Hometown is Peshawar, Pakistan where I was born and raised. Medical school was Shifa College of Medicine Islamabad Pakistan. IM residency was at Wayne State University/Trinity Heath Oakland program in Pontiac, Michigan. Rush Geriatrics offers a robust training infrastructure that spans all aspects of geriatric care. The environment is very congenial here with a very welcoming leadership/faculty, dynamic training Structure with continuous and effective feedback mechanism in place to ensure optimal learning and strives hard to cultivate an inquisitive and scholastic approach towards medicine. Career interest is primarily in outpatient community-based setting, in an academic environment where I can help with generate quality evidence for the usually excluded elderly population particularly in geriatric oncology. Outside of work, I enjoy spending quality time with family, explore different cultures, cuisines, and nature! This year, I look forward to be more present, to be more grateful, and to be more patient with myself and everyone around me. I look forward to enjoying parenthood and learning from my 14-month-old on how to live life, all over again!
I came to RUSH for fellowship training in Geriatrics after working for a few years as a hospitalist in Pittsburgh, PA. As a hospitalist I saw the importance of understanding how to provide quality care to older individuals; it is my hope that this fellowship helps to build a skill set that I will continue to apply as an inpatient medicine provider going forward. I grew up in Denver and received my undergraduate degree from CU Boulder, and then headed east for medical school. I received my medical degree from Weill Cornell Medical College in 2016 and completed residency training in Internal Medicine at the University of North Carolina in 2019, where I was excited to stay for an additional year after graduation to work as a Chief Resident. In addition to the care of elderly hospitalized patients, my additional career interest is in bedside medical education. I met my wife Nikkan in medical school; she is from New Jersey and is currently a PGY-7 (!!) fellow in Pediatric Cardiac Imaging. We are excited to have the opportunity to train and live in Chicago this year.
Kavya was born and raised in Machilipatnam, India. She graduated from Andhra Medical College, India in 2019. She then decided to pursue her further medical education in the US, with an interest in Internal medicine. She graduated from Christus Good Shephard medical center in Longview, Texas in 2023. Kavya grew her interest in Geriatric medicine since she was in medical school, owing to this field's scope into composite medical care for the patients across multiple health care settings, Inpatient, Outpatient and post-acute care. She particularly enjoys the wisdom her patients bring to the table about their experiences and life since their young adulthood, bringing perspective to the type of care they desire. She believes that these interactions give tools to build a person-centered care plan. After her time as a Chief resident in her Internal medicine residency, Kavya realized her love for teaching in graduate medical education. She wishes to pursue a career in academics as an educator. Outside of work Kavya likes to play Indian classical violin, travel, explore different cuisines and restaurants with her friends and colleagues.
Kanramon "Kara" Watthanasuntorn, MD, completed her medical degree at Prince of Songkla University in Thailand and then pursued her residency in Internal Medicine at Bassett Medical Center in New York. Upon completing her residency, she worked as a primary care physician for an underserved population. She found great fulfillment in caring for older patients, leading her to pursue a Geriatric Fellowship. She is passionate about addressing health disparities, deprescribing unnecessary medications, and improving the quality of life for her elderly patients. Outside of work, she enjoys reading, cooking, listening to music, and outdoor activities like camping and hiking.