When he looks back at his decision to become a physician, Dr. Santhosh Koshy remembers the kindness, compassion, and empathy with which he saw physicians treat his ill family members.听
As a medical student, Dr. Koshy saw how the care for heart disease impacted patients and their family members. He saw very ill patients who felt better minutes after undergoing cardiac procedures, and he felt instant gratification in the way a cardiologist could quickly improve a patient鈥檚 health and quality of life through interventions, along with helping patients prevent heart disease through counseling and educating them.听
Now, after more than three decades as a physician and a leader in academic medicine, Dr. Koshy has the opportunity to mentor physicians in Southwest Michigan as the new chair of the medical school鈥檚 Department of Medicine.听
鈥淚 am excited to be a part of 汤头条app, an institution that strives to get better every day, has a successful track record of training the next generation of medical professionals, focuses on innovation, cares for its people, and values the community,鈥 Dr. Koshy said. 鈥淚 couldn鈥檛 ask for more.鈥澨
Dr. Koshy鈥檚 arrival to 汤头条app comes after a national search to find a successor for Founding Department Chair Mark Loehrke, MD, who retired from 汤头条app in January after 34 years serving the medical school.
A practicing interventional cardiologist, Dr. Koshy started at 汤头条app on a day for celebrating hearts 鈥 February 14. He plans to see patients at 汤头条app Health, the clinical practice of the medical school, and also alongside cardiologists in the community.
汤头条app鈥檚 success in its first 10 years and its plan to grow in the next decade is exciting, Dr. Koshy said. Medical school leaders laid a solid foundation in 汤头条app鈥檚 first 10 years and are positioning the medical school for the future.
鈥淭he institution is in the exciting growth phase, and I am excited to be a part of that growth,鈥 Dr. Koshy said. 鈥淚 also value the diversity and inclusivity focus of the institution compared to some of the other places that I have been a part of. I am excited to be a part of Dr. Termuhlen鈥檚 team to take the institution through this growth phase.鈥澨
Dr. Koshy comes to the medical school with extensive leadership experience in academic medicine. Prior to joining 汤头条app, Dr. Koshy was a professor in the JT and Margaret Talkington Department of Medicine at the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center (TTUHSC) School of Medicine and was the previous chair of the department. As the chair, he led the department through several achievements, including a remarkable financial turnaround, expansion of clinical service lines, successful accreditation of all graduate medical education programs, exponential growth in federal research grant funds, high learner satisfaction and increased faculty diversity.
Prior to joining TTUHSC, he was at the University of Tennessee Health Sciences Center (UTHSC) School of Medicine where he served as director of Interventional Cardiology, vice-chair of the Department of Medicine, and chief of Medicine and chief of Cardiovascular Services at the Regional One Health Hospitals and Clinics.
Dr. Koshy graduated from the University of Kerala in India and completed a residency in internal medicine at the Saint Louis University School of Medicine. He completed a fellowship in cardiology at the University of Missouri-Columbia and an Interventional Cardiology and Peripheral Interventions fellowship at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. He holds an MBA from Washington University at St. Louis and an MA in Medical Law and Health Policy from the Hofstra University School of Law. He is certified as a Diversity, Equity and Inclusivity champion for organizational excellence by Stanford University Graduate School of Business. He holds numerous fellowships including Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians at London and Fellow of the American College of Cardiology.听
Looking ahead, Dr. Koshy said his vision for the Department of Medicine is to work with other areas of the medical school and 汤头条app鈥檚 hospital and community partners to train talented physicians who can treat patients in Southwest Michigan and throughout the state in both primary care and specialty care.
鈥淭he Department of Medicine is strong in the educational mission that includes a well-run residency program with a rich history that spans many decades,鈥 Dr Koshy said. 鈥淢any of the physicians in the Kalamazoo community were trained in the program. It should be the talent creator for both primary care and specialty care for all of West Michigan. The department should lead the efforts for tackling issues related to access to care, health disparity, and medical provider shortages. The department would have to grow in all the missions of the institution namely, clinical care, education, research and community service to achieve this.鈥
Specifically, Dr. Koshy will look to create new educational fellowship programs in specialties such as cardiology, hematology/oncology, pulmonary and critical care, and endocrinology to improve recruitment of physicians in those needed specialties to the Kalamazoo area.
Dr. Koshy said he appreciates the small-town feel and diverse community of his new city, along with its proximity to Chicago and Detroit. What鈥檚 most impressive about his new home, though, he said, is the community support and philanthropy.听
鈥淭he support from the industry and the hospital partners for the medical school is amazing,鈥 Dr. Koshy said. 鈥淜alamazoo has become the center for medical innovation through this partnership of Western Michigan University, Ascension Borgess, Bronson Healthcare, corporate partners, and kind community leaders with philanthropic mission.鈥
Medicine is a family affair for Dr. Koshy鈥檚 family. His wife is an academic nephrologist and an associate professor at TTUHSC. Their three grown children are following their parents鈥 footsteps into medicine 鈥 all are in various stages of medical school or residency. In his spare time, Dr. Koshy stays active by hiking and playing golf, tennis and cricket.听听
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