New Mexico is a place full of culture. For Dr. Keshab Paudel, an extraordinary social hero and medical doctor from New Mexico, the culture of serving fellow humans has been the most important culture of his life. The veteran NRNA activist Dr. Paudel has served as the General Secretary of NRNA ICC ( International Coordinational Council), the umbrella organization of Nepali-origin people in different parts of the world. Previously he served as the President of NRNA NCC USA from 2015-2019 ( two terms) and Chief-Patron from 2019-2021.
After completing his undergraduate studies in general medicine/surgery at Tribhuvan University, Nepal, in 1994, Paudel was a paramedical worker Department of Health Service of Nepal until 1996. Paudel received his MBBS from Tribhuvan University, Kathmandu, in 2002 and his MBA from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, in 2013. In 2011, he was presented with a Pennsylvania State Medical License after obtaining a license from the American Board of Internal Medicine, valid from 2010 to 2020.
He was a research associate for the Japan Nepal Malaria Research Project (2003–2004). He researched “Racial Differences in Colonoscopy Findings, Colonic Polyps, and Cancer Locations among Individuals Age Less than 50 Years” (2009–2010) and “Yield of CT Abdomen in Evaluation of Sepsis of Unknown Origin” (2008–2010) at the Montefiore Medical Center North Division, NY. He evaluated patients with anemia and diabetes at the exact center (2007–2010) and focused on the outcomes of patients with solid organ transplants at the Integris Baptist Medical Center, OK, in 2006.
Moreover, Paudel has made multiple presentations about his work throughout the world. In 2011, he presented “A Study on Stress-Related Weight-Change in Medical Residency: Does the Care for Others Eventually Take Priority Over the Care of One’s Self?” at the Binghamton Biomedical Research Conference. Additionally, he gave an abstract presentation on “Fasting versus Random Blood Sugar Measurements: Which Is the Better Correlate with HbA1c Measurements in Older Adults with Diabetes Mellitus?” at the Young Investigators symposium in 2009 and on “Is There a Relationship between the Presence of Anemia and Diabetes to Stages of Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) in Older Subjects?” at the annual fellow and resident research competition in 2008.
His report on “An Inventory and Evaluation of the Health System of Nepal,” published in July of 2003, was submitted to the Ministry of Health, Nepal, and was funded by World Bank. His extraordinary five-year plan for AMDA Hospital, Damak, was introduced to the Community Medicine Department, Institute of Medicine, Nepal, in September of 2000.
Paudel was the system medical director (2016–2017) and associate system medical director at the Lovelace Health System (2014–2016). He served as a medical director of the hospitalist program at the Heart Hospital of New Mexico from 2014 to 2015 and at the Lovelace Westside Hospital from November 2013 to March 2015. He served as the Chair of the Pharmacy and Therapeutics Committee at Lovelace Westside from November 2013 to August 2016. He was also an attending physician at Dr. Garabed A. Fattal Community Free Clinic of Upstate Medical University at Binghamton, NY, from July 2010 to December 2013 and a hospitalist at United Health Services Hospitals from July 2010 to December 2013. In early 2004, he joined the Ministry of Health, Nepal, as a medical officer. This was followed by his work as a medical officer at the Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital, Nepal, from November 2002 to January 2004.
He was not only elected to be the senior fellow of the society of Hospital Medicine in 2015 but also a fellow of the American College of Physicians. He worked as a board of directors member of the Nepal America Medical Foundation from 2014 to 2015 and has been the president of the Society of Hospital Medicine, New Mexico, from 2014 until now.
He received the Health Care Hero Award: Lovelace Medical Group (May 2016). He received a Chapter Excellence Award from the American College of Physicians and an Award of Excellence from the Society of Hospital Medicine in March 2016. The United Health Services Hospitals presented him with a Physician Leadership Award in June 2012.
Dr. Keshab Paudel: General Secretary NRNA ICC and Medical Personality from New Mexico
