Exploring Her Options in Medicine: Poojajeet Khaira

A bit of this and a bit of that is the motto of second-year Northeast Ohio Medical University College of Medicine student Poojajeet Khaira, better known as Pooja.

From pediatrics to geriatrics, veterans and underserved patient populations, Khaira enjoys working with patients of all ages and backgrounds.

This summer, Khaira opted for three hands-on, community-based experiences.

She cared for a camper at Fresh Air Camp, an overnight program for children who are tracheostomy and/or ventilator dependent; helped with recreational activities at the Louis Stokes Cleveland VA Medical Center; and shadowed a local physician through the Ohio Academy of Family Physicians Foundation’s Leroy A. Rogers, M.D., Preceptorship Program.

“I’m very glad I got placed with Paul Coleman, M.D. Every patient in his clinic was so different. I got to see so many things that we learned about in class and realized how important those pieces of information are,” says Khaira, who displayed a poster on her Leroy Rogers experience at NEOMED’s Summer Research Fellowship Program Poster Day, held Tuesday, Aug. 20

By the time Khaira started her second year of medical school, she had made a new friend that shares her love of ice cream, listened to the stories of former service members and gained new insight on medication assisted treatment (MAT) for patients with substance abuse disorders.

Experiencing it all

Khaira’s wide horizon of interests extends into student life, too. She serves as a leader and member of eight student organizations at NEOMED, including its Family Medicine Interest Group; Geriatrics Interest Group; Pediatric Action Club; Med/Peds Interest Group; Ear, Nose and Throat Interest Group; Internal Medicine Interest Group; Oncology Interest Group; and Sikh Student Association.

Family and friends first

Despite her heavy involvement on and off campus, there are two things that Khaira always puts above all else — family and friends.

When she was two and a half, Khaira, her father and grandmother moved from Singapore to the U.S. Ever since, she says her father has been a steady sounding board in her life.

“Everyone used to say that as a baby, I was a carbon copy of my father. He’s such a big part of my life and is always willing to go on ice cream runs,” says Khaira.

It’s Khaira’s father that introduced her to NEOMED. From there, she knew it was a perfect fit from the emphasis the University places on putting patients first.

As for her friends, Khaira is appreciative of their support.

“The friendships I have made in medical school have made such a big impact on my life and are very important to me. I wouldn’t have been able to make it through my M1 year without the support of my friends. I’ve really seen the meaning of a true friend this past year.”