Neurologist Dr. Shiva Gopal Vasishta’s Broad-Based Approach to Medicine Sets Example During Pandemic

By Jay Forrester

Within the modern realm of medicine, various specializations allow Physicians such as Dr. Shiva Gopal Vasishta, MD to practice hyper-specific areas of medicine, focus research on specific topics, and delve into a particularly distinct field throughout their professional trajectory.

This methodology allows medical professionals to become experts in their chosen arenas and undoubtedly propels their specific fields through innovation, experimentation, and dedication of resources to continued advancement. However, considering that the body is made up of a myriad of different systems that interact in uniquely connected ways, a broader approach can sometimes be more beneficial. A broad-based approach can often allow a team of Medical Professionals to give credence to the ways in which various systems work together, interact with each other, and affect one another.

As the founder of New Jersey’s Eastern Neurodiagnostic Associates, Dr. Shiva Gopal Vasishta has dedicated his practice to a broad-based approach to neurological care. Touting the approach’s ability to maximize comprehensive care for all patients, Dr. Vasishta’s practice focuses not only on Neurology and Electrodiagnostic Medicine but also includes Headache Management, Pain Management, Traumatic Brain Injury, and Cognitive Remediation Therapy. By diagnosing, treating, and managing these conditions, Dr. Vasishta’s team can effectively provide a broader scope of care, and successfully understand correlations between different patient conditions.

During this unprecedented time, as medical professionals bravely work around the clock to advance COVID-19 care, understanding, treatment, and future vaccination, it can be easy for Specialists to focus primarily on their niche space of expertise. While advancements in hyper-specific areas related to the pandemic can undoubtedly become instrumental in the quest to eradicate the global virus, bringing those specializations together to form a comprehensive picture can accelerate the process. Taking cues from Dr. Shiva Gopal Vasishta’s approach, we can learn about the benefits of a broad-based medical approach, and the ways in which it can positively impact the continued pandemic relief efforts.

Seeing The Big Picture

With an inherent interest in medicine, Dr. Shiva Gopal Vasishta completed his Internal Medicine undergraduate studies, and residency program, at the Government Medical College in Nagpur, India. Matriculating in 1984, the newly minted Dr. Vasishta started on the path to specialization via an extensive three-year Neurology residency at the Boston University Affiliated Hospitals. Further exploring the hyper-niche field that he found particularly professionally fulfilling, Dr. Vasishta then went on to sub-specialize even further in Clinical Neurophysiology and Electrodiagnostic Medicine at the TUFTS University Medical Center. Within that assignment, spanning from 1987 to 1989, Dr. Shiva Gopal Vasishta focused primarily on complex EMG studies, and Cortical Brain Mapping.

Though he amassed a vast amount of experience in hyper-specific fields of Neurological care, Dr. Vasishta recognized the importance of looking outward to maximize patient care in a comprehensive manner. Thus, after receiving his obtaining Board Certification in Neurology and Electrodiagnostic Medicine, Dr. Vasishta launched his private practice and chose to focus on a broad-based approach to Neurology. With assistance from a highly skilled team of like-minded medical professionals, Dr. Vasishta’s team aims to maximize patient outcomes through a comprehensive approach, while benefiting from the areas of specialization of team members.

For various specialists navigating today’s complex COVID-19 pandemic, the ability to see the proverbial “big picture” can be a powerful tool to being able to implement their specialized knowledge into the fold in a meaningful way. For example, Vaccine Researchers continue to work around the clock to create a safe, effective, and efficient COVID-19 vaccine. While they must spend a vast amount of time focusing on their inherent knowledge of viruses, their responses to vaccines, and the human body’s reaction to vaccines, they can undoubtedly benefit from taking an all-encompassing glimpse at factors outside of their own domain to garner potentially important insight. For example, learning from Epidemiologists, Vaccine Researchers may garner a new understanding of transmission methods, pivoting their own planning based on outside information. By working together, these medical professionals can combine their specialized knowledge to best understand the complexities of the current pandemic.

Championing Ongoing Learning

In any field of science and medicine, professionals embark on a lifelong mission to help others, advance the field of medicine, and continue to foster the spirit of learning. Through the vast medical advancements that have rapidly changed the field within the last generation, Medical Professionals now have the tools to continuously evolve the medical field. With constant changes, advancements, and breakthrough technologies, the field is anything but stagnant. Thus, an ongoing dedication to learning, and capturing understanding of relevant tertiary information from other specializations, is pivotal to the remaining offensive. For Dr. Shiva Gopal Vasishta, this concept has always propelled his desire to continue to amass knowledge and advance his understanding of concepts outside of the sphere of his own specialization. Through this continued interest, Dr. Vasishta has maximized effective patient outcomes, by fostering an ongoing understanding of tertiary factors that could impact their care, provide side effects or complications, or propel positive outcomes.

As the medical community continues to gain important knowledge related to every aspect of Coronavirus, the various discoveries created by Specialists have been implemented in the paths of other Medical Professionals, healthcare workers, and other individuals. Through the dissemination of crucial information and a collaborative approach, leaders in various medical fields have been able to integrate this cutting-edge information for the benefit of their niche fields. As increasing amounts of information become available, and the various unknowns begin to shrink, ongoing learning will undoubtedly play a pivotal role in the ultimate ability to gain effective vaccination, minimize the effects of COVID-19, and return to a “new normal”.

Technology as The Medium for A Broad-Based Approach

In Dr. Vasishta’s practice, technology plays an integral role in the successful completion of needed diagnostic testing, the ability to effectively see changes within the brain, and to seamlessly track progression. In addition, the continuous advancement of technology has also helped Dr. Vasishta to procure additional research study findings, collaborate with other Specialists in tertiary fields, and examine findings that can provide him with a broader understanding of a particular condition’s manifestation. Recognizing the benefits of constant global communication within the entire medical field, Shiva Gopal Vasishta readily accepts technology as a game-changing medium in the collaborative efforts of all individuals within the fields of science, medicine, and public wellness.

With breakthrough information readily available in real-time on a global basis, technology allows for the dissemination of this crucial information and acts as the medium for compiling integral data across all medical specialties. For the many professionals engaged in niche aspects of Coronavirus care, technology can play an important role in sharing information, collaborating, and working together for the greater good of mankind. Through the usage of various tech-based platforms, Medical Professionals can adopt a broad-based approach to their unique roles and work comprehensively toward overcoming the complexities of the current pandemic.

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