For This Medical Student, Her Cancer Research Is for Her Little Sister

Ritu Amarnani (M'27), a second-year medical student, spent this summer researching cancer care in Georgetown's Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center.

She is one of the first BellRinger Fellows- a program in which students work with a team in the cancer centerto advance their academic research and understanding of cancer treatment and care.

The role is one Amarnani has personal experience with.

In high school, Amarnani volunteered at a pediatric hospital in her hometown of Miami, Florida. She played with children who were going through cancer treatment there. A year in, her nine-year-old sister was admitted to the same hospital. She had been diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia.

"Sahana was seven years younger than me, and so [growing up] everything that I did, she wanted to do, too," she said. "As I got older, I understood I was her role model. I began to lean into the big sister role. While I didn't know it then, I became the person that planned her last birthday party."

In the hospital, Amarnani began playing with her sister just as she did the other kids, so that "their diagnosis didn't seem so scary."

Ritu Amarnani and her sister Sahana.

Six days after her sister's diagnosis, and a few days into her chemotherapy treatment, Sahana passed away from a stroke.

"There isn't a day that goes by that I don't think of her," Amarnani said.

Her sister's passing marked a turning point in her life. Amarnani wanted to make her little sister proud. And she wanted to help patients who were going through similar situations. She turned her career focus toward medicine.

While attending Northeastern University, Amarnani worked as a medical assistant in Beth-Israel Deaconess Medical Center's hematology-oncology unit, gaining as much exposure to the field as she could.

"I realized that I could turn my grief and pain into something that could help others in similar situations," she said.

Armarnani was accepted into Georgetown's School of Medicine in 2023. Now in her second year, she is working under the mentorship of Dr. Nina Kadan-Lottick, a pediatric hematologist-oncologist who specializes in cancer survivorship. Amarnani is conducting research for a study that examines why cancer patients might not return for follow-up care and the social determinants of health that impact their access to survivorship care.

"Our project aims to understand why people don't come back for treatment," she said. "Is it a matter of access to healthcare, financial constraints, insurance? There may also be an issue of providing appropriate patient education after cancer treatment."

Armarnani is one of four fellows in the Mitchell BellRinger Oncology Research Fellowship Program, which is named in honor of Dr. Stephen Ray Mitchell, dean emeritus of the Georgetown University School of Medicine, who played a pivotal role in the growth of medical student research. This fall, BellRinger will host its annual bike rideto support cancer research at Georgetown Lombardi, which Armarnani will join. She said it's a reminder that "humanity comes together when it counts the most," she says.

"People show up for one another. I felt it a lot when people came around for my sister, even people that I haven't seen in years," she said. "Between the atmosphere, seeing thousands of people come together for BellRinger's mission, raising money for research at Georgetown Lombardi, and knowing that I am personally benefiting in addition to my mentors and peers, is something I can't wait to experience, and will forever be grateful for."

This fall, Amarnani will continue to advance cancer research initiatives at Georgetown Lombardi, and continue to honor her sister's memory.

"I cannot bring my sister back, but I can see pieces of her embedded in my bedside manner and in my patients," she said. "For Sahana, I will constantly aspire to be someone she could be proud of - someone that she could have called her big sister."

This story was adapted from a blog post by Alyssa Bielinski originally published on BellRinger's website.

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