MedTalks: Meet Dr. Jesmin Mitra, MD

(Photo courtesy of Dr. Jesmin Mitra, MD)

Dr. Jesmin Mitra obtained her MD in Bombay, India. She completed four years of residency in England and Scotland, achieving her MRCOG (Member of the Royal Society of Obstetricians and Gynecologists).

She then came to the United States and completed her OB/GYN residency at Temple University Hospital in Philadelphia, becoming board certified and a Fellow of the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology. 

Mitra’s medical journey cannot be simply summed up in a few sentences. From transitioning into a new culture to sacrificing some aspects of her life, Mitra said that resilience shaped her to be the physician she is today.

“Resilience is really everything. Being resilient to change, having grit, and being passionate truly is what I believe makes a great physician,” Mitra said.

Growing up in her hometown, Bombay, India, Mitra took many aspects of her Indian culture and heritage into medicine. She said valuing the culture, traditions, and beliefs that people carry with them is incredibly important to diagnosing the patient. 

Therefore, understanding where they come from and listening to their opinions is equally as significant as diagnosing a patient.

“You can really tell the diagnosis of the patient simply through listening to them. Then your actual medical diagnosis just confirms the decision you made earlier,” Mitra said.

Having more than 49 years of experience in the medical field, Mitra said she cannot imagine herself in any other field. Medicine truly drew her in because of the humanitarian aspect.

Being a doctor meant more than just treating the patient physically: it also meant providing them with emotional support.

“I know that I’m doing what I love when I find myself talking to my patient 20-30 minutes after their allocated appointment time,” Mitra said. “Something about interacting with my patients and empathizing with them is gratifying.”

As a gynecologist, Mitra works with women from a wide range of ages but specifically loves working with elderly women. In fact, each patient of hers is so unique that what she sees at work varies from day to day.

“From seeing love triangles first-hand to helping women understand what her marriage means, I’ve been able to support my patients individually. When they update me with their life and I watch them grow, it brings a smile to my face.”

Also a loving mother, Mitra’s son soon followed his parents’ footsteps into the fascinating field of medicine, focusing on emergency medicine. Being a physician in New York during the pandemic, Dr. Avir was met with an incredible challenge, especially when the pandemic started in New York.

In the Radiolab podcast series “Dispatch 5: Don’t Stop Believin’” Dr. Avir discusses his experience trying to save patients’ lives all while trying to understand how to treat COVID-19.

Other than spending time with her family, Mitra’s favorite activities include hiking, biking, dancing, reading, and of course, interacting with her patients. One future goal that she has is to make a homemade Parsee dish called Dhansak, which is something that she enjoys eating on a traditional Sunday for lunch.

Being such an inspiration to future physicians, Dr. Jesmin Mitra is not only a doctor but also a second mother to many of her patients.