Scholar Spotlight: Ritika Chanda

Posted in Announcements

Ritika Chanda is a fourth-year medical student at Georgetown University School of Medicine. She earned her undergraduate degree from the Georgia Institute of Technology, majoring in Neuroscience with minors in Health and Medical Sciences and Leadership Studies. After graduation, she served as a Public Health Fellow at Sostento, where she collaborated on research and quality improvement initiatives to develop practical solutions for free clinics nationwide.

At Georgetown, Ritika has focused her work on health equity, community medicine, environmental health, and clinical research that advances evidence-based changes to clinical practice. She pursues these interests through Georgetown Street Medicine Outreach and the Environmental Health and Medicine Track, contributing to initiatives that improve care for underserved populations and integrate climate health into medical education. As she pursues a career in Internal Medicine, Ritika hopes to combine clinical care, research, and advocacy to improve health outcomes for vulnerable communities.

In this video, Ritika shares her experience developing and submitting a national conference abstract, including her motivation, the preparation process, mentorship, and balancing the work as a student. She reflects on presenting at the conference, the skills, confidence, and connections gained, and offers advice on the value of research and conference participation for students. Listen in!

Learn more about our National Conference Award here.