Making Mental Health Matter: Simran Batra

As far back as ninth grade, the second-year Northeast Ohio Medical University College of Medicine student can remember wanting to be a psychiatrist.

Putting mental health at the core of her attention, Batra is making the most of her experience at NEOMED. She serves as a student representative on the University’s Mental Health Committee, a responsibility she is passionate about.

“The Mental Health Committee is one of the most exciting things that I think is happening at NEOMED. We’re at the beginning of what could be something that really sets NEOMED apart as a university and as a community hub,” says Batra.

Members of NEOMED’s Mental Health Committee represent departments throughout the entire university, including the Center for Student Wellness and Counseling Services. With input from student representatives like Batra, the committee seeks ways to raise awareness of mental health issues and reduce stigma about receiving mental health treatment. Student curriculum and extracurricular activities are other ways in which mental health education and initiatives are addressed, notes Batra, who is earnest and high-energy in equal parts.

Preparing to serve our country

Following in the footsteps of her brother (Angadpal Batra, a fourth-year College of Medicine student who recently matched into Family Medicine at Tripler Army Medical Center in Honolulu, Hawaii), Batra also enrolled in the Armed Forces Health Professions Scholarship Program.

“I realized there was a whole population that wasn’t being served with mental health care in the way that they deserve to be. Many of our veterans come back from deployments and even from just service and find themselves without support in a system that doesn’t understand what they’re going through,” explains Batra. “It made sense for me to take my appreciation of psychiatry and my love of community service and model that into something that was really going to make a tangible impact early on in my career.”

Involvement is important

In addition to the Mental Health Committee and Armed Forces Health Professions Scholarship Program, Batra serves as a representative on NEOMED’s Student Council. She’s also a leader in the Psychiatry Student Interest Group, Bioethics Club and American Medical Women’s Association, and she volunteers at the SOAR Student-Run Free Clinic.

It’s this kind of involvement that keeps her grounded and allows her to think critically about what she’s learning in class.

Little by little, Batra is having more and more opportunities to apply pieces of information learned to real life experiences. She’s eager to begin serving a population that desperately needs more attention.

“I want to be able to help people as soon as possible,” says Batra. “I’ve been raring to go since I was a freshman in high school.”