Medicine Rooted in Compassion

“My life has become so much more colorful and vibrant since starting medical school,” says fourth-year College of Osteopathic Medicine (NYITCOM) student Mereena Jolly. Fueled by a dedication to service, Jolly’s medical school journey reflects a deep commitment to becoming a compassionate physician.

Jolly grew up in a religious family, learning about charity and sacrifice from her mother. Coupled with living in India from 4 to 14, where she witnessed healthcare disparities firsthand, she is instilled with a deep desire to serve others and impact not just individuals but also entire communities. “I’m incredibly grateful that I had the courage to pursue this path,” she says.

Her path did not begin in medicine, though. In 2019, Jolly graduated from The City College of New York with a bachelor’s degree in anthropology. While studying at the school’s Harlem, N.Y., campus, she connected her childhood observations of healthcare inequality with her adult views of broader social issues. Poverty, addiction, and homelessness in the college’s surrounding areas inspired Jolly to pursue a medical school education.

“I studied how structural violence contributes to health inequities, and I saw its effects. This deepened my commitment to promoting health equity and serving marginalized populations,” she reflects.

Two external scholarships, the 2022 Dr. Marcia A. Sherman Memorial Scholarship and the 2025 Summit Health Cares Next Generation Scholarship, help support her studies and recognize Jolly as a female medical student of color and as a future physician who demonstrates efforts to create healthier communities.

At NYITCOM, Jolly has served as a mentor through the Big Brother/Big Sister program, as secretary of the school’s Christian Medical Student Fellowship (CMSF), and as treasurer of the NYITCOM Osteobeats dance group. She also takes part in Muslim Student Association and Maimonides Society gatherings. A “huge fan of cross-cultural and interfaith events on campus,” Jolly says these experiences have broadened her understanding of patients’ diverse religious and cultural needs and inspired her to explore ways to aid and improve community health through faith-based organizations.

Her selflessness does not stop when she leaves campus. Before the spring 2024 semester ended, she carried out one more service opportunity with CMSF and organized the Easter-Spring Food Drive to collect donations for her local church’s food pantry. The drive brought in more than 100 food items, completing one of Jolly’s most fulfilling NYITCOM service experiences to date.

“I had never seen such visible need in a [church] community I thought I knew so well. That experience left a lasting impression on me,” she says.

Jolly weaves community service tightly into her studies. She strives to raise awareness of unmet needs in neighboring communities and feels called to integrate service into medicine in meaningful, human-centered ways. “Humanism in medicine extends beyond patient care,” she explains. “It includes mentorship, advocacy, and ensuring that basic necessities are accessible to all members of our community.”

Since 2020, she has been living out that sentiment as a mentor with DiverseMedicine Inc., a nonprofit dedicated to increasing ethnic and socioeconomic diversity in medicine. She volunteered as a mentor to premedical students and continues to meet virtually with pre-health students of all ages from across the country, sharing her experiences as an osteopathic medical student.

Her altruism earned her a spotlight in June through NYITCOM’s Positive STRIDES Recognition Program. Positive STRIDES recognizes outstanding members of the NYITCOM community who complete “good-kind-positive-inclusive” acts, and Jolly received several nominations. Citing the food drive and her involvement with DiverseMedicine, the program commended Jolly for her “exceptional commitment to service, leadership, and cultural engagement.”

In addition to giving back, Jolly seizes every opportunity to celebrate her Indian roots—that is, family, culture, and faith—both inside and outside the NYITCOM community. Each year, at the school’s Student National Medical Association’s Taste of Nations event, she performs a solo dance representing India through a blend of traditional dance styles. This spring, she plans to return to India to combine research with community service, conducting work at a local hospital while giving back to the community that shaped her both personally and professionally and inspired much of her journey into medicine.

In line with her goal to become a board-certified psychiatrist—a career that blends her interests in medicine, storytelling, and understanding the human experience—Jolly is applying to and interviewing for psychiatry residencies. After earning her degree in spring 2026, she hopes to spend the following four years in training.

“I want to advocate for equitable, compassionate, and culturally informed psychiatric care for individuals, especially immigrants and underserved communities,” she says.