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Medical Student
The Ohio State University
Columbus, Ohio, United States
Sat Kartar Khalsa is a fourth year medical student in the College of Medicine at The Ohio State University. Their passion for understanding the interplay of social determinants of health has led them to conduct research in sex trafficking, substance use, and prison reform. Specific to human trafficking, they have interviewed victims of sex trafficking in the local community as part of a qualitative study as a research assistant in the College of Social Work. They have also participated in outreach and engagement with trafficked victims by providing them with resources to meet basic needs. During the pandemic, they started a research project with prison inmates that examined COVID-19 outbreaks among inmates and staff in Ohio prisons and the human rights violations reported by inmates and their families. Sat Kartar’s work also extends beyond academia and involves advocacy that includes giving testimony and declaring racism as a public health crisis at the State House on numerous occasions. In the future, Sat Kartar plans on applying to emergency medicine residency, with the ultimate goal of specializing in child abuse and sex trafficking.