My Story
I was born in Hyderabad, Telangana, India in 1997 and moved to Nashville, Tennessee at the age of 4. Hence, I grew up speaking English and Telugu. I had the privilege of visiting extended family in India almost every year during summer or winter break from school. In school, I always loved science and partook in several math and science extracurricular activities and competitions, even winning 4th place in the Tennessee Science Bowl, my favorite activity in high school and one for which I now volunteer as a judge! I started playing tennis in the 5th grade and played in my high school varsity tennis team; I still play recreationally in my county tennis leagues. After graduating as valedictorian of my high school, I pursued my love of science at Princeton University with a concentration in Molecular Biology and a certificate in Neuroscience. My fascination with the brain's complexity and my persistent desire to serve my community to alleviate human suffering led me to medical school back in my home state at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center College of Medicine. [For more details about my extracurricular activities throughout my education, click on Education below.]
Transformative Experience in Medical School
The first two years of my medical school education were preclinical, focused on the biological basis of health and disease (some call this the theoretical phase, as we learn from lectures and books). The final two years were clinical, meaning that students work in healthcare teams at hospitals and clinics to diagnose and treat patients under the supervision of experienced physicians (some call this the practicals phase). With this context established, I can share a transformative experience during one of my first clinical rotations in my third year of medical school when I was able to start seeing patients in the hospital.
It was a busy day as usual in the hospital when we received a new patient whose face was yellow and whose abdomen was unusually large. As our seasoned team expected, this patient had liver failure (in simple terms, the distended abdomen is due to an enlarged liver from chronic alcoholism as well as fluid buildup due to the liver's inability to function normally). Sadly, his case was severe and went untreated long enough that his kidneys were affected as a result, lending him a diagnosis of hepatorenal syndrome (for "liver" and "kidney"). This was a terminal prognosis for him, as he had a life expectancy of about six months. Despite our medical advances, he was not a candidate for various procedures including a liver transplant due to his severity and the fact that he had consumed alcohol within the past six months. Our best option was to provide comfort care to alleviate the pain associated with his condition despite a lack of curative treatment. As he lay in his hospital bed grappling with the reality of terminal prognosis, he still held onto the hope that he would survive long enough to see his grandchildren's next birthday.
I was moved by this patient largely due to his unfortunate status in several of the social determinants of health. He worked in the construction industry, living paycheck to paycheck, and could not afford to miss many, if any, shifts in order to make ends meet. Because of his financial status, he had neither health insurance nor a primary care provider. It was baffling to me that he had not received healthcare in decades. Even though his wife noticed his abdomen enlarging for the past 12 months, he still did not seek healthcare until it was unbearably painful. Had he been seen earlier, perhaps as soon as he noticed symptoms, he may have been a candidate for a liver transplant and could have lived longer with a better quality of life.
On several of my other rotations, I was also struck by another patient complaint: Far too often, patients would say, "Doc, I had to wait 6 months for this appointment to see you." Patient wait times are exceedingly long in many clinics, for both specialists (like neurologists, cardiologists, etc.) and generalists (like family medicine practitioners) alike. Of course, there is a physician shortage throughout the world, which significantly hinders providers' ability to see patients in a timely manner. With all of our technological advances of the 21st century, why can't we create solutions to address these issues?
WE CAN! This is an opportunity for us to improve patient lives by innovating in healthcare. By introducing new, more efficient models, we can transform the healthcare system. Every day, when I see patients suffering with disease, I grieve for them and am motivated to provide a preferential healthcare option. Ever since I saw that patient with hepatorenal syndrome, I have been thinking about different ways of providing healthcare. Some of my ideas are presented on the Healthcare page of this website.
1997 – 2019: Childhood through College
First & Foremost, Thanks to Family
I wouldn't be where I am without the constant support of my family. Pictured here during a family outing are my mom, Sushmitha Samala (center); my sister, Rithika Tummala (left); and me (right). I am always indebted to my mom for leaving her high-earning software consulting career and becoming a stay-at-home mom to ensure the best environment for my sister and me. Once my sister was off to college, my mom pursued her passion and became an investor. Rithika is an aspiring doc just as I was!
I love you, fam!
