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After the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami, he traveled to his home country of Sri Lanka to help people who were in need and establish an orphanage. He has applied his skills as a gastroenterologist in the U.S. military and the New York City Police Department.
He was in New York during the 9-11 terrorist attacks. To this day, he treats patients with residual GI problems and precancerous changes associated with 9-11. “I’m involved in screening those people who were the first responders referred by the NYPD,” he says.
This year Dr. Iswara earned the Distinguished Clinician Award in Private Practice from the American Gastroenterological Association. “He puts his patients first in every endeavor – and every question that he asks with regards to research and education is linked to the ultimate measuring stick of improving patient care,” according to an AGA announcement of the award.
When dealing with patients and colleagues, he offers this simple pearl of advice: Listen and then listen some more.
“Once you listen more, you can find out their issues much more in depth, and you can give a satisfying answer to them and their problems. Listening is a kindness and a compassionate thing. It not only makes you become a better teacher, but a better person,” said Dr. Iswara, attending gastroenterologist at Maimonides Medical Center in New York.
In an interview, he talked more in depth about his GI beginnings, his role as a mentor, and why he always starts the day with a prayer. He also confided about the useful time management habit kept from his military days that gives him energy.
Question: What gives you joy in day-to-day practice?
Dr. Iswara: One of the main joys is my colleagues, coworkers, fellows, and my patients. The patients come No. 1. As I walk into my practice area or in the hospital, there is a sense of inner happiness in my mind to see the smiles of the patients and the greetings I get from the patients and all the coworkers. I also see smiling patients with anxiety in their face, trying to get my attention to take care of them.
After I see the patient, I change to a different mode, a kind of a professional mode to give the best to the people whom I’m caring for, who are trusting me with their lives.
One thing I do in my mind before I even start the day, I do a silent prayer to guide me, to give compassionate care and safe care. I will not harm anyone who is depending on my care.
Q: Who was your mentor?
Dr. Iswara: I was lucky enough to have been trained by Baroukh El Kodsi, MD, at Maimonides Medical Center. He recently passed away and was a legend in Brooklyn. I was his first-generation trainee, and I was able to pass on my skills to my trainees. Now so many people who are in Brooklyn; they were trained by me, so it’s kind of growth by generations.
When I finished the training with Dr. Kodsi, he hired me as an associate director of the GI department at Maimonides. I became the program director, then division chief, then I became a director of advanced endoscopy. All these gastroenterology procedures started after 1975 while I was doing the training, so I was one of the pioneers to bring all this new technology to our hospital. I’m still involved in fellowship education.
Q: Can we talk more about your accomplishments? Perhaps you can discuss your AGA award and what you received it for.
Dr. Iswara: I’m humbled and honored by this role, and I’ll be forever grateful to AGA for this prestigious honor at the late stage of my career.
I have been a continuous AGA member for the last 45 years. I probably have one of the longest durations of being an actively practicing gastroenterologist in Brooklyn. I’ve also done academic work, teaching so many young gastroenterologists, motivating several of them to become leading gastroenterologists.
Q: If you could describe a scene of your vision for the future, what it would it be in terms of how gastroenterology is practiced?
Dr. Iswara: I’d like to see the newer generation practice more of a clinical medicine than technical medicine. Sometimes when I see the young people, they sit in front of the computer more than talking and touching the patient. There has to be some sort of a balance where the newer people should be taught more bedside personal care, touching the patient, looking at the patient’s face. They are kind of under pressure to write longer notes than to examine the patient, so I think this has to change.
Q: Describe how you would spend a free Saturday afternoon.
Dr. Iswara: When I was in the military, I was told that to prevent battle fatigue you had to take a rest. I really try to take a rest almost 2 hours every day in the daytime. This rejuvenates me.
We live in New York, and I love to go to shows, especially magic shows. I love magic and illusion.
On free Saturday evenings, I also spend time with my grandchildren in the city, watching them in their baseball, soccer, swimming, and other activities. I love to spend time with them.
Lightning round
Texting or talking?
Texting
Favorite city in the U.S. besides the one you live?
Naples, Fla.
Favorite breakfast?
Pancakes
Dark Chocolate or milk chocolate?
Cadbury from England
Last movie you watched?
