Face Value: Ravi Karra

Third-year medical student, a leader of the Duke chapter of the North Carolina Student Rural Health Coalition, a Stead Scholar, Phi Beta Kappa, and a bass guitarist.

Describe yourself in three words:

Motivated, pensive, mischievous

Describe Duke in three words:

Lots of opportunities

Why Duke?

Opportunity. In medical school at Duke, you have a third year to do research. So I can do medical school and research without having to get another degree. It's the best of both worlds. It's a part of the curriculum that a lot of other medical schools don't offer.

What one thing would you change about Duke?

I would try to relax things a bit more.

Who do you value most?

My dad

What do you value most?

Honesty

In his words:

I see myself as a student but as a teacher as well. Seeing people in the hospital offers a unique vantage point into their lives, and I enjoy the chance to observe and interact. Students can really help teach others a lot, and we need to be receptive to what our peers have to say and be willing to share our own thoughts. It's a way for me to give back to the system that has given my family and me our opportunities. Education is what brought my family to this country and is what is helping me achieve what I want to achieve. I also seek to be creative at heart. While I haven't pursued music for a while, I think medicine--like teaching--is an art. There is the art of the physical exam, the art of diagnosis, and so forth.