I am an Assistant Professor of General Surgery at Grant Medical College & Sir JJ Group of Hospitals in Mumbai, where I earlier received my core surgical training. During my time in public healthcare I have had an opportunity to help thousands of patients and their families. This has not only widened the spectrum of surgical problems I treat, it has also helped me develop empathy for my patients which I now carry into my own practice.

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MY NICHE INTERESTS

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While the breadth of my surgical practice continues to increase, I have developed some notable depth and expertise in certain areas. The first is the management of upper gastro-intestinal disorders like peptic disease and GERD. My background in bariatric surgery helps me in the surgical management of these conditions. I also perform my own diagnostic and interventional endoscopies to offer holistic care for these conditions. 

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The second niche I have developed is in complex hernia repairs. For several reasons beyond the scope of this short description, the incidence of challenging hernias is increasing and will continue to do so for some years. Several new technologies have been developed with an aim to reduce the risk of recurrence i.e. repeated surgeries for failure of repairs, and to improve the post-operative recovery. My forays into the subspecialty have led me to train under the foremost experts in the country and abroad. Even though several types of procedures, both open and laparoscopic, are available for any given hernia, my approach involves tailoring the procedure to the patient to improve the long-term durability of the repair as well as maximize post-operative comfort. 

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ACADEMIC WORK

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In addition to my time in clinical practice, I am a part of several academic research projects with the aim to add to surgical knowledge and potentially change treatment protocols to improve patient care. Beyond my role as teaching faculty at Grant Medical College, which is one of the oldest medical training institutes in the world, I routinely travel across the country to lecture and help train my surgical colleagues. Over the past several years, I have spoken to thousands of surgeons and conducted hands-on workshops for hundreds. I also conduct regular workshops for surgical trainees and practitioners at the Institute for Medical & Minimal Access Surgery Training (IMMAST) and Ethicon Institute of Surgical Education (EISE) in Mumbai. 

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Current Research Projects:

• A prospective study about the role of closed negative pressure wound therapy (cNPWT) in complex ventral hernia repairs with component separation technique.

• A retrospective analysis of outcomes between anterior and posterior component separation techniques.

• A prospective study about the adoption of eTEP repairs for ventral hernias - a relatively new minimally invasive approach. 

• A prospective study concerning the the role of parenteral antibiotics versus local antibiotic infiltration in clean surgeries.

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WHAT'S ON MY MIND RIGHT NOW

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While the scope of surgical education continues to widen, I see the broad specialty further dividing into several smaller subspecialties with their own allure and challenges. 

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I am a proponent of increasing the duration of surgical training in our country for several reasons. A large part of this thinking is the need to develop soft skills by young minds that will help them make better decisions while operating. While I have no grouse with the current method of knowledge acquisition in training programs, I feel there is much scope for improvement in the manner in which this knowledge is applied clinically. The need for a sound mind to make sound decision is nowhere as acute as in the operating room. 

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MY (short) BIO

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For those very few who might be interested, here's a superfluously detailed biography.

I received my under-graduate medical education from Topiwala National Medical College & BYL Nair Hospital in Mumbai. After four and a half years of college and a year of internship, I explored prospects for further training. My love for surgery drove me to pursue a surgical residency at Grant Medical College & Sir JJ Group of Hospitals and I graduated in 2017 as a Gold Medalist. 

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I subsequently got selected in several neurosurgical and plastic surgical programs, but chose to continue exploring my passion in minimal access surgery and endoscopy. I took up the Assistant Professor of General Surgery position at Grant Medical College where my love for surgery continues to grow, while allowing me time to train the next generation of surgeons. Since joining back as teaching faculty, I have been conferred the DNB degree for General Surgery by NBE, New Delhi. I have also received the FMAS and FIAGES fellowships in minimal access surgery. Later this year, I will become a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons (FACS). 

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Being at a teaching institute allows me to continue my work in clinical research where I have several papers in international peer-reviewed journals. I have had the opportunity to present  research at several international and national surgical meetings. In 2017, I received the SAGES Go Global Award for best international abstract, and have co-authored four other award-winning entries since then. 

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I live in Mumbai with my family. Since the birth of my young daughter, I ponder more about life and parenting philosophies. I intend on imbibing in her some traits I have learned from my time in a challenging profession - for over time, I am convinced that the morality and philosophy of surgical practice (or any profession, for that matter) is but an extension of lessons needed to live a good life. 

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