Congratulations to our 2024 Winner!
Ananya Munjal
Through the skills I develop in residency, paired with my personal experiences, I plan to work with communities that lack access to mental health, such as adolescents struggling with substance use.
*THUD* I hear as I enter her apartment. "Emma?" No response. I open her bedroom door to find a dazed Emma collapsed on the ground, drool dripping down her chin. "EMMA??" Panicking, I fall to her side, shaking her limp body, surrounded by white tablets. I see needle marks and scratches on her arms. Still shaking her, "Emma what did you take??" No response. I pull out my phone, hands trembling, and dial 9-1-1. Still dazed, she chokes out, "who're you calling?" I look at her with slight relief, "911, What happened??" "Please, I don't want to go, I just need rest," she says with a big gasp of air. The phone's ringing. "Emma, what did you take?" No response. "911, what's your emergency?" I shake her again, noticing her slow, shallow breaths grow further apart. I feel my throat closing and water flooding my eyes. "I think my friend overdosed."
The Opioid Epidemic has been closely intertwined with my life since high school, losing three friends to unintentional overdose. I had the opportunity to commemorate these friends through research on opioid prevention and education in middle schoolers. Unfortunately, this abruptly ended due to the Pandemic, motivating me to give many presentations around the community on this important topic. My deep investment in the field, from seeing and experiencing the pain of losing someone to fentanyl, is one of the many reasons why I am driven to be a psychiatrist. During my journey to be a psychiatrist, I plan to incorporate the lessons I have learned from my experiences to enhance my abilities to become an excellent clinician and continue contributing to the field through research and aiding the underserved.
My current goal, as a resident, is to gain the skills to be a well-rounded psychiatrist by developing a strong foundation in psychotherapy and psychopharmacology. Through the skills I develop in residency, paired with my personal experiences, I plan to work with communities that lack access to mental health, such as adolescents struggling with substance use. I am currently working on developing an opioid education and prevention program at the local high schools in Columbia, SC. After residency, I plan to pursue a child and adolescent fellowship, and focus on addiction and neurostimulation.