Second-year medicine student Raman Bhambra’s journey to her medical education started with tears. Lots and lots of tears.
Her mother signed her up – without her knowledge – to attend NEOMED’s MEDCAMP before her freshman year of high school. When Raman found out, she was not pleased.
“My mom basically forced me to go,” Bhambra says now, with a laugh. “She wanted me to spend my summer doing something productive, and she would always mention that we did not have any physicians in the family. She really wanted to introduce me to the thought of attending medical school.”
Bhambra even got her grandmother involved, hoping she could help get her out of MEDCAMP. She was intimidated by the thought of being away from home for three nights at a Kent State University dormitory (the norm at that time). She also just didn’t like the idea of spending part of her summer at a medical school where she wouldn’t know anyone.
Despite her protests, Bhambra ultimately attended MEDCAMP. The three-day experience turned out to be life-changing, in a good way, and it propelled her toward her career path. Bhambra enjoyed the hands-on lessons, which weren’t like anything she had ever experienced in a classroom. She learned how to perform sutures, read X-rays and diagnose patients. She also made several connections that continue to guide her.
“I made three close friends at MEDCAMP, and we all ended up in different areas of the health professions,” says Bhambra.
MEDCAMP led to something that made Bhambra’s mother extremely happy: her acceptance and enrollment in the NEOMED College of Medicine.
Now a second-year medicine student, Bhambra has found a home at NEOMED in and out of the classroom. Bhambra is a health care mentor to Twinsburg High School students who are considering careers in medicine. And in addition to her demanding coursework, she serves as president of the Committee for Student Clinical Research, in charge of organizing the Student Research Symposium scheduled for Nov. 19. Not only is she coordinating various aspects of the event; she also works to connect first-year medicine students with a research mentor to help them learn the ropes.
In the summer of 2021, Bhambra’s MEDCAMP experience came full circle when she served as a mentor to students attending the program.
“I really enjoyed being a resource for them and sharing my experiences as a medicine student,” says Bhambra. “It can be intimidating for high school students to approach faculty and professionals, so I was happy to help them the way others helped me, back when I was in their place.“