Presenting in front of a packed room of surgeons and surgical residents at one of the premier national surgical conferences, Dr. Aditi Kashikar is poised and professional.

Kashikar had no need to be nervous; she had practiced her presentation numerous times and honed it to perfection thanks to the help of the faculty, residents, and fellow post-docs at Stanford’s SPIRE Center.

“Everyone at our lab at S-SPIRE was super invested, and I even had the opportunity to present the work at the Work-In-Progress Meeting,” said Kashikar. “It was an honor to present our work in front of great leaders in surgery and academics. I am truly grateful I could present at the Academic Surgical Congress (ASC).”

Since February 2019, Kashikar has been working with Division of Vascular Surgery Associate Professor Dr. Shipra Arya to look at the impact of frailty on surgery, specifically vascular diseases.

“In the past few months, I have had the honor of collaborating and working with experts from various specialties and backgrounds, working on fantastic projects which have the potential of significantly improving surgical outcomes, and of course, working with Dr. Arya, who is an amazing mentor and guide,” said Kashikar.

Kashikar’s medical education has been incredibly diverse and well-rounded. Following her medical school training in India, Kashikar completed a rotation in endovascular neurology and neurosurgery at the University of Miami and a preceptorship in surgery at the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston. But it was at the UK’s National Institute for Health and Care Excellence that Kashikar first “got a glimpse of the power of research and its application at a larger scale.”

“Coming from a nation with diverse healthcare systems and having had the opportunity to work in tribal areas as well as big cities, I have come to understand the scope of work that needs to be done towards creating a balance and improving surgical care across the spectrum,” said Kashikar. “I hope that—eventually—I will be able to contribute in some way to bridge that gap.”

Kashikar is applying for general surgery residency in the 2020 match and hopes to make a career in the US as a surgeon, while also continuing her work in health services research.