Since graduating from high school in 1993, I have maintained a focused trajectory in medicine. My aspiration to become a physician was influenced by my family's medical background and by observing my grandparents' experience with Type 1 diabetes. After ranking among the top 500 students in India, I was admitted to Madras Medical College. In 2000, I relocated to the United States to broaden my medical expertise and pursue opportunities in advanced academic medical centers. After achieving strong USMLE scores and performing well in interviews, I completed my Internal Medicine residency at St. Barnabas Hospital in New York, an affiliate of Weill Cornell Medical College. Motivated by a deep interest in physiology and diabetes, I pursued subspecialty training in Endocrinology at Charles R. Drew University and the LA County Hospitals in Los Angeles. During my second year of fellowship, I volunteered at Venice Family Clinic, where I was the only Endocrinologist providing care on Saturdays. This experience enhanced my clinical skills and reinforced my commitment to serving underserved populations. During this period, Adventist Health recruited me to join their team in Hanford.
Relocating to Hanford in 2007 marked a transformative period for my professional, personal, and spiritual development. In my current role, I serve as a clinician, academician, teacher, and entrepreneur. For the past 18 years, I have been the sole Endocrinologist in Kings County, providing outpatient clinics, inpatient rounds, and teaching rounds with medical residents. This traditional model of practice has greatly enhanced my clinical confidence. In 2007, I established Central Valley Endocrinology, a comprehensive endocrine practice in Central California that delivers advanced care to adults in the rural Hanford-Visalia region. My private practice remains my primary responsibility, and I also provide care in the evenings and on Saturdays at Adventist Health Rural Health Clinics. Medical residents in both Family Medicine and Internal Medicine rotate through these clinics and my practice, facilitating concurrent clinical work and teaching. Since 2007, I have served as a faculty member at the Adventist Health Family Medicine Program, encouraging residents to deepen their understanding of diabetes, thyroid disorders, and complex endocrine conditions. I frequently emphasize to residents that proficiency in Endocrinology is integral to primary care. My contributions to the Family Medicine Residency Program have been recognized with multiple Outstanding Teaching Academic Awards, and I was honored by Loma Linda University with an invitation to serve as an Assistant Professor. In response to the increasing need for an Internal Medicine Program, I became a Founding Core Faculty member. I am actively involved in resident selection, regularly participate in noon didactics, and deliver endocrinology lectures. I have published several peer-reviewed articles and presented posters at national conferences, including the American Diabetes Association and ADCES. Additionally, I have had the privilege of mentoring residents in both medicine and career development, and of providing spiritual guidance.
Alongside my clinical responsibilities, I have cultivated a strong entrepreneurial focus. I established one of California's most successful endocrine practices, measuring success by patient outcomes. I view education as a lifelong therapeutic tool. Previously, my practice employed two diabetes educators; however, after their retirement in 2018, I was unable to recruit replacements for my underserved community. This challenge inspired me to create a telehealth company that connects educators nationwide with underserved towns. Diabetes education is highly effective, with participation alone reducing A1C by 0.7%, as recommended by organizations such as the ADA and AMA. Despite coverage by CMS and all insurance plans, only 6 percent of patients receive diabetes education, primarily due to access barriers. Notably, 62 percent of nonmetropolitan counties lack an education program. In response, I assembled a team, developed educational content and technology, and launched My Diabetes Tutor, a nationally accredited telehealth diabetes education program, in fall 2020. My Diabetes Tutor is contracted with CMS, Medicaid, and commercial plans, and has expanded to 80 employees. Our business model involves collaboration with Health Systems, Medical Practices, Health Plans, and Device Companies that refer patients to us. We provide individualized virtual services in multiple languages and bill insurance companies and device companies for these services. The program serves Medicare patients nationwide and Medicaid patients in Illinois, California, and New Mexico. It is also launching nationwide device training in partnership with Durable Medical Equipment Companies and the first Pediatric Diabetes Education Program in the country. I am particularly proud that our program has enrolled over 9,000 patients, achieved a 1.6-point reduction in A1C, maintained a 98% patient satisfaction score, and published several posters at national conferences. These initiatives serve as quality improvement projects for Adventist Health Residents. In 2023, I made time to attend Wharton Business School to acquire entrepreneurship skills, which I now teach to our medical residents. My Diabetes Tutor is for-profit, venture-backed, and has also received public funding. My goal is to expand this program into a national brand for diabetes education, serving millions of Americans with diabetes, improving outcomes, and reducing diabetes-related complications.
Over the next two decades, my objective for the local community is to transition my practice into a group practice, establish an Endocrinology Fellowship Program at Adventist Health, and enhance access to endocrinology services in Central California.