Administrative Chief Resident of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Sandeep Khandhar, M.D., hopes to raise legislative awareness among physicians by participating in a prestigious fellowship offered only once a year by the American Medical Association (AMA).
“It’s very clear that what we do affects lives,” said Dr. Khandhar who applied for the Legislative Awareness Fellowship earlier this year. “We go through a rigorous process to become physicians, but few of us consider politics and the role it will play while we are practicing.”
With some encouragement from Dr. Khandhar’s mentor, John Calhoon, M.D., chief of thoracic surgery, Dr. Khandhar joined the executive committee of the Thoracic Surgery Residency Association (TSRA). The association is the representative organization for all thoracic surgery residents enrolled in training programs. Dr. Khandhar is the one of only about 12 members on the executive committee. Serving as a liaison to the AMA, he said his involvement with the TSRA opened his eyes to the importance of politics and how closely related it is to the medical field.
“I began paying more attention to what the AMA is doing for medical students, residents, fellows and physicians, and started to follow their progress,” he said. “I became increasingly more attuned to what’s going on politically.”
During his Legislative Awareness Fellowship, Dr. Khandhar will spend two weeks in Washington, D.C. meeting national leaders, learning how laws are created and becoming acquainted with Capitol Hill.
“If we don’t participate with what happens in Congress, it will keep us from practicing the way we want,” Dr. Khandhar said. “Your impact is limited if you don’t know politically what is going on.”
Dr. Khandhar attributes much of his success to his family and to his mentor, Dr. Calhoon.
"He is a fantastic leader who has developed his clinical roots remarkably well," Dr. Khandhar said. "He allows you to grow on your own. He doesn't open doors for you, but rather shows you how to open them for yourself."
Dr. Calhoon, who has known Dr. Khandhar for seven years, is very proud of the way he represents the division.
“His commitments to education and to his patients are invaluable,” Dr. Calhoon said. “This fellowship will help him to learn about the political process as it pertains to medicine. Sandeep has truly been an inspiration to us all.”
