Neharika Akkoor
Medical Education:
University of Illinois College of Medicine, United States of America
Undergraduate:
University of Illinois, Chicago, IL
Philosophy
I grew up in Aurora, IL, a large suburb of Chicago, and I attended the University of Illinois at Chicago for college. As a pre-med philosophy major, I loved learning about philosophy of mind and philosophy of science, analyzing the framework of scientific thought and exploring the connection between the mind and body. I spent a year in India studying Sanskrit and Indian philosophy from primary sources, developing my interest in languages and yoga. In college, I was involved in tutoring and education, spending time teaching health education classes to inner city youth in Chicago Public Schools. I was given the opportunity to participate in weeklong service-learning trips, working on community projects in small towns across the US, including rural Appalachia and the Cherokee Nation. Learning about the challenges that people across the nation face due to poverty and limited health care access was profoundly touching, and their stories stuck with me as I entered medical school.
In medical school at UIC, I was given many opportunities to work with marginalized populations in the diverse neighborhoods of Chicago. As part of a community project, I led mental health and wellness workshops at a shelter for survivors of domestic violence. Spending time with the women and children there was humbling, and learning about their experiences made me wonder about the impact of trauma on physical and mental health. Volunteering at a free clinic for immigrants and refugees, I was again struck by the impact of socioeconomic status on both physical and mental health. Although the patients were complex—with chronic medical problems complicated by mental illness or history of trauma—I loved getting to know the patients and caring for their multi-generational families. I was inspired to learn how to care for patients in a comprehensive way, addressing their challenging medical and psychiatric needs as well as their social concerns.
From early on, I knew my career would involve serving vulnerable populations, and it soon became clear that combined training in family medicine and psychiatry was the right path for me. I am excited to join the combined FM-psychiatry program at UCSD! I look forward to being part of a community where I can learn to provide integrated care for physical, mental, and social needs of underserved patients.
Outside of medicine, I enjoy hiking, gardening, and spending time in nature :) I love practicing yoga and meditation.
