Board Member Spotlight
Global view,
CHILD-FOCUSED
was born and brought up in a small village in India,
where healthcare was hard to come by. Because of the
lack of resources, I knew even in early childhood that
becoming a physician would be good for the community. I wanted
to be the first doctor in our village.
Contrary to my plans to practice in India, I grew up to become
more curious about healthcare in the rest of the world. I completed
my medical education in India, and then went to Kingston, Jamaica,
for my pediatric residency. The healthcare and living standards were
better than in India, but resources were still quite limited. Each day,
we made very difficult decisions about how to best utilize the
resources. The hospital had two ventilators. If they were both being
used and another baby was in need, a decision had to be made which
baby would get the use of the machine. I was 25 years old and this
experience gave me a completely different perspective on life. I
thought that if I could take care of babies without the handicap of a
material shortage, I would be in seventh heaven.
I
The path to pediatrics in Central Texas
I completed my four-year pediatric training and went on to
practice as a staff physician in general pediatrics. I saw and treated
conditions that are not commonly seen in the United States, such
as neonatal tetanus and rheumatic heart disease.
From Jamaica, I went to Washington, DC, and completed my
fellowship training in neonatology at Georgetown University. It
was the 1980s and the height of the drug and sexually transmitted
diseases epidemic. I thought resources were squandered in
comparison to Jamaica and it broke my heart seeing babies suffer
from man-made illnesses and drug withdrawal. I was very
bothered by how resources and health were taken for granted. My
experiences gave me a strong understanding of healthcare from
developing countries to big cities such as Washington, but I
welcomed the opportunity to come to Central Texas.
A future filled with promise
The best part of my job is seeing tiny, fragile babies recover, beating
all the odds, and coming out ahead. I cannot imagine anything more
joyful than seeing these babies growing up, meeting all their
milestones, and watching their expressions and interactions with
their parents. We had a baby with hydrops fetalis, a condition that
produces swelling of the whole body, including the lungs. Most
infants with this condition do not survive. At one point, we felt the
situation was hopeless and told the family as such. After two months
in the hospital, the baby managed to go home with ultimately a very
good outcome. We helped the teen mom take care of her baby, day
in and out, during the hospital stay. The mom brings this child in
every few months to see us. It gives me unbelievable satisfaction to
have such a good outcome from such a serious condition.
Scott & White’s size and scope have nearly doubled in the last
three to four years—as has the depth of care we provide. Our board
is very focused on consolidating our recent gains and refining our
services to the community. I’m especially looking forward to the
incredible resources we will have available at the new Children’s
Hospital. It is a far cry from what we were able to do for the babies
I cared for during my residency. I’m deeply honored to be a part of
the Scott & White team and its commitment to this community. ★
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