Dr. Christine Khandelwal

Christine Khandelwal, DO, UNC’s newest fellow in geriatric medicine, recommends the specialization of geriatrics to medical students who want to serve a population with “many medical and social complexities.”

Her path into serving that very same population opened years ago during high school when she worked in a pharmacy in Long Island, New York. “The older customers had so many questions, concerns and opinions regarding their own health care, and that made me become curious about how medicines work and about health care in general.”

Khandelwal did her undergraduate work at the State University of New York in Albany. She was a nurse’s aide for part of that time and again felt an interest in the older patients on her service. “I loved hearing their stories, their life journeys, and how appreciative they were for basic care. I felt that what I could do for them was limited, and became determined to be able to do more.”

She graduated from Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine and completed her Family Medicine Residency at the University of Pittsburgh. It was during her residency that she worked with many of Pittsburgh’s underserved older people, which revealed to her the extent of the collective deficits of the health care system for the elderly.

But for Khandelwal, a problem perceived is a problem to be addressed, and so she is stepping into her fellowship at UNC to get training in the advanced and interdisciplinary medicine that older patients require.

Last updated 2/19/2008.