What is your job title/your role at Scottish Rite for Children?  
I am the Medical Director of Radiology and a Staff Radiologist.

What do you do on a daily basis or what sort of duties do you have at work? (You can also include a brief description of your department)
I provide imaging services to our pediatric orthopedic patient population. I also image patients from other services, such as rheumatology and neurology. My team provides imaging services, such as X-ray, CT, MRI, ultrasound and fluoroscopy. As a staff radiologist, I interpret the imaging exams that our technologists perform. As the Medical Director of Radiology, I am responsible for overseeing the operations of the department and ensuring we are providing timely and high-quality, evidence-based care.

What was your first job? What path did you take to get here or what led you to Scottish Rite? How long have you worked here?
My first job was as a part-time cancer researcher in the Department of Pharmacology & Toxicology at the University of Alabama at Birmingham during college. It was great to get some experience under my belt. Through my medical training years, I have meandered around the country. I did 4 years of college in Birmingham, AL, 5 years of medical school and public health school in Baltimore, MD, 4 years at a diagnostic radiology residency in Burlington, VT, and one year at a musculoskeletal radiology fellowship in New York, NY. Then, I took my first faculty position as an MSK radiologist at the University of Michigan in 2017. I came to Scottish Rite just about 2.5 months ago, with an initial start date of Jan 31, 2022.

What do you enjoy most about Scottish Rite?
The culture and the people! Even when I interviewed for the position of Medical Director, I knew that what would make me sign on the dotted line was the daily interactions I would have with colleagues (and now friends) here. I love the patients as well, of course.

Tell us something about your job that others might not already know.
I prepare way more than some may realize for all of the meetings I’m a part of now. And, I do my absolute best to follow-up with each person I’ve made a commitment to.

Aside from necessities, what one thing could you not go a day without?
Kissing my 3-year-old daughter and my wife goodbye in the morning when I leave for work.

What is something that always makes you smile?
My daughter, without fail.

What’s one fun fact about yourself?
Believe it or not, I once (i.e. in high school) was a break-dancer. I even did a few shows in my high school.

How do you identify within the Asian American and Pacific Islander community?
I was born in India but moved to the US when I was just 3 years old and have lived here ever since. I practice Hinduism as my religion. My wife was born and brought up in India until the age of 23. We both have strong cultural influences from India and try to keep our heritage and culture at the forefront of our minds, particularly as we raise our young daughter.

What brings you joy about your heritage and culture?
The focus on familial ties is a big thing for me. I love how everything in our culture is centered around the family, and there is immense respect put on parents and grandparents. In my culture, it is routine and even normal for parents to live with their children once they reach a certain age and are no longer able to care for themselves (rather than go to an assisted living facility or nursing home.) I love my parents so much and would gladly welcome them into my home.

Favorite travel destination?
Hawaii for sure because of its unmatched beauty.

Favorite meal or special recipe?
I love Thai food!