Student Doctor and Generational Dreamer

Student Doctor and Generational Dreamer

From Our Voices, Our Future by Meghan Etsey, Rhea Manohar, Meenu Immaneni, and Laura Uricoechea

May 8, 2026 · 19 min · Season 3 · Episode 5

About this episode

The episode explores the impact of generational sacrifice and gender expectations on pursuing a career in medicine through the experiences of medical student Sehaj Pahwa.

In this episode of Our Voices, Our Future , we sit down with Sehaj Pahwa, a fourth-year medical student at St. George’s University and member of the Gender Equity Task Force through the American Medical Women’s Association, to explore how generational sacrifice, gender expectations, and financial barriers shape who gets to pursue medicine, and who doesn’t. During this episode we talk about the emotional weight of fulfilling a dream her mother was not allowed to pursue, the motivation and pressure that come with generational progress, and the persistent inequities women still face in medical education and leadership. Sehaj shares reflections on resilience, representation, women’s health advocacy, and what it means to create new possibilities for the next generation. You can find more information about the work AMWA’s Advocacy Committee has done and how to join their efforts here: https://www.amwa-doc.org/our-work/advocacy/ You can find more information about AMWA’s Gender Equity Task Force here: https://www.amwa-doc.org/our-work/initiatives/gender-equity-task-force/ If you are interested in joining the group, reach out to getf@amwa-doc.org If you are interested in learning more…

People in this episode

Hosts: Meghan Etsey, Rhea Manohar, Meenu Immaneni, Laura Uricoechea

Guest: Sehaj Pahwa

Topics covered

  • generational sacrifice
  • gender expectations
  • financial barriers
  • women in medicine
  • medical education
  • health advocacy

Keywords

  • medical student
  • gender equity
  • women's health
  • resilience
  • representation
  • medical leadership

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: St. George’s University, American Medical Women’s Association, AMWA’s Advocacy Committee, AMWA’s Gender Equity Task Force

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