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a car for the first four years they lived in the city.
“New York was a total culture shock. I’d just come from the
simple life. Now I could take the subway wherever I wanted to go,”
Dr. Azad said.
Soon he was accepted at New York Medical College to pursue a
Master’s Degree in Public Health.
When his degree was nearly complete, Dr. Azad put in applications from New York to Texas and New Orleans. During interviews
across the state, he and his wife traveled with their new son, Tej,
who was born in 1991. Along the way, Dr. Azad happened to interview at U of L.
He didn’t match directly but later received a call from Dr. Steven
Stern asking if he was interested in the internal medicine residency
program. With the offer on the table, Dr. Azad and his family were
coming to Kentucky.
“It was an amazing change,” he continued. “When you travel in
New York, it’s noisy. There’s shouting and honking. I couldn’t sleep
for two or three days when I got here because it was too quiet. But
this part of the country has its own charm. People are much more
courteous here than in New York and there has been more space
for my children to grow and play.”
The family ended up living across the river in Southern Indiana
where it was easier for Vyoma to get a physical therapist license
to transfer from her learning in India. “I said, ‘Why don’t we live
in Indiana?’ I don’t mind crossing the bridge and I like the area.”
Upon arriving, the couple had their second child and first daughter, Amee. Today, she is an undergraduate at Washington University
in St. Louis and considering primary care. Tej Azad, meanwhile, is
pursuing Neurosurgery at Stanford University.
“As a working dad, I didn’t have much time while they were growing up. I found a picture from his tennis team and they’d written
Dr. Tej Azad with a picture of the brain nearby. That was when I
realized what he wanted to do.”
Following residency, Dr. Azad continued finding paths for himself
as well. He pursued a one year fellowship in Occupational Health
at the University of Cincinnati and also joined the Kentucky Air
National Guard.
“That was the reason I became a citizen. I could have kept my
green card but I wanted to serve the country in a military capacity.
I really enjoyed the collegiality among the medical squadron. I was
38
LOUISVILLE MEDICINE
the new kid on the block, but they were so wonderful to nurture
and guide me.”
After two years in the Air National Guard, Dr. Azad left to focus
on family and his growing practice in Southern Indiana. He began to
take a great interest in medical associations and societies by joining
GLMS, the Indiana State Medical Association (ISMA), the KMA,
the AMA and the American College of Physicians.
“If we are united, we have a stronger voice. Not only can we make
progress but, if we stand together, we can keep our legislators from
undoing some of the good things that have happened.”
Dr. Azad pursued responsibilities in the ISMA as a reference
committee member, then commission of education, then assistant
treasurer for two years before becoming ISMA treasurer for six
years. Soon after, he was elected ISMA president for the 2013-14
session and now serves as past president.
“My family is still back home, so my friends are my family. The
ISMA and GLMS, they are my extended family,” he said.
As their children pursue dreams of their own, the Azads have a
little more time to relax. They travel when possible and will soon
head back to India for a wedding in November. For Dr. Azad, his
crowning travel achievement was seeing Glacier National Park in
Montana. “For me, it was like going to heaven. It was so tranquil,
so picturesque. I told my family, ‘If I die, I have no regrets now that
I’ve seen this.’”
As he gets more time, Dr. Azad hopes to rekindle his spark for
writing short stories and poems, to travel more, and to build on the
friendships he’s made with his fellow physicians in both Kentucky
and Indiana. Most importantly, he wants to continue to care for his
patients, some entering their 80s, 90s and beyond.
“I have a little different philosophy,” said Dr. Azad. “I’m a physician
only because I have patients. I can have a lot of titles. Blah blah blah.
But if I don’t have patients, I’m not a doctor. I’m very humble that I
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