Spotlight

Ashok Raj, MD

Interim Division Chief and Professor, Division of Pediatric Hematology and Oncology

How long have you worked in Pediatrics?   19 years

What is your favorite thing about your job?  My favorite part of the job is getting to know our patients and maintaining that relationship as they grow. The children fighting cancer are amazing. They go through a lot and have a lot to share. Treatment for childhood cancer can last as little as six months or sometimes over five years depending on the type of cancer a child may have. In that time, a tight bond forms between the child and his or her family and the oncology team. It is that relationship that I value the most. These are wonderful times as more and more childhood cancer patients go on to have graduations and weddings as victors over cancer.

What is your hometown? Bangalore, India

What is your favorite movie? Back to the Future (1985). Remember, we old guys were kids once too!

Tell us about your family: I am lucky to be born into a beautiful family as the oldest of three children. My wife and I live in Springhurst and have two sons who went to Manual. They now work in business and finance.

Do you have pets? None – my grandfather was a veterinarian who instilled a love of animals in me. Unfortunately, allergies get in the way of us owning a pet.

What are you doing, where are you going, for your next vacation? For our next vacation, my wife and I plan to visit Melbourne, Australia. I will attend the international conference for thrombosis and hemostasis in Melbourne and see a little of Australia with my wife.

As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up? A person who would always “help ever and hurt never”, and always thought being a doctor was the best way to do so.

What is one of your proudest accomplishments? My proudest accomplishment will be to see that our pediatric comprehensive sickle cell program one of the best our country by several initiatives including expanding our erythrocytapheresis program to all sickle cell patients requiring chronic transfusion. Our morbidity and mortality data in sickle cell disease is one of the lowest in the country, and we hope to only continue to get better.

What is your favorite quote?  “If you look at what you have in life, you’ll always have more. If you look at what you don’t have in life, you’ll never have enough.” – Oprah Winfrey

 What was your first job?: My first job was as a pediatric clinician at an infectious disease hospital, named “the Chest and Fever hospital”, in Lassan, Abha, Saudi Arabia. It gave me my foundation in pediatric medicine and was the first time I left my home country.

What is your favorite ice cream? Good ole vanilla