Student Spotlights
IU School of Medicine graduate crowned Mrs. India International 2014
June 5, 2014
Balancing life and medical school is a juggling act. Just ask recent IU School of Medicine graduate Arthy Saravanan, M.D., who spends her days as a radiology resident at Northeast Ohio Medical University, serving as a member of the American Medical Women’s Association and, most recently, being the newly crowned Mrs. India International.
Arthy Saravanan, M.D., center, on stage with her fellow contestants at the Mrs. India International competition in Atlanta, Ga. | PHOTO COURTESY OF ATIN RANJIT PHOTOGRAPHY
Dr. Saravanan, who beat out 13 other women in last month’s competition, decided to apply to the pageant on a whim. Although she had never previously been involved in pageantry, she was drawn to the Mrs. International pageant system because of its modern and unique take on traditional beauty pageants, and its incorporation of family values.
“The Mrs. International pageant system is not just based on looks or what you wear or how you model,” Dr. Saravanan said. “It’s based on the accomplishments of the entire woman in terms of what they have done career wise and what they have been involved in, in the community.”
With her newly appointed title, Dr. Saravanan hopes to raise awareness about the growing issue of health care disparities among underprivileged women and children worldwide.
“I believe that health care should be made available equally to women and children, not discriminating on their socioeconomic status,” she said. “I plan to fundraise and donate to charities that support this cause, and volunteer my time as a physician to help them receive adequate health care.”
Dr. Saravanan graduated from the IU School of Medicine in 2011, where she was involved with several student organizations and charities on campus.
Dr. Saravanan is crowned Mrs. India International 2014 on May 3 in Atlanta, Ga. She will go on to represent India in the global finals of the Mrs. International 2014 pageant. | PHOTO COURTESY OF ATIN RANJIT PHOTOGRAPHY
“One of the reasons I chose to attend IU was because of the amount of extracurricular activities it had to offer for students in terms of service organizations and volunteer opportunities.”
During her four years at IU, she won the IUPUI Top Female Leader Award in 2009 and co-chaired IUSM’s Evening of the Arts, which showcases talents of medical students as well as others in the community. She served as the programming chair and treasurer for the American Medical Women’s Association (IU Chapter) and volunteered in the Office of Medical Student Learning, where medical students donate their time and services to those in the community. She also co-chaired the Adolescence Substance Abuse Prevention Program, which has medical students visit local schools and teach children about the dangers of substance abuse.
“Those kind of experiences IU offered really made it stand out for me,” Dr. Saravanan said. “It made it a more well-rounded experience than just sitting in a classroom.”
Dr. Saravanan is currently working to complete her residency specialty training in radiology at Northeast Ohio Medical University and is anticipated to graduate in 2016. She hopes to pursue her fellowship sub-specialty training in women’s imaging.
Dr. Saravanan, right, with her husband, Ranjith Varadarajan, and 1-year-old daughter, Anya.
She continues to be actively involved in the American Medical Women’s Association, where she serves as the resident division treasurer. She has seven academic journal publications and has presented at more than 10 national and international medical conferences on a variety of medical subjects.
During her reign as Mrs. India International, Dr. Saravanan will also partner with Every Women, Every Child, an organization that will allow her to help spread awareness about her goal of equalizing health care disparities among underprivileged women and children. She said that her pageant platform and the field of medicine she is studying go hand-in-hand and will allow her the opportunity to take what she’s learned in her medical education and residency training to make a difference in women and children’s lives.
“Taking this pageantry experience back to residency,” Dr. Saravanan said, “has made me a more well-rounded person. It has introduced me to so many different people around the world and I’ve got to meet some terrific women, all who are doing some phenomenal work.”
As Mrs. India International, Dr. Saravanan will represent married Indian women in the global finals of the Mrs. International 2014 competition on July 25 and 26 at the Times-Union Center for the Performing Arts in Jacksonville, Fla.
