Dr. Shayna Ratner entered UT Southwestern Medical School with a keen interest in geriatric medicine. But exposure to psychiatry clerkships helped her to hone her skills and specialize in helping older patients navigate their mental health needs.

Dr. Shayna Ratner

What the Sulkin-Schein Award means: Geriatrics has held a special place in my heart since before I started medical school. It is my hope and intention to develop into a physician who takes thoughtful, patient-centered care of older adults, and to receive this award in a field that has taught me so much is a huge honor.

Mentor comment: What impressed me the most was observing her on the Acute Care of the Elderly service at William P. Clements Jr. University Hospital. Shayna provided empathetic care for patients with challenging medical and social problems while often supporting their families facing crisis. – Dr. Craig Rubin, Professor of Internal Medicine, who holds The Margaret and Trammell Crow Distinguished Chair in Alzheimer’s and Geriatric Research, the Seymour Eisenberg Distinguished Professorship in Geriatric Medicine, the Sinor/Pritchard (Katy Sinor and Kay Pritchard) Professorship in Medical Education Honoring Donald W. Seldin, M.D., and the Walsdorf Professorship in Geriatrics Research.

What the Psychiatric Physicians Award means: I had some wonderful mentors who supported my research interest in medical student mental health. It means so much to me to receive an award in the field that has helped me grow as a future doctor and as a person.

Mentor comment: Shayna designed and conducted one of the most rigorously thought-through studies with medical students without compromise. Her unapologetic advocacy for the recognition of brain health needs of medical students and connecting them to treatment and full wellness is not only a tribute to her astuteness but also shows how dedicated she is to the cause. – Dr. Madhukar Trivedi, Professor of Psychiatry and Director of the Center for Depression Research and Clinical Care, who holds the Betty Jo Hay Distinguished Chair in Mental Health and the Julie K. Hersh Chair for Depression Research and Clinical Care

Background and family: I grew up in San Antonio and have an older brother. My dad is a radiologist and my mom has an MBA in marketing. My parents started a nonprofit organization to help patients navigate the health care system.

What led to your career path: My maternal grandmother developed Lewy body dementia when I was in high school and my paternal grandmother developed Alzheimer’s disease, so I had exposure to the impact that these illnesses can have on patients and their families. I started medical school thinking I was going to go into geriatric medicine, but I started developing an interest in mental health in medical school. I realized that mental health strongly impacts every person and often contributes in a major way to a patient’s physical health problems. It became clear that psychiatry was the best fit for me, but I am still interested in working with the geriatric population.

College: At Cornell University, I majored in human biology, health, and society and minored in gerontology. I regularly volunteered at a nursing home and completed my honors thesis on older adults’ decision-making when considering undergoing joint replacement surgery.

UTSW activities: At UTSW, I started the Mental Health and Wellness Committee, which is dedicated to promoting wellness, destigmatizing mental health, and increasing the accessibility of the Student Wellness and Counseling Office. At one event we hosted, ‘Acknowledging our Humanity,’ students, residents, and faculty shared stories of their own experiences with mental health challenges. I was honored to be inducted into the Gold Humanism Honor Society and became the President of that organization.

Future plans: I am soon headed for my psychiatry residency at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia University Medical Center.

About the awards: The Sulkin-Schein Award recognizes a medical student who has demonstrated compassion, keen interest, and commitment to the care of older adults. The award is named in honor of Mrs. Schein, a longtime supporter of UT Southwestern who bequeathed funds to promote geriatrics as a career path for medical students. She died in 2007 at the age of 89. The Psychiatric Physicians Award honors a student for excellent work in psychiatry and mental health.