Women in Healthcare: Dr. Nidhi Lal Shares Her Journey in Family Medicine
”Being a Family Physician is taking care of families. Good health outcomes happen when we consider social determinants of health that impact an individuals’ health, thus knowing and understanding families is very essential. I am very fortunate that I got the opportunity to train and work as a Family Physician.” Dr Lal is Board is a physician certified in Family Medicine, with interests in Narrative Medicine and Global health. A dedicated healthcare professional, she is actively involved in several Global health projects, served as a Fulbright Specialist in 2018, and is an active member of Massachusetts Medical Society where she recently completed her term as Chair of the Minority Affairs Section. For this week’s Women’s Health Wednesday, she shares her top tips for women in taking care of their health, her insights on family medicine, and her new podcast. Enjoy!
Tell us your story. You are a family medicine physician based in Boston MA. What inspired you to become a doctor, and what drew you to family medicine?
For as long as I can remember, I have wanted to be a physician. I am lucky that I discovered my passion early on. I have enjoyed every aspect of medicine and always respected the privilege of being able to take care of my patients. I trained in Ob/Gyn in India as I thoroughly enjoy obstetrics, but when I had an opportunity to re-train in the US, I was introduced to the concept of a Family Physician; I then understood that even as an Ob/Gyn in India, I had often cared for my patient’s families. Thus, I became a Family Physician, and practiced full spectrum Family Medicine, caring for patients from cradle to grave, while continuing to practice Obstetrics. It has been a rewarding journey, to be with a person through life and then care for their next generation. Relationships built through these journeys are cherished and give me the motivation to keep going. A few years ago, due to work pressures and the continued strife to find work-life balance, I realized that to continue doing the one thing that I love- delivering babies, I have to give up many other little things that my loved one’s love. That made the decision to quit Obstetrics easy, and while I do have a small pang in my heart when I remember my Obstetric days, there is so much more that I have been able to do after freeing up the time. This decision has allowed me to grow as a physician and improve other skills that had been neglected.
I have branched into Urgent Care, Narrative Medicine and Global health. I was able to go as a Fulbright Specialist and work with tribal populations in Southern India in 2018, an extremely enriching experience.
Being a Family Physician is taking care of families. Good health outcomes happen when we consider social determinants of health that impact an individuals’ health, thus knowing and understanding families is very essential. I am very fortunate that I got the opportunity to train and work as a Family Physician.
2. As we get into 2023, what are your top tips to women and families for taking care of their health?
We need to care for ourselves holistically, it’s not just about fixing or curing illness. A large portion of good health is about prevention. My mantra as a physician is - Follow the science. And, sometimes as we know scientific knowledge will change as we increase our knowledge. For example, eggs- growing up, eggs were considered very high in cholesterol and often people with high cholesterol were told to limit their consumption of eggs, but now we know that eggs are an eggcellent source of protein and having an egg a day is recommended.
During the pandemic, we have had to pivot and care for ourselves in new ways. Simple things like masking and vaccinations have huge impacts, whereas there is a limited role of medications. I strongly encourage my patients, to take steps to prevent illnesses if possible. Develop relationships with your primary care physicians, we are here to help you. We can co-ordinate your care and make the journey easier. Women, typically try to be superwomen and do it all. That’s not an achievable goal, make caring for yourself a priority. Ensure proper nutrition, exercise, restful sleep, and care for the soul.
3. Is there an area of family medicine that you are particularly interested in? Tell us more about that.
Combining humanities with the sciences has been an area that I have been particularly interested in. Starting with story-telling, I realized in my day-to-day practice, I was using my stories as example to teach, so I decided why not pen them down. This is Narrative Medicine, I have been using this as a training and teaching tool for my learners. As a consequence, I have started a podcast – link-
In addition to story-telling, I have collaborated with artists- art, music and dance and we are looking to promote innovative healing techniques that help patients heal holistically.
4. You are certainly a busy woman. How do you find your work life balance? What are some of your hobbies outside of work?
Everyone is busy. Work-life balance is something we strive for every day, as our needs are constantly changing. There are a few activities that I enjoy and keep me grounded.
Walking with my dog in woods has been a reflective and almost meditative practice that keeps me balanced. Gardening has brought me great joy and peace. I don’t have a lot of time and knowledge about plants but connecting with the soil and earth, seeing the results of hard work are always very satisfying. Green space is part of my indoor and outdoor living area and the reason I choose a long commute to work daily.
I also enjoy travelling, and have added global health work to support my passion for travel. I believe in collecting experiences and widening my perspectives.
Being part of a tightly knit Community has allowed me to grow as well as given me the space and support I needed to reach outside my comfort zone. Combining my passion for work with activities I enjoy, makes me continue wanting to go into work every day and succeed.
Thank you Nidhi for sharing your story with us. We are excited to have you in our global women’s network!
Bio: Dr Nidhi Lal, MD, MPH is a Clinical Associate Professor at Chobanian & Avedesian School of Medicine, Department of Family Medicine. Dr Lal is Board certified in Family Medicine, with interests in Narrative Medicine and Global health. Dr Lal is an active member of Massachusetts Medical Society and recently completed her term as Chair of the Minority Affairs Section. She is actively involved in several Global health projects and served as a Fulbright Specialist in 2018 on a tribal health project in India. Nidhi came to Boston from India and made it her home. She lives in Acton with her family and has a strong network of family and friends that support her.