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“I love kids,” he said recently. While doing medical school rotations, where students gain insights into medical specialties, he found his niche in pediatrics. “A very sick, asthmatic child needed treatment. Just seeing how quickly he recovered when we were able to open his airways convinced me that taking care of the most vulnerable in our community was where I wanted to focus.”
For Dr. Bhagat, it is all about community and community service. That has been a touchstone throughout his life.
During his medical residency at the University of Colorado he helped organize and coordinate a program to teach other residents the nuances of school-based health, including Individualized Education Programs (IEP) for children in special education and the unique barriers nurses face in a school setting.
As a student at Tulane University School of Medicine he helped implement and track the Louisiana Lead Poisoning Prevention Program to partner with Women, Infants and Children (WIC, a federal nutrition program) to train its employees on best practices in lead screening.
After graduation from The Ohio State University, Dr. Bhagat taught at Collins Academy High School in Chicago for three years through Teach America. There he stepped out of his chemistry teacher role to be the head debate coach.
“If I wasn’t a doctor, I would be a teacher,” he said.
Quoting a PeaceHealth news release, "We are fortunate he chose pediatrics, and that he, and his wife Shivani, have chosen Ketchikan."
“We were looking for a strong community,” he said. “Everyone we’ve met here has been very warm and kind.” Shivani Mathur Bhagat is completing her PhD in Economics at the Colorado School of Mines.
Although they’ve been in Ketchikan only a short time, they are acclimating. “It rains a lot,” he laughed, “but we have had a chance to get outside. The place is beautiful, and people are just so kind, warm, and welcoming.”
Dr. Bhagat has been a long-distance biker. “In 2007 I biked 3500 miles from Anacortes to Boston.” His time in Colorado shifted his focus to hiking and climbing mountains. They look forward to exploring the trails and hills in Southeast.
It should also be noted here that, as an Ohio native, he is a diehard fan of all Cleveland sports.
Edited by Mary Kauffman, SitNews
Source of News:
PeaceHealth Ketchikan Medical Center
www.peacehealth.org/ketchikan
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