Dr. Sabita Prasad Ashutosh passed away on June 27, 2022 at her home in Syracuse, NY. She was 81 years old and lived a life across continents. 

    Sabita’s career in medicine encompassed multiple fields. She supported her family in the United States and in India, and was part of Syracuse’s Indian community, which served as her extended family. Sabita was born in Darbhanga, Bihar, India, as the fourth of seven children to Girijesh and Govind Prasad. Inspired by her father, a prominent physician in Bihar, she decided to pursue a career in medicine. Regularly amongst the top of her class, Sabita obtained her medical degree from Darbhanga Medical College in 1963, after which she began practicing as a physician doing OB-GYN at a hospital just steps from her childhood home. In 1968, accompanied by her husband and one-year-old daughter, Sabita emigrated to the U.S.  She completed her residency in medicine at UHS Wilson Medical Center near Binghamton, NY.  She moved to Syracuse in 1974, completing her residency in psychiatry at SUNY Upstate, after which she began working as a psychiatrist at Hutchings Psychiatric Center from 1979 until her retirement in 2008, during which time she also served as unit chief. 

     Sabita was a dedicated worker, adroitly balancing work and family. She was an avid reader, citing Anna Karenina as one of her favorite books. She enjoyed writing poetry, and in addition to the music of Kishore Kumar and Lata Mangeshkar, she also developed an ear for Western popular music, frequently singing along to Tom Petty, the Beatles, and Bob Seger. 

     Sabita is survived by her husband Dr. Kumar Ashutosh, her sister in india, her daughter, Anu Ashutosh, of Bethesda, Maryland, her son, Ishan Ashutosh, of Bloomington, Indiana, her son-in-law, Alexander Djordjevich, her daughter-in-law, Nishanie Gunawardane, and four grandchildren: Maya, Milan, Lili, and Aadhil.

     Services were private.