Anushay Mistry

Anushay is a second-year student at the University of Massachusetts Medical School. Her interest in global health began during her childhood visits to her grandmother in rural south India, where she would informally follow her great-Uncle around his village clinic. Driven by this influential experience witnessing the differences in healthcare delivery around the world, Anushay applied for a four-month study abroad in South Africa with the School for International Training during her undergraduate education. Through this program, she had the opportunity to complete an internship in the pediatrics and tuberculosis wards at Manguzi Hospital, a rural hospital on the border of Mozambique, during which she decided to pursue a career in medicine and global health. Following this experience, Anushay graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Biology and Community Health at Tufts University near Boston and began working as a Clinical Research Coordinator at Boston Children’s Hospital while completing her pre-medical coursework. After completing her medical degree, she plans to complete her residency in pediatrics before pursuing a fellowship in infectious disease.

Pediatric Participant Retention Rates in a Longitudinal Malaria Immunology Study
6/02/2019 - 8/04/2019
Kenya

What does the Kean Fellowship mean to you?
The Kean Fellowship to me represents an invaluable opportunity to integrate into the world of tropical medicine research. Through the support provided by this fellowship, I am able to gain firsthand experience in malaria research as well as in healthcare in a community unlike that which I have ever experienced. I look forward to furthering my career through this opportunity and am so grateful to the Kean Fellowship Committee. 

What do you anticipate learning?
Through this opportunity I hope to understand more about the intersection of global healthcare provision and infectious disease research. Research plays an integral part in tropical medicine and I hope during my time on this project to strengthen my clinical research skills and learn more about the practice of global health research. In my career, I hope to combine my growing clinical skills with healthcare innovation to better support the provision of equitable healthcare throughout the world.

What interests you about tropical medicine and what problems are you interested in solving?
My desire to become a physician initially stemmed from my interest in infectious disease, which invariably led me to tropical medicine. My interest in tropical medicine is rooted deeply at the intersection of medicine and the social determinants of health. As a child in India, I was struck by the morbidity and mortality caused by avoidable injuries and easily treatable infections. Studying in South Africa as an adult, I grew angry by the number of children dying every day from preventable diseases. I would like to incorporate clinical knowledge and cultural understanding to create new solutions to reduce preventable morbidity and mortality.