Medha Reddy, M.D., a member of the New York Medical College (NYMC) School of Medicine (SOM) Class of 2024, and a resident of Silver Spring, Maryland, has been chosen as the national recipient of the prestigious 2024 Excellence in Public Health Award from the U.S. Public Health Service (USPHS). The award was presented to Dr. Reddy by Lieutenant Commander Dara Lee, M.D., M.P.H., a medical officer in the Commission Corps of the USPHS, during the 2024 SOM Awards Ceremony May 20 on the NYMC campus in Valhalla, New York.
“We are thrilled that Medha Reddy has been awarded this prestigious award,” said Neil W. Schluger, M.D., SOM dean. “Medha’s exceptional dedication to women’s health and her commitment to addressing health-care disparities in under-resourced communities have set her apart. Her accomplishments exemplify the highest standards of medical excellence and underscore the profound impact of compassionate, equitable care, a hallmark of NYMC. We are incredibly proud of her achievements and look forward to her continued contributions to the field of public health.”
“I am elated to witness Dr. Mehda Reddy’s unwavering dedication to serving others being rightfully acknowledged by the USPHS,” said Mill Etienne, M.D. ’02, M.P.H., vice chancellor of diversity and inclusion and associate dean of student affairs, who nominated Dr. Reddy for the award. “She epitomizes the essence of a public health professional, leaving an indelible mark on NYMC and the well-being of countless communities. Her influence is profound, and the future holds even greater promise.”
As a medical student, Reddy served as the lead clinical investigator on projects identifying and addressing health disparities, including the impact of migraines during pregnancy upon neurovascular and obstetric outcomes, the influence of gender-affirming hormonal therapy upon seizure incidence, and socioeconomic and racial disparities in alteplase administration for the treatment of acute ischemic stroke. Her commitment to improving the accessibility of health-care services and management has generated more than 50 accepted publications and presentations in academic journals.
Committed to translating her clinical experiences and research findings into actionable change for her patients and colleagues, Reddy used her role as co-chair of the American Medical Women’s Association’s National Gender Equality Task Force and vice-chair of the American Medical Association’s Medical Student Section’s Women in Medicine Committee to author resolutions promoting the advancement of health equity in numerous spheres. Her resolutions prompted state and national medical societies to establish better social, physical and economic environments in a range of areas, including promoting the equitable representation of women in clinical trials, the expansion of Title IX policies on sexual harassment, equal pay for female-identifying physicians, and enhanced Medicaid coverage of preventative women’s health screening programs.
As her class began medical school in a largely remote format due to the Covid-19 pandemic, Reddy was a campus leader for health-care worker burnout and wellness. As a student senator, she collaborated with the NYMC administration to organize events and embraced her role in establishing resources that equip the next generation of physicians with the skills to address health disparities in their clinical practice.
Her endeavors to eliminate health disparities earned her many accolades, including the Diana Award, “the most prestigious accolade a young person aged nine to 25 can receive for their social action or humanitarian work, ”the United Nations Youth Assembly Distinguished Youth Speaker Award, MIT Solve Global ChallengeSolver Award, Maryland Women’s Heritage Center Unsung Heroine Award, and the Maryland Governor’s Citation.
After completing her M.D. program, Reddy plans to expand upon this work by continuing her training as a neurology resident at the University of Chicago Medical Center and by pursuing a master’s degree in public health and fellowships in women’s neurology and neuroepidemiology.
Founded in 1860, New York Medical College (NYMC) is one of the oldest and largest health sciences colleges in the country with nearly 2,000 students and 475 residents and clinical fellows, more than 2,100 faculty members, and 26,280 living alumni. The college, which joined Touro University in 2011, is located in Westchester County, New York, and offers degrees from the School of Medicine, the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, the School of Health Sciences and Practice, the Touro College of Dental Medicine at NYMC and the Touro College School of Health Sciences’ nursing program at NYMC.
