Fellow Spotlight- Rohan Makhijani

August 31, 2018

By Laura Perch

Rohan Makhijani, member of BLF Class of ’20, spent this summer testing out his passion for the practice of medicine and research in a hands-on setting on the grounds of The Ohio State University campus.

Rohan participated in the Department of Internal Medicine’s “Grever” Internship, which is an intensive shadowing program for seven selected rising juniors and seniors in the Biomedical Science undergraduate major. For a six-week period over the summer, Rohan divided his days between participating in rounds at the Wexner Medical Center and Nationwide Children’s Hospital and conducting research in Dr. Clinton’s oncology lab.

His past has led to his passion for medicine. Rohan explains, “After my first extensive medical experience, including surgery and a year-long rehabilitation process, I realized how many people worked as a team to instill optimism in me. From the surgical assistants to the residents to the nurse practitioners to the physical therapists, everyone played a crucial role in allowing me and every child before me get back on their feet, and I was inspired to provide the same care to those who follow me. Seeing the rewarding effects that my surgeon’s work and interactions had on me and his other patients has since been a driving force for my interest in patient care.”

Furthermore, volunteering at the James Cancer Hospital on the Restful Nights Team and interacting with patients weekly has continued to drive Rohan’s interest in patient care and well-being. In some interactions, he speaks to a patient’s child and try to put a smile on their face; in others, he listens to patient’s fears, families, interests, and life stories. Ultimately, these experiences have made it a priority of his to care for, treat, and serve patients and families at an intimate and individual level, hopefully one day as a pediatric oncologist.

Being immersed in the Department of Internal Medicine specifically appealed to Rohan due to the diversity of specialties and subspecialties that he was able to experience. He worked to advance the field of medicine through clinical research to innovate and improve patient care. Thus, being able to shadow various physicians throughout their rotations and ask questions was a tremendous opportunity for him to begin learning and understanding internal medicine from a clinical perspective. The ability to experience how these physicians communicate with their patients and collaborate as a team with other health care professionals taught Rohan invaluable skills for his future, and he is extremely excited to see where this experience takes him.