Tell us about yourself.
I’m originally from Chattanooga, TN, but headed to Houston for college and medical school where I received my MD from Baylor College of Medicine. During my med school years, I got to do a 1-year student fellowship at the CDC and really fell in love with Atlanta. I did my residency at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center where I was in the Global Health and Underserved Populations track, which is also where I met my wife Maanasa.
I came to Emory after that and have been at Grady since 2011. There, I get to split my time between inpatient services with the house staff, supervising them in their primary care clinic, and I also have my own practice at Grady’s Ponce de Leon Center.
Why did you decide to go into medicine?
Growing up, I always had an interest in science and wanted a career that would make an impact in other people’s lives. I actually went to college with the plan of becoming an engineer. But then I found that medicine offered more human interaction, potentially more immediate benefits, and the opportunity for long-term relationships with the people I wanted to help. I definitely made the right choice!
What does “clinical excellence” mean to you?
As physicians, I strongly believe that we are privileged in the role that we can play and that society expects from us. I also recently heard a speaker say that our patients share with us their struggles and pain, giving us more information than they might their own families, and often at their most vulnerable time. We are also trying to improve systems that may already be working well, using science to guide new innovations to do so. But we also see times when our systems are failing, whether in our institution or at the local or national levels. I think being clinically excellent is a great responsibility that comes with the privilege of the job, to deliver the best quality care to those who share with us their struggles, make the system work better for all of us, and train future providers to do the same.
Dogs or cats?
Sorry to say that I’m not much of a pet person, but if I had to choose, it would be dogs.
What do you like to do in your spare time?
I try to spend as much time as I can with my family. Maanasa and I have three children: Shreyas (6), Sejal (3), and Sajan (almost 1). I recently have found a new interest of being an assistant soccer coach. Growing up, my family loved to travel, and though it’s a bit harder with the young kids now, we still try to travel frequently even if only for the weekend. And hopefully, soon I’ll get to see Black Panther!
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