A third‑year med student and Rice Board Fellow sits at the intersection of women’s health, community medicine, and nonprofit leadership.

In this episode, Shivanki Juneja shares how her MD–MBA program and board service helped her understand healthcare finance and impact, why stories from postpartum moms and safety‑net clinics pushed her toward OB‑GYN and health equity, and how she hopes to make preventive care and judgment‑free visits the norm for her future patients.

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Key Questions Answered

1. How did a dual MD–MBA program and the Rice Board Fellows lead Shivanki Juneja to The Rose’s boardroom?

2. What did Shivanki actually learn sitting through finance reports, cash‑flow statements, and committee meetings?

3. How did early community work with incarcerated women, underserved students, and postpartum moms shape her view of womens health?

4. Why did one 19‑year‑old new mom’s contraception questions solidify Shivanki’s passion for OB‑GYN?

5. What does Shivanki see up close at Houston’s safety‑net hospital about support, access, and health literacy?

6. How does Shivanki define preventive care and why does she think our system still pays for disease, not prevention?

7. Why does Shivanki believe primary care and screening could lower both suffering and system costs over time?

8. How is Shivanki planning to balance residency training with long‑term goals in community and public health?

9. What does a “safe space with no judgment” look like in Shivanki’s future OB‑GYN practice?

10. How are younger physicians, including Shivanki and her peers, rethinking trust, listening, and advocacy for women left out of care?

Timestamped Overview

00:00 Dorothy introduces Shivanki Juneja, a Rice Board Fellow and dual MD–MBA student serving on The Rose’s board.
01:18 Shivanki explains the Rice Board Fellows program and why she asked to be matched with a womens health nonprofit.
02:09 She describes earlier encounters with The Rose’s mobile coaches at community health fairs as a Baylor College of Medicine student.
03:37 Shivanki shares how volunteering at Harris Health clinics and other community projects drew her toward medicine and service.
05:35 Dorothy asks what she is really learning in board meetings; Shivanki connects accounting and finance lectures to real budgets and decisions.
06:07 Shivanki talks about sitting on committees and seeing how strategy, mission, and numbers come together in a nonprofit.
07:28 She outlines her long‑term interest in OB‑GYN and future work in community or public health after residency.
09:52 Shivanki tells the story of a 19‑year‑old postpartum patient whose questions on contraception and infant care revealed gaps in health literacy.
12:01 Dorothy reflects on how many patients do not even know what they need and how confusing multi‑doctor care can be.
13:38 Shivanki talks about uninsured patients, big extended families, and how safety‑net hospitals become both care and support.
14:40 She describes how women sometimes turn to the health system seeking support they do not find anywhere else.
16:46 Shivanki says she first knew The Rose as a referral option and then, through “mission moments,” saw the lives behind the statistics.
17:25 Dorothy asks what might have made the fellowship richer; Shivanki focuses on feeling welcomed, mentored, and fully included.
19:04 Shivanki honors mentors, especially neurologist Louise McCullough, who modeled nontraditional paths and reminded her that “life is long.”
20:28 Shivanki admits her hardest task now is deciding how to use all her training, experience, and passions as she graduates.
22:57 Dorothy asks what one thing Shivanki would change in healthcare as it exists today.
23:12 Shivanki argues for a cultural shift toward preventive care, screening, and primary care instead of only treating advanced disease.
25:21 Dorothy points out that the system is still set up for symptoms and end‑of‑life care rather than prevention.
25:42 Shivanki explains how current incentives make prevention harder to prioritize, even when clinicians believe in it.
26:07 Shivanki shares interest in both high‑risk pregnancy and infertility and plans to explore options during residency.
26:37 Dorothy asks if Shivanki will encourage women to put themselves first; Shivanki describes creating a judgment‑free, honest space.
28:04 Dorothy calls that approach a cultural shift and ties it to rebuilding trust in medicine.
28:20 Shivanki expresses faith that her generation of physicians can help repair trust by listening and making space for patients’ stories.
29:02 Dorothy thanks Shivanki and asks her to stay in touch through residency and beyond; Shivanki thanks The Rose for the experience and impact.