Anita Mantri 1986-2016

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Anita Mantri passed away on November 10, 2016. She was the shining star for her parents, long-time Katy residents Vishakh and Shubha, her sister Trisha, and grandmother Kumud Vaidya.


After receiving a Bachelor of Science in Earth Science from Rice University in 2009, Anita was accepted into the M.D./Ph.D program at Texas A&M College of Medicine with the intent to pursue aerospace medicine. Her dream was to become a NASA flight surgeon, in order to research how the space environment can lead to clinical solutions for health problems on Earth. Throughout her career, Anita also worked at the NASA Ames Research Center as well as the NASA Johnson Space Center. Earlier this year, Anita was awarded her Ph.D after successfully defending her dissertation that examined the effects of oral contraceptive pills on bone’s response to exercise and spaceflight. Through her research, Anita was given the incredible opportunity to present to NASA officials and members of the United States House of Representatives.

 

At the time of her passing, she was a third year medical student doing her clerkship rotations at Houston Methodist Hospital. She was also the president of the Aerospace Medicine Student and Resident Organization (AMSRO), a member of the Aerospace Medical Association (AsMA) Council, and a Space Life Science fellow for the National Biomedical Research Institute (NSBRI). She enjoyed serving as a teacher for home-schooled students with kidney transplants in Houston and mentored high school seniors aspiring for college through the DePelchin Center. 

 

While her professional career was filled with immeasurable successes along her brief journey, her personal passion for music and performing arts was where most recognized and experienced her zest for life and infectious personality. She trained in both American-style and Indian classical-style singing, and was ready to share her talents with anyone to brighten their day. She truly enjoyed and embraced her multicultural Indian, Canadian, and Jamaican heritage through food, culture, and art and shared that abundantly.

 

Funeral Service was held at Schmidt Funeral Home – 1344 West Grand Parkway South, Katy, TX 77494, on Tuesday, November 15.

Donations may be made to the Anita Mantri Memorial Scholarship through the Texas A&M Foundation. (For the online form, the Fund # is 33198.) The scholarship will be awarded annually to an M.D./Ph.D student at Texas A&M College of Medicine.