In Their Parents Footsteps: Siblings Enter Saint Louis University School of Medicine Together
07/31/2024
ST. LOUIS – Attendees were seeing double at this year’s Saint Louis University School of Medicine White Coat Ceremony.
Aarti and Arjun Sahai, siblings in a triplet set, have shared essential milestones over the years. On Sunday, July 28, they added one more to their repertoire. They were part of the incoming Class of first-year medical students at SLU.
From left, Arjun and Aarti Sahai, siblings in a triplet set, are incoming first-year medical students at Saint Louis University School of Medicine. Photo by Kyle Kabance.
Unlike their brother, Akshut, who’s studying to become a dentist at Arizona State University, Aarti and Arjun chose to enter the medical profession like their parents, Animesh, M.D., and Madhu, M.D., who cloaked their children in their first white coats at the ceremony.
Aarti and Arjun are among 26% of incoming medical students who are SLU alums, earning undergraduate degrees in public health and neuroscience, respectively. They were also among 15% of the class who came from SLU’s Medical Scholars Program.
Training to Address Health Disparities
Natives of Kentucky, Aarti and Arjun lived in Washington state before moving with their parents to Sikeston, Missouri, at the start of their sophomore year in high school. Growing up in a rural community in the Bootheel, Aarti and Arjun noticed it was a hotspot for underserved populations.
Rural Missourians often face more disparities in health outcomes than their urban and suburban counterparts, in part from challenges accessing health care. Aarti said it’s jarring to witness “critical components” of urban and rural communities going without the care they need. Still, Aarti said she’s being trained to address health disparities.
Aarti credits the program with an early introduction to the biopsychosocial approach to medicine that systematically considers biological, psychological, and social factors and their complex interactions in understanding health, illness, and health care delivery.
The siblings say they gravitated to SLU because of its reputation as a top-ranked research university where faculty and students conduct ground-breaking work to address the world's toughest challenges. Aarti and Arjun are already impacting their community in positive ways.
Through an ongoing research internship with the City of St. Louis Department of Health, Aarti is playing a pivotal role in the fight to end the HIV epidemic. She created HIVE: The Art of Coming Together, a multi-pronged, community-based intervention program that tackles HIV health education at the individual, institutional, and community levels to increase the uptake of HIV prevention resources in underserved, marginalized groups ages 13-24 in the city of St. Louis.
As an ASPIRE Research Fellow through Washington University School of Medicine, Arjun assisted in a clinical trial that investigated the safety and efficacy of a diabetic medication in a sample of epileptic adults. He was also paired with a pediatric neurologist to assist with research on the health outcomes of parents of children with epilepsy who were found to have higher rates of stress, anxiety, and depression and exceeded the threshold for behavioral health referrals. He and his mentor presented their findings at last year’s Child Neurological Society annual meeting.
Looking ahead to their plans after medical school and residency, the duo said they’re keeping their options open. But one thing for sure is they will remain committed to service, Aarti said.
Arjun agreed, “I was drawn to SLU’s commitment to community-driven initiatives, which is a big part of SLU’s mission. I want to learn how I can play a role in this.”
White Coat Ceremony 2024
Latest Newslink
- Achieves Prestigious R1 Status, Joining Elite Group of U.S. Research UniversitiesR1 designation is the highest classification that universities can attain for research activity. SLU’s rise to R1 is the result of a decade-long, institution-wide effort to become a national exemplar for educational and research excellence. Since 2014, the University has focused on creating a robust research environment that fosters collaboration across disciplines and offers new opportunities for faculty and students to explore today’s most urgent challenges.
- Six SLU Students Advance to Semifinalist Stage for Fulbright GrantsSaint Louis University's Office of Competitive Fellowships and Scholarships has announced that six SLU students have been selected as semifinalists for the prestigious Fulbright U.S. Student Program. Fulbright decisions are updated regularly, and applicants will be notified in the spring whether they have been selected as finalists to receive the award.
- Tickets to See Colson Whitehead Receive 2025 St. Louis Literary Award Go on Sale on February 7Tickets for the St. Louis Literary Award ceremony honoring Pulitzer Prize-winning author Colson Whitehead will go on sale Friday, Feb. 7, at 10 a.m. Whitehead will receive the award on April 9 at the Sheldon Concert Hall. Tickets for the 2025 St. Louis Literary Award event are $15 and available through Metrotix.
- Second SLU Golf and Give Challenge Set for February 25-26The Saint Louis University community is invited to chip in and stock the Billiken Bounty food pantry by playing miniature golf holes created by SLU students. The innovation challenge is led by SLU's School of Science and Engineering and Chaifetz Center for Entrepreneurship.
- Chaifetz Center for Entrepreneurship Accepting Applications for Second New Venture Accelerator CohortAfter a successful first year, Saint Louis University’s Chaifetz Center for Entrepreneurship is opening up applications for its second New Venture Accelerator (NVA). The NVA, which offers students and young alumni an opportunity to launch their businesses with financial support, resources, and mentoring from SLU experts, launched in 2024 with an initial cohort of four businesses.
- Annual Martin Luther King Jr. Tribute Speakers Urge HopefulnessTaking action and working to improve life was a common theme at the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Tribute ceremony on Thursday morning. SLU and St. Louis community members gathered in the St. Louis Room of the Busch Student Center for the annual event, a partnership between SLU and the Urban League of Metropolitan St. Louis, to remember and honor King.