When third-year medical student Neeya Patel signed up for a rotation in Chattanooga through the More in Common Alliance Program, she didn’t just expect a new learning site — she discovered a whole new way to grow.
“I’d been at Grady for most of my clinical rotations,” Neeya shares. “I wasn’t trying to escape anything — I just wanted to broaden my training a little.”
That curiosity led her to the More in Common Alliance, a collaboration between the Morehouse School of Medicine and Common Spirit Health (parent company to CHI Memorial), designed to address both the shortage of healthcare providers and the disparities in underserved communities.
And for Neeya, that mission became personal.
The Program, birth from a partnership between the Morehouse School of Medicine and Common Spirit Health. Their purpose is to increase diversity in the physician workforce, improve access for underrepresented communities, and provide clinical training through regional campuses like CHI Memorial Hospital in Chattanooga.
One of her favorite parts of the program? The close-knit, one-on-one mentorship that replaced the traditional hierarchy of residents and attendings.
“Here, that middle layer kind of got taken away,” she says. “It gave me an opportunity to grow differently. I got to carry my own patients and run the show — and my attendings didn’t just replace my plan; they helped me refine it.”
That level of trust and support is what makes the program so special. With smaller teams and a focus on relationship-driven learning, Neeya found herself not only sharpening her clinical skills but also connecting more deeply with patients.
“In Chattanooga, the patients remembered my name,” she smiled. “When you have so many people going in and out at a big hospital, that doesn’t always happen. But here, it felt more personal.”
As someone with experience working in underrepresented communities, Neeya also appreciated the program’s emphasis on diversity and inclusion.
“Sometimes it’s hard to find mentorship or see people in medicine who look like you,” she explained. “Dr. Panda, who leads the site, does an amazing job. You can see her passion for diversifying medicine, especially here in Chattanooga.”
The More in Common Alliance aims to create exactly that kind of environment — where students are mentored by leaders who care deeply about equity, and where local communities benefit from more compassionate, well-trained doctors.
When asked if she’d recommend the experience, Neeya didn’t hesitate: “Totally. I’ve told multiple friends — if you get the chance to go to Chattanooga, do it. It’s a different kind of learning experience that enhances you as a future physician.”
With that kind of enthusiasm and heart, it’s clear that programs like More in Common Alliance don’t just build better doctors — they build better communities.
Comments