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Journeys in Medicine: An ECFMG Blog

Tag: India

Author Journeys User4Posted on Categories Clinical Training Experience, Cross-cultural Experience, Host Institution, Well-being GrantsTags , , , ,

Growing ROOTS: A Story About the Space Between Shifts

By Dr. Nayanika Tummala

Recipient of the 2025 Intealth Well-being Grant Opportunity: Projects Supporting IMG Physician Wellness

A crescent moon over the trees in Yosemite.

I want to begin with a photograph.

It was taken one night in Yosemite: a crescent moon, the silhouettes of trees, a deep blue sky. Nothing dramatic. But when I show it to a room of residents, every single person sees something different. Some see a quiet calm. Some see loneliness. Some see that sliver of moon and feel hope. Some see the trees and think of home, wherever home is for them. I have come to believe that is the truest thing anyone can say about well-being. It is not a program or a checklist. It is personal, shaped by where you came from, what you carry, and how you happen to see the world at three in the morning when the pager goes off again.

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Author Journeys User4Posted on Categories Clinical Training Experience, Cross-cultural Experience, Host Institution, Well-being GrantsTags , , , ,

The Wellness Passport: Where Cultures Meet and Hearts Connect

By Dr. Arushee Bhatnagar

Recipient of the 2025 Intealth Well-being Grant Opportunity: Projects Supporting IMG Physician Wellness

When I boarded a flight from India to pursue residency training in the United States, I carried the hopes and aspirations shared by countless other international medical graduates (IMGs). I saw myself growing as a physician within a new healthcare system, while continuing to serve patients with compassion and purpose. I knew the road ahead would not be easy. What I did not fully anticipate was the emotional and practical transition that followed.

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Author Journeys User4Posted on Categories Clinical Training Experience, My StoryTags , , , ,

A “Good Death” in Hospice and Palliative Medicine

By Dr. Ram Prakash Thirugnanasambandam

In the palliative oncology clinic, a common concern among patients is what to do when their oncologist tells them no further treatments are available. Though difficult, it was often my responsibility to recommend hospice care as the next appropriate step for those facing the limits of medical treatment. Patients often seek clarity on the transition to hospice care, raising important questions:

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Author Journeys User4Posted on Categories Clinical Training Experience, My Story, Words of WisdomTags , , , ,

A Land of Opportunities

By Dr. Paramvijay Singh Dhalla

I was born and raised in Punjab, India. My father, a veterinary doctor, always dreamt that his son would be a compassionate and humane physician, one who would serve society to the best of his abilities. This dream of his stayed with me, and I made it my purpose. First, I went to medical school in India. Then, in 2021, I fortunately matched into a family medicine residency at Creighton University School of Medicine in Omaha, Nebraska. This year, I moved from Nebraska to New York to begin my fellowship in geriatric medicine at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York City.

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Author Journeys User4Posted on Categories Clinical Training Experience, Cross-cultural Experience, Host Institution, Well-being GrantsTags , , , , ,

Alone We Survive, Together We Thrive: International Medical Graduate Empowerment Initiative

By Dr. Shruthi Mohan

Recipient of the 2023 Grant Opportunity for J-1 Physicians: Well-being Projects Supporting Foreign National Physicians

I am Dr. Shruthi Mohan, a PGY-5 from India specializing in pediatric nephrology at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center in Cincinnati, Ohio. When I first walked through the doors of Cincinnati Children’s Hospital as a pediatric resident four years ago, the moment was filled with euphoria. Confident in my prior residency training from a prestigious institute in India, I was ready to embrace new training, worlds away from home, with enthusiasm. However, the initial euphoria quickly gave way to the daunting realities of visa processes and adapting to a new culture, lifestyle, and healthcare system in a new city. It was a steep learning curve, navigating a system that was entirely foreign to me, with minimal guidance.

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