Aparna Kanjhlia

I spent a majority of my childhood in India and moved to the United States for my undergraduate degree. I had always had an interest in medicine, and experiences during my undergraduate degree such as- clinical neuropsychology research, organizing mobile clinics in Nicaragua and listening to the struggles and achievements of patients with Parkinson’s and their families while raising money for the Michael J. Fox Foundation- further strengthened my resolve to dedicate my life to medicine.

I have always been interested in neuroscience and was able to participate in clinical neuropsychology research to study neural networks using fMRI data. During medical school, I had a family member affected by multiple neurological conditions back in India and it got me further interested in neurology. During my neurology rotations, I began to really value the systematic head-to-toe approach and the diagnostic value of the neurological exam which ultimately led me to pursue neurology. 

What stood out to me about University of Maryland’s Neurology program was the genuine interest of each faculty member in knowing what mattered to me as an applicant, especially Dr. Crino, the chair. I wanted to be in a program that provided a rigorous training, ability to treat and learn from a diverse patient population and above all, a supportive environment- qualities that were evident in this program. I have thoroughly enjoyed living in Baltimore, and its close proximity to DC. I can’t wait to begin my neurology training after intern year.