While attending Cornell University as a pre-medical student majoring in chemical engineering, I met and fell in love with my wife. She invited me to meet her parents which I happily accepted. Upon discovering that her father was a nephrologist, I pounced on an opportunity to shadow him at his work. I was surprised to discover the heavy utilization of chemical engineering in the field of nephrology and was intrigued. Although I was initially drawn to nephrology due to the science of dialysis, my interest in the field grew as I came to understand the importance of the patient-physician relationship in medicine. Throughout my medical training I found few bonds tighter than those between patients and their kidney doctors.
Medicine at its core is not about fancy buildings, advanced devices, or even medications. I believe the heart of medicine is the relationship between the patient and physician. Medicine begins with trust and succeeds through communication, respect and understanding. My great joy as a nephrologist is building relationships with my patients in order to create the right treatment plan according to each individual patient’s values and goals.
