Mina Charepoo
Mina Charepoo
Meet Mina Charepoo, MD! She is a Board Certified Psychiatrist at Washington University and is participating in our virtual panel discussion with women leaders in science on September 13, 2021. The panel discussion connects to our production of Digging Up Dessa, which tells the story of a young scientist struggling to process her grief and anger at the changes in her world and the comfort she discovers in a remarkable new friend, one only she can see and hear—Mary Anning. Mary was a 19th-century paleontologist who discovered a breakthrough dinosaur fossil at the age of 12 and became a pioneer in her field.
We asked Mina about her career, challenges, and words of advice.
What do you do in your job?
I am a Board Certified Psychiatrist and I specialize in adult, in-patient psychiatry. I wear several other hats in this organization. I teach psychiatry residents and medical students from Washington University School of Medicine. I am the Medical Director of the in-patient Psychiatric Center, Delmar Campus where I see patients who are admitted to the psychiatric ward through the emergency room and assess them, along with a nurse and a social worker, to determine diagnosis and treatment options. I am a Commissioner on the Board of the Missouri Department of Mental Health. As Commissioner, my job is to be a policy advisor to the department director. There are monthly meetings that I attend with 6 other Commissioners and Department of Mental Health employees. During interview season, I am on the committee for medical school admissions at Washington University and have the pleasure of meeting the most amazing applicants from around the country who are pursuing their dreams of becoming physicians.
What is fun and exciting about your work?
There are many things that I find pleasurable about my work. The relationships I have with the nurses, social workers, and other attendings are strong and nurturing. Teaching medical students and residents pays dividends. But ultimately, taking care of patients using a team approach and including family as often as possible is one of the best aspects of my job.
What are you particularly proud of in your career?
I am very pleased that I have a fulfilling career and I am able to explore every door that has been opened to me. I am pleased that many aspects of my career have afforded me the flexibility to take care of important things in my home life, including self-care.
What made you choose your career?
Honestly, I was raised with the expectation that I would become a professional, specifically, a doctor. My parents were convinced, and convinced me, that to have a career in the service of others was the ultimate life choice. My father is a surgeon, so while there are many careers that are service oriented, naturally he encouraged me to become a doctor, since that is what he knew. I did not resist this premise and have not regretted any decisions I made to end up where I am.
Have you faced challenges as a woman in your career?
This is an interesting question. I have not faced any challenges that have prevented me from practicing medicine or raising my children the way that I want. What is interesting is the way other's perceptions have been challenged by my career choice and life-style. For example, when I introduce myself as someone's physician, they still think that the "physician" has yet to see and evaluate them. They may think that I was the nurse or social worker. For those that understand that I am a physician, they are surprised to learn that I cook dinner 6 nights out of the week because they are assuming that physicians don't have any time for anything except work.
Anything else you would like to share?
Laughter is the best medicine.
Mina Charepoo is a Pennsylvania native who completed her medical school at Drexel School of Medicine in Philadelphia, then moved to St. Louis in 2002 with her husband for her Psychiatry residency at Washington University in St. Louis. Since graduating from residency in 2007, Dr. Charepoo has been working as an inpatient psychiatrist for adults 18 years old and older. She is the Director of the Psychiatric Center Delmar Campus Washington University Psychiatric unit, a Commissioner for the Missouri Department of Mental Health, and has a civil forensic practice. Dr. Charepoo is also actively engaged with the St. Louis area Crisis Intervention Team. Dr. Charepoo and her husband are raising 3 children, 4 chickens, 2 cats, and 1 dog and are happy to call St. Louis, home.