Perry Katsarakes / Dr. Rohit Chandwani - Week 3

 This week, I spent more time in the clinic with Dr. Chandwani. Across the many visits with patients I observed, I experienced a shockingly wide variety of emotions, from profound sympathy to joy and relief. A realization I had at our weekly immersion meeting with the program administrators is that I honestly expected these events to be very clinical and detached; in my mind, I pictured myself shadowing an expert surgeon who would get assigned a case, enter a room with a patient already prepared for operation, complete the necessary task with cold precision and immediately move on to the next task. This could not be further from the truth! Instead, Dr. Chandwani works with these patients from the very moment there is any suspicion that they might have a condition related to his expertise (e.g. they received a scan revealing something that might be pancreatic cancer) and stays with them long after all the procedures and treatments have concluded, observing them even after the recovery process to ensure that there is no reoccurring disease. Throughout this time, he plays a major role in all aspects of the treatment process. His responsibilities include not only the technical side of discovering what their ailment is, determining how to treat it, and performing many of the treatments himself (medications, surgeries, chemotherapy, etc.), but also helping the patients understand their disease, why they need these treatments, and how their lives are going to change in the near and distant future. Observing him in these visits has revealed the depth of his compassion for his patients, and the way many of them openly revere him is a testament to that. It has been difficult for me to watch families receive the news of their loved one having cancer, and amazing to watch as others get to hear that the cancer has been eradicated. I have gained even more respect for Dr. Chandwani in being able to handle all of these emotions and remain calm, supportive, and helpful throughout every visit I've observed.

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