Ravindhi joined Corpus as a Choral Scholar and recalls having to juggle the many lectures and practicals of her medical degree with choir practice, evensong, concerts, and formal halls. Receiving post and parcels has always been an exciting time for students, Ravindhi recalls her first delivery was a skeleton called Ralph from her anatomy supervisor. “It was certainly something of an icebreaker with the rest of the freshers, in what felt like a very intense first term. There were so many new people to meet and so many weird and wonderful customs and traditions to appreciate.”

One of her favourite events of the year was the Cambridge vs Oxford Corpus Challenge, where she recalls that enthusiasm and attitude were in abundance - even if sporting prowess was not! She would play on the football team, then cheer raucously on the sidelines, before dancing the night away with her friends. “It was always an incredibly fun day despite the fierce competition between the two colleges.”

After graduating, Ravindhi worked as a junior doctor at Addenbrookes Hospital, where her interest in cancer research and oncology began. She went on to hold academic clinical fellowships, sponsored by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) and Cancer Research UK, combining her clinical work with research. She was awarded a Wellcome Trust Drug Discovery Fellowship to complete her PhD in cancer drug development at the Institute of Cancer Research (ICR), London. During this time, she was elected to the Board of Trustees at the ICR. She then completed her medical oncology training in London and currently works at Chelsea and Westminster NHS Foundation Trust, specialising in colorectal cancer.

“Life and learning at Corpus definitely helped me to develop my intellectual curiosity and research skills.”

Over the years, Ravindhi has worked as a medical adviser to a range of organisations, including venture capital groups, biotechs, start-ups and charities. She is passionate about improving cancer care and currently works as a medical adviser at the Cancer Research UK Centre for Drug Development, alongside her NHS role.

Ravindhi lives in London with her husband, four children and dog. She looks back fondly on her time in Cambridge, “I am incredibly thankful to have met so many endlessly talented, entertaining, and kind friends during my time at Corpus. We have spent the last 20 years cheering each other on and can still be found on the dancefloor together.”