Dr. Niyatee Samudra: American Academy of Neurology Medical Student Prize for Excellence in Neurology
By Gregg Shields
Dr. Niyatee Samudra spent years as a volunteer, activist, and counselor, developing a passion for neuroscience as a Dean’s Research Scholar studying hippocampal abnormalities in psychosis disorders in conjunction with Dr. Carol Tamminga, Chairman of Psychiatry at UT Southwestern Medical Center.
Dr. Samudra also worked on a retrospective study of patient characteristics and treatment options for autoimmune epilepsy with a neurology resident and epilepsy faculty. The year resulted in authoring or co-authoring several papers for academic journals. In addition, Dr. Samudra was first author on a poster titled “Anterior hippocampal-cortical resting-state fMRI disconnectivity is a psychosis biomarker,” which was presented at the Fourth Biennial Conference on Resting State and Brain Connectivity.
“A career in neurology felt like a natural fit for me, because I have always been fascinated by neuroscience,” Dr. Samudra said. “In medical school, I found that I love seeing neurology patients in every subspecialty that I've experienced. I enjoy all aspects of being a neurologist, from the neurologic exam to the many exciting prospects for being a clinician-researcher and changing outcomes for neurology patients.”
This wealth of interest and experience helped Dr. Samudra in receiving the 2015 American Academy of Neurology Medical Student Prize for Excellence in Neurology.
“Dr. Samudra has distinguished herself as an outstanding student in clinical neurology,” said her mentor, Dr. Mark Agostini, Associate Professor of Neurology and Neurotherapeutics. “She is one of the most academically motivated students I have ever worked with. At the same time, she is a compassionate and kind individual who will be a great doctor.”
While earning a bachelor of science degree in brain and cognitive sciences at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dr. Samudra volunteered at the Boston Area Rape Crisis Center as a telephone hotline counselor, and counseled survivors of domestic violence at The Network/La Red in Boston. While in UT Southwestern Medical School, she worked as a supervisor at the Magdalen House in Dallas, a detoxification facility for female alcoholics providing counseling and assistance to residents.
She credits Dr. Agostini for his encouragement, and Dr. Christiana Hall, Associate Professor of Neurology and Neurotherapeutics, and Neurological Surgery, for introducing her to neurocritical care.
Dr. Samudra will begin her neurology residency at UT Southwestern, and hopes to continue on to a fellowship in neurocritical care.
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Dr. Tamminga holds the Lou and Ellen McGinley Distinguished Chair in Psychiatric Research; Communities Foundation of Texas, Inc. Chair in Brain Science; and the McKenzie Foundation Chair in Psychiatry I.