“To Sir, With Love”
After the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami, he traveled to his home country of Sri Lanka to help people who were in need and establish an orphanage. He has applied his skills as a gastroenterologist in the U.S. military and the New York City Police Department.
He was in New York during the 9-11 terrorist attacks. To this day, he treats patients with residual GI problems and precancerous changes associated with 9-11. “I’m involved in screening those people who were the first responders referred by the NYPD,” he says.
This year Dr. Iswara earned the Distinguished Clinician Award in Private Practice from the American Gastroenterological Association. “He puts his patients first in every endeavor – and every question that he asks with regards to research and education is linked to the ultimate measuring stick of improving patient care,” according to an AGA announcement of the award.
When dealing with patients and colleagues, he offers this simple pearl of advice: Listen and then listen some more.
“Once you listen more, you can find out their issues much more in depth, and you can give a satisfying answer to them and their problems. Listening is a kindness and a compassionate thing. It not only makes you become a better teacher, but a better person,” said Dr. Iswara, attending gastroenterologist at Maimonides Medical Center in New York.
In an interview, he talked more in depth about his GI beginnings, his role as a mentor, and why he always starts the day with a prayer. He also confided about the useful time management habit kept from his military days that gives him energy.
Question: What gives you joy in day-to-day practice?
Dr. Iswara: One of the main joys is my colleagues, coworkers, fellows, and my patients. The patients come No. 1. As I walk into my practice area or in the hospital, there is a sense of inner happiness in my mind to see the smiles of the patients and the greetings I get from the patients and all the coworkers. I also see smiling patients with anxiety in their face, trying to get my attention to take care of them.
After I see the patient, I change to a different mode, a kind of a professional mode to give the best to the people whom I’m caring for, who are trusting me with their lives.
One thing I do in my mind before I even start the day, I do a silent prayer to guide me, to give compassionate care and safe care. I will not harm anyone who is depending on my care.
Q: Who was your mentor?
Dr. Iswara: I was lucky enough to have been trained by Baroukh El Kodsi, MD, at Maimonides Medical Center. He recently passed away and was a legend in Brooklyn. I was his first-generation trainee, and I was able to pass on my skills to my trainees. Now so many people who are in Brooklyn; they were trained by me, so it’s kind of growth by generations.
When I finished the training with Dr. Kodsi, he hired me as an associate director of the GI department at Maimonides. I became the program director, then division chief, then I became a director of advanced endoscopy. All these gastroenterology procedures started after 1975 while I was doing the training, so I was one of the pioneers to bring all this new technology to our hospital. I’m still involved in fellowship education.
Q: Can we talk more about your accomplishments? Perhaps you can discuss your AGA award and what you received it for.
Dr. Iswara: I’m humbled and honored by this role, and I’ll be forever grateful to AGA for this prestigious honor at the late stage of my career.
I have been a continuous AGA member for the last 45 years. I probably have one of the longest durations of being an actively practicing gastroenterologist in Brooklyn. I’ve also done academic work, teaching so many young gastroenterologists, motivating several of them to become leading gastroenterologists.
Q: If you could describe a scene of your vision for the future, what it would it be in terms of how gastroenterology is practiced?
Dr. Iswara: I’d like to see the newer generation practice more of a clinical medicine than technical medicine. Sometimes when I see the young people, they sit in front of the computer more than talking and touching the patient. There has to be some sort of a balance where the newer people should be taught more bedside personal care, touching the patient, looking at the patient’s face. They are kind of under pressure to write longer notes than to examine the patient, so I think this has to change.
Q: Describe how you would spend a free Saturday afternoon.
Dr. Iswara: When I was in the military, I was told that to prevent battle fatigue you had to take a rest. I really try to take a rest almost 2 hours every day in the daytime. This rejuvenates me.
We live in New York, and I love to go to shows, especially magic shows. I love magic and illusion.
On free Saturday evenings, I also spend time with my grandchildren in the city, watching them in their baseball, soccer, swimming, and other activities. I love to spend time with them.
Lightning round
Texting or talking?
Texting
Favorite city in the U.S. besides the one you live?
Naples, Fla.
Favorite breakfast?
Pancakes
Dark Chocolate or milk chocolate?
Cadbury from England
Last movie you watched?
