteering in a clinic in the heart of the South Side. I learned from people from very different walks of life than mine, and I learned about how social determinants of health (access to care, housing, transportation, nutrition) impact people’s lives. In that Chicago clinic, I began my journey as a future primary care physician and public health researcher.

College: I went to the University of Chicago, where I double majored in biochemistry and Spanish literature. I spent two summers as an intern at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, where I did bench research on acute myeloid leukemia and rotated through the leukemia clinics.

UTSW activities: I completed the M.D./M.P.H. dual degree program and served as UTSW class representative at the Association of American Medical Colleges Organization of Student Representatives. I volunteered at the Monday Clinic and also served as a research assistant to Dr. Bhavan.

Surprising fact: People might not know that I’m fluent in Spanish because my second major was Spanish literature. Part of my major included a 20-page thesis written completely in Spanish. I wrote my essay about an epic poem by a baroque Spanish poet. It was maybe one of the most intense academic exercises of my life.

Future plans: I matched at the University of Washington in their primary care internal medicine program. I am very excited to move to Seattle and train at an institution known for general internal medicine. Following residency, I plan to do a general internal medicine fellowship to receive additional training in health systems research methods. I plan to be an academic general internist, which means I will have the opportunity to do all the things I love: see patients, do research, and teach!

About the awards: The Smith Award is given annually to one or more graduating medical students who excel academically during clinical rotations and who exhibit an interest in and compassion for patients. Administered by the U.S. Public Health Service Physician Professional Advisory Committee and now in its eighth year, the Excellence in Public Health Award recognizes medical students who have positively impacted public health in their communities.