LSA Debutante: Trinity Jantarach unveils her medical aspirations to help the underprivileged

Welcome back to Lifestyle Asia Thailand’s LSA Debutante, where we meet Thailand’s younger generation and talk about their thoughts and opinions on current topics. Today, we’ve sat down with Trinity Jantarach, a brilliant young woman, who’s here to talk to us about her aspirations in life and future goals to help the underprivileged. 

As high school comes to an end, many students find themselves grappling with uncertainty for their future path. The pressure to either choose a degree or a career can be overwhelming because how does one truly know what they want to do at the age of 18? However, amidst this confusion, 17-year-old Trinity Jantarach stands out with a clear vision for her future. Currently in Year 12, Trinity’s passion for science, health equity, and community service shines through. And with her strong desire to pursue a medical career, she aims to dedicate her life to helping the underprivileged, ensuring that any medical advancement should reach the people who need it most. 

[All images courtesy of Trinity Jantarach]

LSA Debutante: Trinity Jantarach unveils her medical aspirations to help the underprivileged

This is your last year in highschool. When was that pivotal moment that solidified your interest in pursuing a medical career?

I’ve always been drawn to medicine as a career because I spent a lot of time at my mother’s clinic growing up. I believe that being in that kind of immersion, watching her work, somehow instilled this attraction to the field, inspiring me to pursue the same career to make a difference.

However, the moment that truly solidified this desire was when I was volunteering as a tutor at the Mercy Centre in the Klong Toey slums. When I was teaching English, I noticed a girl had a ringworm infection, a type of fungal infection, due to the red scaly patches on her skin. I found out that this was quite common in the slums due to the poor sanitary conditions. Witnessing that firsthand and seeing how it impacted the children’s lives—whether it was their ability to focus on learning or simply enjoy playing outside—not only sparked a strong desire in me to find a way to help but also helped me realize I wanted to pursue a career in medicine.

Was there any pressure to pursue the same career as your parents?

I’m really fortunate in the way that my family is supportive of what I’m pursuing as long as I feel fulfilled and passionate. Although I know it’s a part of many Asian cultures to push their kids to be a doctor, lawyer, or engineer, I’ve never got any of that from my parents. They’ve always encouraged my self-discovery, so for that I feel incredibly privileged and grateful.

Tell us about your research project.

After my experience at the Mercy Centre, I truly wanted to make a difference and help out. When I discovered the ringworm infection, I found out that the kids were being treated with a steroid cream which produces harmful side effects because it causes thinning of the skin and blood vessels after repeated usage. As a result, the kids would stop using it, which made the infections come back. After having this information, I was motivated to seek an alternative treatment, drawing inspiration from Thai herbal medicine.

I discovered an herb called Snake Jasmine, which had been claimed to have anti-fungal properties. Since traditional medicine is often perceived as being less credible, I wanted to scientifically validate its effect myself through research and bridge the gap between cultural Thai knowledge and modern science.

Hoping to transform my research idea into a reality, I reached out to Associate Professor Sittinan Chanarat, Chairman of the Biochemistry Department at Mahidol University to propose an investigation on the anti-fungal properties of Snake Jasmine. Much to my surprise and delight, he was supportive of the research topic, so over the past 6 months, I’ve been regularly attending his lab, ‘The Laboratory of Molecular Medical Mycology’ at Mahidol’s Faculty of Science. Working closely with graduate students in every step of the process – from extracting the herb to testing its effect on fungal growth –  and learning all the lab procedures and techniques has made this experience truly eye-opening for me.  The positive results encouraged me to develop an alternative treatment cream for ringworm using Snake Jasmine and establish my social enterprise, Botanica, to get it into the hands of those in need.

I returned to the Mercy Centre and arranged a donation of the Snake Jasmine cream, working with the head nurse to ensure they were distributed to children and adults suffering from ringworm, as well as monitoring their treatment progress. Seeing their skin improve over time and how they were able to use the treatment consistently without the harmful side effects of the steroid cream was extremely encouraging. Just being able to have some sort of a positive impact on their health was the most rewarding for me. 

You’re the founder of the after school club Science Pioneers. What inspired you to establish this?

Ever since I started secondary school, I’ve always wanted to join a science program where we could do hands-on experiments. With that, I created Science Pioneers because it was something I would have wanted when I was younger and I knew a lot of students wanted that too. It’s a program where seniors teach younger students science through practicals so that they’re able to explore science beyond class time and experience a new way of learning.

You’ve also launched a bakery called Petite Sun. Tell us about your experience on creating a small business.

Petite Sun was something I started because I wanted to combine my passion for health with one of my hobbies, which is baking. And with the growing health concern regarding Vitamin D, I thought what better way to incorporate this essential compound than through food. Nowadays with the modern lifestyle and the Asian beauty standards that favor pale skin, people are spending more time indoors. Therefore, if not from the sun, it’s important we obtain Vitamin D through our diet.

So, I decided to take my regular mochi bread recipe and fortify it with plant-based Vitamin D, so people could have a convenient and enjoyable way to increase their Vitamin D intake. With much positive feedback from friends and family, I was motivated to start an online shop to try and spread its benefits beyond just my inner circle. This was my first venture into the world of small business.

After helping disabled individuals and employing them at Petite Sun, what is your view on inclusive hiring in Thailand?

Nowadays, there’s a greater emphasis on inclusivity and diversity in the workplace for minorities, whether in terms of disabilities, gender, ethnicity, and so on. However, many businesses still view inclusive hiring merely as a requirement to meet, resulting in these individuals often being confined to stereotypical roles that don’t align with their true skill sets.

To improve the situation, I believe we first need to revise the prejudiced beliefs against minorities within society. As for companies, they should try expanding their pool of applicants with recruitment partners, so we can ensure that all employees have the opportunity to grow and succeed within the environment.

Lastly, in what ways do you envision combining your passion for biomedical sciences with your diverse experiences in community service to shape your future career in medicine?

So far, my experiences have taught me the importance of addressing the health disparities in Thailand – as for the future, I hope I can ensure that any medical advancements reach the people who need them the most. I aspire to combine my knowledge in science and medicine, along with my commitment to serving underprivileged communities, to make healthcare more equitable wherever my journey takes me next. One thing I know for sure is how I’ll always return to my roots, my home country and help its people (smiles).