“To Sir, With Love”
After the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami, he traveled to his home country of Sri Lanka to help people who were in need and establish an orphanage. He has applied his skills as a gastroenterologist in the U.S. military and the New York City Police Department.
He was in New York during the 9-11 terrorist attacks. To this day, he treats patients with residual GI problems and precancerous changes associated with 9-11. “I’m involved in screening those people who were the first responders referred by the NYPD,” he says.
This year Dr. Iswara earned the Distinguished Clinician Award in Private Practice from the American Gastroenterological Association. “He puts his patients first in every endeavor – and every question that he asks with regards to research and education is linked to the ultimate measuring stick of improving patient care,” according to an AGA announcement of the award.
When dealing with patients and colleagues, he offers this simple pearl of advice: Listen and then listen some more.
“Once you listen more, you can find out their issues much more in depth, and you can give a satisfying answer to them and their problems. Listening is a kindness and a compassionate thing. It not only makes you become a better teacher, but a better person,” said Dr. Iswara, attending gastroenterologist at Maimonides Medical Center in New York.
In an interview, he talked more in depth about his GI beginnings, his role as a mentor, and why he always starts the day with a prayer. He also confided about the useful time management habit kept from his military days that gives him energy.
Question: What gives you joy in day-to-day practice?
Dr. Iswara: One of the main joys is my colleagues, coworkers, fellows, and my patients. The patients come No. 1. As I walk into my practice area or in the hospital, there is a sense of inner happiness in my mind to see the smiles of the patients and the greetings I get from the patients and all the coworkers. I also see smiling patients with anxiety in their face, trying to get my attention to take care of them.
After I see the patient, I change to a different mode, a kind of a professional mode to give the best to the people whom I’m caring for, who are trusting me with their lives.
One thing I do in my mind before I even start the day, I do a silent prayer to guide me, to give compassionate care and safe care. I will not harm anyone who is depending on my care.
Q: Who was your mentor?
Dr. Iswara: I was lucky enough to have been trained by Baroukh El Kodsi, MD, at Maimonides Medical Center. He recently passed away and was a legend in Brooklyn. I was his first-generation trainee, and I was able to pass on my skills to my trainees. Now so many people who are in Brooklyn; they were trained by me, so it’s kind of growth by generations.
When I finished the training with Dr. Kodsi, he hired me as an associate director of the GI department at Maimonides. I became the program director, then division chief, then I became a director of advanced endoscopy. All these gastroenterology procedures started after 1975 while I was doing the training, so I was one of the pioneers to bring all this new technology to our hospital. I’m still involved in fellowship education.
Q: Can we talk more about your accomplishments? Perhaps you can discuss your AGA award and what you received it for.
Dr. Iswara: I’m humbled and honored by this role, and I’ll be forever grateful to AGA for this prestigious honor at the late stage of my career.
I have been a continuous AGA member for the last 45 years. I probably have one of the longest durations of being an actively practicing gastroenterologist in Brooklyn. I’ve also done academic work, teaching so many young gastroenterologists, motivating several of them to become leading gastroenterologists.
Q: If you could describe a scene of your vision for the future, what it would it be in terms of how gastroenterology is practiced?
Dr. Iswara: I’d like to see the newer generation practice more of a clinical medicine than technical medicine. Sometimes when I see the young people, they sit in front of the computer more than talking and touching the patient. There has to be some sort of a balance where the newer people should be taught more bedside personal care, touching the patient, looking at the patient’s face. They are kind of under pressure to write longer notes than to examine the patient, so I think this has to change.
Q: Describe how you would spend a free Saturday afternoon.
Dr. Iswara: When I was in the military, I was told that to prevent battle fatigue you had to take a rest. I really try to take a rest almost 2 hours every day in the daytime. This rejuvenates me.
We live in New York, and I love to go to shows, especially magic shows. I love magic and illusion.
On free Saturday evenings, I also spend time with my grandchildren in the city, watching them in their baseball, soccer, swimming, and other activities. I love to spend time with them.
Lightning round
Texting or talking?
Texting
Favorite city in the U.S. besides the one you live?
Naples, Fla.
Favorite breakfast?
Pancakes
Dark Chocolate or milk chocolate?
Cadbury from England
Last movie you watched?
“To Sir, With Love”