Tanya Datta
David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA
Tanya Datta (she/her/hers) is a fourth-year medical student at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. She grew up in a first-generation Indian-American household where mind-body modalities such as meditation and yoga were normalized and integrated into her home. She discovered the wonders of a formal mindfulness meditation practice as an undergraduate at the University of Pennsylvania while studying behavioral neuroscience. She credits her mentors at the Won Buddhism Institute of Philadelphia with laying the groundwork for her future interests in integrative medicine. After graduating, she took a clinical research coordinator position at the Lazar Lab for Neuroimaging of Meditation and Yoga in Boston, Massachusetts to further dive into the scientific study of contemplative practices with a geriatric study population. At UCLA along with her wonderful medical school peers, Tanya established a student-led meditation group and created wellness programming incorporated into the new medical school curriculum.
Tanya is excited to pursue a career in psychiatry with a focus on integrative medicine and providing care for underserved and vulnerable populations. In her free time, she loves dancing, learning new languages, baking with friends and petting all the dogs. She is looking forward to learning a lot with and from her fellow HEARTies!
Divya Krishna
Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School in New Jersey