Electronic Winter 2023 | Issue 57
Member Spotlight: Kalyan Kandra, MD
In this spotlight, Dr. Sudhakar Shenoy, Chair of the Early Career Psychiatrists Committee, and a Mind Matters correspondent, interviews Dr. Kalyan Kandra who is an Assistant Professor of Clinical Psychiatry at SIU School of Medicine in Springfield, Illinois.
Dr. Shenoy: Dr. Kandra, Thank you for doing this interview with me. Can you tell us a little bit about yourself?
Dr. Kandra: Thank you for doing this interview. I was born and raised in Visakhapatnam, a beautiful coastal city in the southern state of Andhra Pradesh, India. My dad is a physician, and my mom is a high school commerce teacher. From a very young age, I have been inspired by my dad and his colleagues and that has been very influential in instilling in me a passion for health care. I did my medical school at JJM Medical College in Davangere, a city in the neighboring state of Karnataka. I completed my residency in psychiatry at the University of Mississippi Medical Center, Jackson, Mississippi from 2015 to 2019. In 2019 after graduation, I joined SIU School of Medicine as a faculty in the Department of Psychiatry in Springfield, Illinois.
Dr. Shenoy: Tell us a little bit about your interest in the field of academic psychiatry.
Dr. Kandra: I have always believed that we can improve access to health care and cater better to the ever-increasing health care needs of the population by training future generations of psychiatrists and other providers. Teaching is something that gives me immense joy and satisfaction and as someone that believes strongly in the adage “by teaching we learn” it also helps me to solidify my own understanding and learn new perspectives.
Dr. Shenoy: I hear you did something called the "Medical Education Research Fellowship Program". Can you tell us more about it?
Dr. Kandra: As someone who finds immense joy in mentoring and teaching, I pursued this Medical Education Research Fellowship Program, at SIU as a faculty member. This program is offered at SIU to develop members to be equipped with a basic understanding of medical education research to design and conduct a research project. This has helped me improve my teaching skills as a clinician educator.
Dr. Shenoy: You have a passion for serving the underserved population. How are you able to achieve this?
Dr. Kandra: This goes back to values that were passed on to me by my father and other healthcare professionals in my family, the commitment to serve those in need. Initially, as I started my attending life, I had to commit to an underserved area as part of the J- visa waiver program, through which I served patients at an FQHC (Federally Qualified Health Center) in Carbondale, Illinois. After the 3-year period, I continued to work at that clinic, as I am deeply invested in improving healthcare access in the rural Southern Illinois region. I have made a commitment to this cause.
Dr. Shenoy: That is inspiring, and I am glad that you are committed to this noble cause. I hear you also won a faculty of the year award. Can you tell us about it?
Dr. Kandra: Oh, thank you! Yes, I was awarded the Best Teacher in the Department of Psychiatry in 2021. This was awarded to me by residents and other faculty members in the department. I was very honored and humbled to have received this recognition so early in my career as an attending physician.
Dr. Shenoy: Congratulations on that award. How about your participation in the Illinois Psychiatric Society?
Dr. Kandra: I have recently joined the IPS Leadership Council as a Councilor for the term 2023-2025. Along with the other Councilors, Dr. Jen Kurth, Dr. Kimberly Meyer, Dr. Ayame Takahashi, Dr. Karen Pierce and Downstate Councilor Dr. Keisha Powell, I look forward to contributing to the activities of the Council.
Dr. Shenoy: What are your clinical interests?
Dr. Kandra: As an adult psychiatrist working primarily in the outpatient setting, my primary area of interests are mood and anxiety disorders especially Bipolar and related disorders. I also have a special interest in OCD.
Dr. Shenoy: Other than clinical work and teaching, what do you enjoy outside of medicine?
Dr. Kandra: I like hanging out with my wife and my 10-year-old son. I like to play soccer with my son and go to his soccer games. I love classic rock and I am a big time ‘Pink Floyd’ fan. I also like to travel and visit India whenever we can.
