Neha Kayastha, MD, is an Assistant Professor of Medicine in GIM. She is a palliative care physician and medical educator who takes care of patients with serious illnesses, primarily in the hospital. Learn more about her in our interview below.
What brought you to Duke?
I came here for medical school, thought I'd be leaving after four years. I ended up staying for all of my training and taking my first faculty job here. I think there are a lot of stories like mine here.
What are your interests in the field?
Outside of good patient care, I love teaching about palliative care to learners in all stages of training. I also am interested in delivering palliative care early, to those who would benefit from it most.
How did you get in to this specific field?
During my second year internal medicine rotation in medical school, I really loved sitting in on family meetings that our palliative care consultants were leading, and felt that I had found my "people." Throughout my training I found myself drawn towards my sickest patients, because I really enjoyed thinking about the bigger picture and talking to them about their values and how that impacted their care. I had great mentors along the way that helped me realize that this is what palliative care was all about!
What are your hobbies or interests outside of work?
Outside of work, my husband and I love exploring all the Durham eateries and watching shows at DPAC. I'm very close to my family, so I facetime them almost every day. I'm also enjoying learning how to care for my houseplants.
What is your favorite food?
I never had a sweet tooth when I was younger, but now have a very strong one! I love a warm brownie with vanilla ice cream. First place, though, is my mom's home-cooked Indian food.
What is your favorite restaurant?
In the same vain of my sweet tooth, does goodberry's count? Just kidding...I think Durham has great pizza and love Pompieri's and Hutchin's Garage. For Indian food I'm a big fan of Viceroy.