Our Bureau
Kansas, MO
Rithika Ginjupalli, a six-year B.A./M.D. student at the University of Missouri-Kansas City (UMKC) School of Medicine, has made her mark at the intersection of medicine and public health. Ginjupalli, originally from India and raised in Colorado, found her love for orthopedic surgery and community public health at UMKC.
Ginjupalli was honored on June 27 at the University of Missouri Board of Curators meeting as this year’s UMKC recipient of the Remington R. Williams Award, which celebrates the life and legacy of late UMKC alumnus Remington Williams, who died in a car crash in 2022.
As per UMKC Chancellor Mauli Agrawal’s nomination letter, “Rithika consistently demonstrates integrity, respect, compassion and empathy in all her interactions. Beyond her academic achievements, she works collaboratively to build and foster environments of empathy and inclusion wherever she goes.”
As a medical student, Ginjupalli has noticed a lack of crossover opportunities for two of her biggest interests: public health and medicine. With involvement in organizations such as the American Medical Association and the American Cancer Society, she works to effect systematic changes in public health from a medical perspective. She is currently the American Cancer Society’s congressional district lead, collaborating with Congressman Emanuel Cleaver to develop policies.
“Each community is different, and that is part of the challenge when approaching systemic issues,” she said. “Community-based participatory research lets you tailor the interventions to each specific community rather than a one-size-fits-all solution.”
In this work, Ginjupalli found her niche in projects that aim to increase health literacy.
“Rithika has created opportunities for her fellow classmates to learn and participate in these advocacy spaces,” said UMKC Associate Professor Trung Pham, M.D.
Ginjupalli will spend the next year at Johns Hopkins, earning an accelerated Master of Public Health degree before her sixth and final year at UMKC in 2025.
The Remington R. Williams Award is the highest non-academic honor for the students and Ginjupalli will receive a leadership medal to wear at commencement, a $1,000 award and an invitation to be recognized at a Board of Curators meeting.
