By Ara Jansen
Third-year medical student Navya Nukamreddy has a big heart and is passionate about hearing from and caring for her future patients.
As a young girl Navya Nukamreddy was inspired by the idea of helping and comforting others, ideas she correlated to the role of a doctor and they have been her drivers to become one.
When she was 12, a chin injury sent Navya to the ER. There was plenty of blood but what she remembers clearly was the kindness and empathy of the doctors who treated her.
A subsequent visit to an orphanage in India gave her firsthand insights into healthcare inequalities. The lack of basic necessities such as sanitary pads forced women to create unhygienic period underwear, something that could increase the risk of infection. This sparked her interest in one day contributing to global health.
Almost two decades later Navya is making her contribution. She’s driven by a desire to help people feel better and is currently a third-year medical student at Curtin University.
“I realised I wanted to make other people feel the way those doctors had made me feel,” says Navya, who is the first person in her extended family to pursue medicine.
Born in India, Navya and her family moved to Perth for her first nine years. The Nukamreddys then moved to Dubai and returned to Perth in 2020 for Navya to finish school and start her medical studies.
On Navya’s list for her future career are obstetrics and gynaecology, being a GP, or focusing on children’s health.
Her experience in the former has re-enforced her interest in women’s health, while the idea of being the first port of call as a GP, never knowing what you might have to treat and getting to know patients over many years, is highly attractive.
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Her parents’ generosity, especially when it comes to helping others – such as in orphanages and asylums – has deeply influenced Navya and her desire to make a meaningful impact.
That includes being active in the advocacy space and with her extracurricular activities such as being secretary for the Pre-Vocational Obstetrics & Gynaecology Society WA and the National Coordination WA representative for AMSA Global Health.
Her past work and contributions include being a UCAT tutor (University Clinical Aptitude Test) for Year 11 and 12 students, the 2024 Curtin University junior representative and Vampire Cup representative for the Australian Medical Students Association and the past President of the General Practice Students Network (GPSN) at Curtin.
Earlier this year, she visited the Indian Institute of Mother and Child (IIMC) in Kolkata and says the visit taught her a lot and reaffirmed medicine and caring for people are her passion and that she wants to maintain this type of connection.
Navya believes in holistic medicine and listening to patients rather than being hellbent on a diagnosis without hearing what’s actually being said.
“In the future I very much want to be involved in research, in particular around women’s health and I’d like to be able to bring that new knowledge and awareness to wider populations. I’d like more women to feel heard.”
Juggling her studies, extracurricular activities and just life in general has forced the medical student to become highly organised. Navya likes to sit down every week and make up a plan and a schedule – ensuring nothing is forgotten or accidentally ignored.
“I write down everything I need to do, and I allocate time for it. I map it out, allocate colours to activities.Plus, I have to make sure I allocate free time as well. I didn’t always do that in high school and I think it took a toll on me. I do give myself some leniency, but I definitely like to have structure and acknowledge when I need a rest.
“I get support from my friends and family. They know when I’m in study mode and when I won’t reply for a while. With my friends from Dubai, they tell me when they are going to call, so we plan ahead.”
This year Navya has done her GP placement. She enjoyed learning how a GP and a practice work.
“The doctor has a lot of knowledge and was very adept at sharing it with patients. He helped the patients feel good about their health, so I learnt a lot of things that can help me help patients feel better.
“I always think ‘today I’m going to learn something that might possibly help someone in the future’. That’s what stuck with me. It’s a learning process and it’s about getting to know people.
“It’s the same environment that Curtin provides. It’s not just about seminars and interactive sessions that help you learn, it’s engaging with all the people you come across.”
The chef of the house, Nayva lives with her parents and younger brother. She’ll put on her headphones and create a three-course dinner as a way to relax. Apparently, her Pad Thai is excellent.
“When I’m cooking, my family are happy because they know they are going to get a good meal. I love making pasta – it always feels warm and healing – and chicken stir fry.”
Things don’t always go to plan in the kitchen though, a recent experiment to make a peach cobbler turned out more salty than sweet because Navya had her mind on her studies.
To relax and keep fit, Navya plays badminton, enjoys walking around her neighbourhood and loves to talk.
“I talk a lot. My friends know that. I love a good debrief and I’m there for my friends as well, even if I’m in the middle of studying about the radial nerve.”
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