Choosing pediatrics as a specialty was a natural progression of my medical training in India. Once I moved to the United States, I found working in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) a very intense, yet beautiful experience. Knowing that I’m helping families find joy, hope and comfort makes me want to work tirelessly to provide my patients the best care possible.
As a clinical fellow in neonatology, I strive to improve the health of all infants, especially those who are preterm and suffer from poor nutrition. These children usually have different pathologies in the gastrointestinal tract, the most important of which is necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC).
My research takes a deeper look into the microbiome and the genetic factors influencing host microbial diversity. My current mentor, Dr. Michael Helmrath, is internationally recognized in the field of outcomes in infants and children with intestinal failure. I am extremely excited to be part of his basic science and translation research team, working to better understand the biology of NEC.
Necrotizing enterocolitis is a devastating disease in preterm infants with unfortunately high mortality rates. To date, there is no single laboratory test to diagnose NEC. However, I hope my research will help identify specific biomarkers to make faster diagnosis possible.
I am the recipient of the Global Health Scholar Award from Tulane University School of Medicine.