Face of WISEST: Veena Netrakanti


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Veena Netrakanti

1996 CHOICES 

As a child growing up in Edmonton, I was always interested in the sciences, particularly biology and chemistry. As a sixth grader, my teacher selected me and two classmates to attend CHOICES. I still remember that day as creative and exciting! I worked with other girls, as interested in science as I was, to build a bridge out of only newspaper, among other challenging tasks.

Luckily, my family encouraged my interest in sciences, and I remained keen to pursue biology and chemistry in my further studies. I was particularly drawn to physiology and decided to pursue a career in medicine. I earned a Bachelor of Science in biological sciences and chemistry from the University of Alberta, my Doctor of Medicine from University of Calgary, and returned to Edmonton to pursue residency training in family medicine. I currently work as a family physician in Edmonton, focusing my clinical practice in the field of geriatrics. I have also worked as a consultant for companies like Google, lending my clinical knowledge to help combat online medical misinformation.

WISEST remains close to my heart and I continue to volunteer with the organization, including as a role model at SRP and participating in WISEST’s podcast series. I am passionate about advocating for underrepresented learners and hope that as many students as possible can benefit from the amazing programs at WISEST!

Listen to Dr. Veena Netrakanti speak about combating medical misinformation on the WISEST STEM Podcast here.