DR . WHO Mini Das , MD by KATHRYN VANCE
By her 10th birthday , Dr . Mini Das had already lived in three countries . She was born in India , and her family moved to England when she was 7 , then to the U . S . three years later . Both of her parents were physicians , her mother a psychiatrist and her father in internal medicine , so once here , they had to redo some of their training . Dr . Das and her two younger sisters , now both also physicians , got used to frequent moves , with stints in Michigan , Texas and Alabama over the next few years .
The next several years were accelerated . She finished high school at just 16 years old , then attended Judson College in Marion , Alabama and graduated in three years , at only 19 . While she knew she had the academic confidence and a natural family pull toward medicine , she was also considering a future as a chemistry teacher or an equestrian . For a year after college , she took a respiratory therapy job at a local hospital where her father worked .
“ It was great , but I knew I wanted more . I enjoyed it and I saw how I could help people , but realistically , I decided that I needed to do more . I needed to have a little bit more control of the situation and the ability to direct change .”
She entered medical school at the University of Alabama at Birmingham . After getting through didactics , when rotations finally began , she knew she made the right choice .
“ There ’ s a heavy VA program at UAB and that really impressed me . When those patients go through what they ’ ve been through , and what they ’ re still going through , it ’ s pretty amazing . The VA folks
are so kind and nice , and just so appreciative of you helping them , even if you ’ ve poked them five times trying to get blood at 5 a . m .”
She knew something in internal medicine was what she wanted by process of elimination – neither pediatrics nor surgery was a fit for her . In 1991 , she moved to Rochester , Minnesota to start her training at Mayo Clinic . While in her cardiology rotation , she was able to see the fellows in action , solidifying her next move .
“ There was one call night that I remember just being so in awe of the cardiology fellows and what they do with the right tools and the right training . You can make a huge impact ,” she said . “ Cardiology just made sense to me . In some of the other fields , I would struggle a bit more in terms of the mechanics , but in cardiology , two plus two equals four … most times . The basics are the basics and I like that .”
The search for her fellowship home was short , as she was able to stay in Rochester as she ’ d hoped . Knowing the ins and outs of the program made it an easy decision for her .
“ Mayo was very resident-friendly , and they know that you don ’ t know as much as you think you might know . I had a lot of fantastic physician mentors and some great research opportunities , and it just fit very well . I had to study , and I triple-checked myself five times before I left every day to make sure I did everything right , but other than that , I didn ’ t feel overwhelmed ,” she said . “ It was more just getting used to the cold , really . I remember my first Thanksgiving there , I think there were 4 or 5 feet of snow . I figured if I didn ’ t get too frozen in the first three years , I might as well stay for another five .”
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