For Supriya Challa, the decision to pursue medicine didn’t begin in a classroom or clinic. It began in a therapy office, where a provider helped her rediscover her voice.
Growing up in Okemos, Mich., Challa faced significant challenges in childhood that could have derailed her path. Instead, those experiences became the foundation for her future in medicine.
“Having a therapist who really listened and helped me reclaim my voice was transformative,” she said. “It showed me how powerful compassionate care can be, especially for children who feel powerless.”
That early experience sparked a deep interest in mental health, which was reinforced at home. While Challa was still in elementary school, her mother began psychiatric residency training at Michigan State University. Watching her mother’s example, Challa developed an early understanding of how medical expertise could be paired with empathy.
When she was a bit older, her mother accepted a position in Kentucky, bringing the pair to a new state and opening an unexpected door. When they visited UK’s campus, the choice quickly became clear.
“UK immediately felt like a place where I could thrive,” she recalled.
In 2022, Challa graduated with honors from the UK College of Arts and Sciences and the Lewis Honors College, earning her degree in psychology before matriculating to the UK College of Medicine.
As she explored different specialties in medicine, one path continued to stand out.
“I realized medicine — especially child psychiatry — was the way to combine my curiosity about the body and mind with the ability to advocate directly for and treat vulnerable kids,” she said.
Mentorship has also been important during her medical school journey. Challa expressed gratitude for mentors Fareesh Kanga, MD, and Jane Kim, MD, assistant professors of psychiatry, who helped guide her through the foundational stages of training. During the clinical-focused years, she credits Sarah Oros, MD, program director of the combined psychiatry-internal medicine residency program, and Amy Meadows, MD, director of the division of child and adolescent psychiatry, as key mentors as well.
“I’ve been incredibly fortunate to learn from mentors who truly invested in me,” Challa said. “They took the time to teach in ways that resonated with me, and that helped me grow more confident in my voice and my clinical reasoning.”
She is also quick to credit the people who sustained her outside the classroom, including her mother, Dr. Anu Challa; her best friend, Jami Fisher; and the friendships she formed throughout medical school — some that shaped a season of her life and others she knows will last a lifetime.
Through both personal and professional challenges, Challa has also developed a strong perspective on sustainability in medicine.
“I’ve learned that caring for patients well also requires sustainability,” she said. “You want to do the greatest good for as many patients as possible while still protecting your own well-being. Find your ‘why,’ protect it, and let it remind you why the hard days are worth it.”
That mindset — paired with her lived experiences and training — continues to shape the kind of physician she hopes to become.
Looking back, Challa sees her journey not as a story defined by early hardship, but as one shaped by purpose and growth.
“My past has shaped me, but it doesn’t define the limits of what I have to offer,” she said. “If anything, it enhances the care I can provide to the children and families I’m preparing to serve.”
Now a fourth-year medical student, Challa will soon begin the next step of her training: residency. The transition from student to physician is one she approaches with both excitement and a sense of responsibility.
“This path has been my dream since I was 12, and I move into this next chapter with deep gratitude, a strong sense of purpose, and an unwavering commitment to the children and families I hope to serve,” she said.
Challa will remain at the University of Kentucky College of Medicine in Lexington for residency, joining the integrated child and adult psychiatry program. The structure of the program, which combines general psychiatry with additional training in pediatrics and child neurology, made it an ideal fit for her goals.
