Pulmonologist Kunal Jakharia, MD, has always been passionate about a career in medicine. He grew up in India where his father is a family physician. Dr. Jakharia enjoys gardening, traveling and trying new cuisine, and cooking. He also speaks English, Hindi, Gujarati and Marathi.
What brought you to UNC Medical Center?
For an international medical graduate, getting into a fellowship program as prestigious as UNC is not easy. While interviewing for my pulmonary and critical care fellowship across the country, UNC struck me hard. It offered me to grow the way I wanted to. It promised me to nurture and shape the path I would choose for myself. And most importantly, it kept its promise with all the support and resources I could have asked for!! And now here I am, after 3 years of training continuing as faculty.
Where are you from?
I was born and raised on the western coast of India, in a city named Mumbai. A city popularly compared to New York City, a city that never sleeps.
Did you always want to be a doctor?
Yes! That’s the quickest answer I could ever give. I grew up seeing my father who is a family physician, and always had a keen interest in physics and biology. Combine that, and you get a doctor who loves the physiology of medicine!
How did you choose your specialty?
Internal Medicine was always an easy decision due to my problem solving nature. While working at an ICU in a tertiary care center in Mumbai, India, I realized how I enjoyed learning and taking care of the patient as a whole, their different organ systems and their loved ones. Pulmonary & Critical Care allowed me to pursue my love for medicine, as I felt I had the ability to stay calm in chaotic situations, pay attention to detail, be patient and meticulous yet attend to the larger picture in patient care, establish good relationships with patients and their families, and work well within a team.
What do you find most rewarding about your work?
There is no bigger joy, than making someone breathe better. Professionally, I could never take someones breath away 😉. My friend once said, “You must never talk to your patients as they are always on a ventilator;” To that I responded, “ I talk to their families and loved ones, and I help them understand the critical nature of the illness, and help them through difficult times in their lives.” It is this interaction that is extremely rewarding.
What are some of the new developments in your field of specialty?
Apart from new diseases that have developed over my training, such as COVID-19 (someone had to talk about the elephant in the room) and vaping associated lung injury, pulmonary and critical care has seen a lot of changes. There is constant research done in improving patient outcomes, new drug therapies have come up for diseases which were once fatal, and like every other field, we learn that just because things were done in a particular way, they don’t have to be done that way.
Is there a particular achievement (professional or personal) that has been most gratifying to you?
My parents giving me a call during the peak of a pandemic to tell me – “We are proud of what you do“. Everytime, I see a learner applying the principles of medicine taught by me, during lectures or ICU rounds, that is an achievement for me!! And every time I have received a peer-reviewed or house-staff award, it makes me want to do better the next time!
What is the best advice you’ve ever received?
I have been lucky to have been mentored and advised by multiple outstanding professionals. Picking one will be unfair, but I will say, one advice that has helped me personally and professionally, is “Change is the only thing that remains constant”. It has allowed me to grow, accept the things not in my control, and continue to learn.
If you weren’t a physician, what would you like to be doing?
If not a doctor, always wanted to be a teacher and a chef. Being a physician has allowed me to be a teacher as well. And at the moment, I am an amateur home-chef 😉
What hobbies do you enjoy?
I plant a lot of vegetables and herbs every spring. I enjoy travelling and trying new cuisines, restaurants. And I watch a lot of TV when I can’t be outdoors!!