Spotlight: Devang Gujarathi

Dr. Devang Gujarathi may be the head of the residency program at UNC HeathCare, but he still has strong ties to his alma mater.   The former economics major decided to switch things up after realizing that medicine was his calling, and began his medical education at Saint James School of Medicine. Since graduating, he has been busy practicing in multiple states, but he still makes time to keep in touch with SJSM. Both our Anguilla and St. Vincent campuses were fortunate to be visited by Dr. Gujarathi in January. After his visit, we sat down with him to see how his trip went. How did it feel to be back on a SJSM campus? What impressed you when you visited the campuses? It was great to be back. Even though I went to the Bonaire campus, I liked seeing both of the campuses very much. They were bright and used the space well. I especially liked how big Anguilla’s library was and I liked all the nooks and crannies students can go to for studying. Each campus has something unique to offer the student. The people who were with me at each campus, Sindie at Anguilla and Natasha at Saint Vincent are amazing, they really looked after me while I was visiting. My time on the islands was amazing. What did you think of the infrastructure of the campuses? I think the campuses are beautiful. They use up the allotted space well. Everything seemed to have a purpose and a home, including that new Anatomage table we got. It was great to see something so sophisticated there. I saw it in a lab and think this will help students a lot and shows we can have the same equipment as other, bigger medical schools do. The anatomage table will help students with their studies in a new and creative way. This will benefit the students a lot. I couldn’t wait to get my hands on it. What were your presentations about? How did the students respond? I gave a presentation to the PDCM class on Sepsis. They were very responsive to it and interacted a lot by asking a lot of questions. I also spoke to MD1 and MD4 students about what to expect while they are here at school and what to expect in the future. The students asked questions and got important information on the treatment of sepsis in hospitals. I enlightened them about preparation for USMLE exams, Clinical Rotations, Residency application process, and career development of Doctors in the United States and Canada. In what ways has SJSM prepared you for the professional world? I always carry the belief that I could be successful anywhere and I think that is something students need to learn as well. While I applied and did not get into a US medical school, I kept this mind set and am very glad to have gone here. I told them they are just as well prepared as their peers from other schools are. You are on the same playing field as everyone else. Stop doubting yourself. SJSM instilled in me the confidence I needed to succeed as a doctor and I know the students will get their confidence up too. We will not leave you out in the cold, we will give you the tools you need to succeed, you won’t fail. Dr. Gujarathi is proof that not only can Saint James School of Medicine train students to become doctors successfully, but it can help people making an adjustment to a new career path. Trips like these just reaffirm what we have been saying about the education and experience we offer in our own slice of paradise. Where else can a student go to study medicine with sandy beaches, beautiful weather, and serenity mere feet away? To keep up with an ever changing medical field, we have to keep our program up to date. We are constantly adding new equipment for our students to learn with and we bring real world experience to our students along with the reassurance that they will succeed wherever they are. When alumni come back, they are impressed with the additions we have made and are impressed with the students we are molding into doctors of the future.