Shraddha Patel, MD, came to neurology gradually as a medical student, treating both acute neurological crises in her hospital’s emergency department as well as chronic conditions in the outpatient setting. Now, she’s completing her specialty training at Duke as one of our newest vascular neurology fellows. In this week’s “Spotlight” interview, Patel talks to us about her experiences as a fellow so far, her career plans for a future in stroke or hospital neurology, and her hopes for traveling and reuniting with family once the COVID-19 pandemic is under control.
What are your responsibilities as a vascular neurology fellow? What does a typical day for you look like?
It depends on the service we’re covering. On ward/inpatient service, we assume the role as junior attending, leading rounds, teaching residents, APPs, and medical students. Three times a week, we take home call after day duties, covering stroke alerts and admissions. It's been a good experience thus far!
When we are on elective, there is no call. We focus on the elective we chose, whether it's spending time with neuroradiology or rehab specialists at the VA.
How and when did you get interested in neurology? What interests you the most about vascular neurology in particular?
I would say that neurology was not my “first love” when I started medical school. It was during core and elective clerkships that I found the most fascinating disease processes had some neurological aspect to it. Whether that was in the Emergency Department identifying and treating neurological emergencies or treating chronic diseases in the outpatient setting. Vascular neurology became a passion as I started working in my own community where we continue to have health disparities that lead to a large volume of stroke and other vascular disease.
What plans do you have for after you complete your fellowship? If you could have any job in the world, what would it be?
I'll likely stay in the Southeast and work as a neurohospitalist or stroke neurologist with some aspect of telemedicine. Any job in the world? Hmmm, I think providing health education to underserved areas with endless funding, while traveling the world?
Before your residency you spent a year as a telehealth and stroke program facilitator. Where did you do that, and what was the focus of that work?
This position played a role in furthering my interest in vascular neurology. I took the position at my hometown community hospital and our team worked endlessly to make it tPA capable and a Joint Commission certified Primary Stroke Center.
For people in my community, that was HUGE! Our closest tPA capable hospital would have otherwise been over 45 minutes away. At the time we didn't have a neurologist in the community. Part of my role was establishing the Telehealth program at the hospital with MUSC which gave the hospital access to a neurologist full time - fulfilling our general and vascular neurology needs.
What other passions or hobbies do you have outside of the Department?
Can food be a hobby? In my short time here, I've done lots of eating in Durham and Raleigh. I love to travel! My goal was to get to 25 countries by this year, but you know, COVID. I enjoy hiking and the outdoors (nothing crazy though). Family is most important though; I can't wait to see them.
Shraddha enjoys a (pre-COVID) trip to Egypt in the photo above.