Samata Singhi

Samata_in_india

"Growing up in such a vibrant culture - one that acknowledges the obstacles of poverty, illiteracy, and inequality, yet one that is persistently working towards overcoming those obstacles - it is only natural that I developed an earnest desire to work towards improving the lives of people in economically underprivileged communities."

  • Alumni of: 2005 Graduate Scholarship Program
  • Resides: Baltimore, MD
  • Hometown: Chandigarh, India
  • Age: 29

Biography

First named a Jack Kent Cooke Scholar in 2003 through the Undergraduate Scholarship Program, Samata Singhi has been drawn to medicine from the start. As a child, she listened, wide-eyed, to her grandfather's stories about taking medical care to remote villages. Accompanying her physician parents to their immunization drives in city slums in India, she saw children suffering from malnutrition and dehydration, a sharp contrast with what she calls her "textbook ideals of equality and fraternity." She dates her quest for social justice and her interest in a career in medicine and public health to these visits.

After attending secondary schools in India and Singapore, Samata started her undergraduate education at Albion College. She was elected to the cabinet of Albion College Student Senate, and she also helped to found the International Students Union. She was elected to Phi Beta Kappa, and awarded Albion's Bernard T. Lomas Scholarship in recognition of her contributions to the college and local community. During this time, she also volunteered at the center for disabled children in India, analyzing the psychosocial burdens faced by parents of children with developmental disabilities. Through her medical externships and volunteer work in India and the United States, Samata developed a greater understanding of the disparities of access and outcomes in healthcare, and presented these in her honors thesis at Albion. For her work, Samata was awarded Maurice L. Branch Award for outstanding research and scholarship in economics.

Samata also completed a masters degree in international health policy and health economics at the London School of Economics and Political science, where her dissertation focused on models of healthcare finance and delivery that can help improve equity and efficiency in the United States healthcare system. As she heads to medical school, Samata is interested in one day establishing sustainable healthcare programs in developing nations and underserved and low-income communities. She is particularly interested in serving with humanitarian aid organizations. Above all, she hopes to use her training to help "ensure equitable access to healthcare and emphasize preventive and primary care."

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