(In this edition of Movers and Shakers in Medicine, we present  Dr. Om Ganda, a world renowned  clinician-scientist whose work has had a significant impact in helping understand, control and prevent Diabetes.)

Dr. Om Ganda is a board-certified in Internal Medicine, Endocrinology and Metabolism, and Clinical Nutrition, a Senior Physician in the Section on Adult Diabetes at Joslin, and an Associate Clinical Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School. Dr. Ganda received his medical degree from the S. M. S. Medical College of the University of Rajasthan in Jaipur, India. He completed a residency in medicine at the All India Institute of Medical Science in New Delhi, and a residency in medicine at Tufts University School of Medicine. Dr. Ganda subsequently completed a clinical fellowship in Endocrinology and Metabolism at Tufts University and a research fellowship in medicine at Harvard Medical School.

A migrant from West Punjab (now part of Pakistan), Dr. Ganda’s family moved to Alwar, in Rajasthan, India when he was two years old. His  father was a staunch believer and practitioner of Hahnemann’s philosophy of homeopathy. His mother was very hardworking and religious. “Growing up, she imbibed the same religious values in all her six children. We were never allowed to have breakfast until we completed our meditation routine, that included readings from Ramayana or Bhagwat Gita. Even today, every morning I recite a few shlokas that she taught me when I was a toddler,” says Dr. Ganda. His two older brothers are pharmacists and hence growing up he developed a fascination for pharmacology.

He came to the US in 1971.  “Like many of my contemporaries in those days, I left India with just a few dollars to start a new life. During those days, there were still a very small number of Indian families in the Boston area, and it was customary to exchange a smile if you saw another Indian face on the street! A Sunday movie at MIT or an occasional one at a movie theater was a real treat. There were only two small Indian restaurants, both in Cambridge,” says Ganda.

His goal to have a scientific career in Endocrinology was shaped by his early interest in Diabetes, since an uncle died of Diabetes. His mentor at All India Institute of Medical Sciences was also a Diabetes expert.  He certainly achieved his goal and has become a leading expert on Diabetes in the world. He has served as the  director of the Lipid Clinic at the famous Joslin Institute. He has done extensive research in Diabetes for nearly  three decades. He was the investigator in the landmark Diabetes Control and Complications Trial (DCCT) in 1993. The work demonstrated the importance of glucose control in preventing complications in type 1 diabetes. He is now Co-Investigator of Epidemiology of Diabetes Intervention and Complications (EDIC), an ongoing long-term follow-up study. He was also a Co-Investigator of the Diabetes Prevention Program, which found that both lifestyle changes and medication dramatically reduced progression to type 2 diabetes in people with obesity or a family history of risk factors. 

In addition to his clinical research and teaching, he directs the Lipid Clinic at Joslin, where he treats patients with elevated cholesterol and triglycerides.  He is a Co-Investigator of several ongoing clinical trials to identify better medications for people who have difficulty with exercise and diet control. The goal is to find one pill that will control not only cholesterol and triglycerides (as statins do), but also blood pressure and blood glucose. He has published extensively in reputed journals. He has written several book chapters. He currently serves an associate editor of Endocrine Practice, the official journal of ACE/AACE, and is on the editorial board of the IDF journal

Who are his role models in life? “ My father was my main inspiration growing up and making career choices. He taught me the value of hard work, determination, humility, and compassion. I had many other role models who were a great source of inspiration in my career.  They  propel me to learn and be amazed by the intelligence of God in creating the universe, and the unfathomable human machine!” says Ganda.

Research is his passion.  “If I had to start my career all over again, I would wish to stay longer in basic research to study mechanisms of disease, since we are getting so much closer to identifying the genetic cause of many chronic diseases, like diabetes, and cancer,” says Ganda. 

Dr. Om Ganda is married to Dr. Kanchan Ganda who heads the department of Medicine at the Tufts Dental School.  “My wife, Kanchan (Dewan), born and raised in Bombay used to visit her aunt in Delhi, a next door neighbor; that’s how we met,” says Ganda.  “Our twin daughters were born in Boston; Anjali is an academic nephrologist at Columbia-Presbyterian in New York, and Kiran, an MBA working in a healthcare firm in Boston as their Director of Communications. My two beautiful daughter are the best thing that has happened to me.  They continue to teach me about life’s lessons and secrets.”

With such an outstanding career and happy family life are there any regrets?”

In life, perfection is impossible. There are always some regrets. I have been extremely fortunate to have no major regrets. May be there is one regret .. the discovery of GPS ..so now my wife never needs my help with going anywhere!!” says Ganda with a smile. “My daughter Kiran likes to quote from her favorite musical, RENT: “Forget regret - or life is yours to miss”. So true.”

In addition to his busy career, Ganda has contributed to several efforts. He has provided ad-hoc voluntary services for the Association of American Physicians of India Origin from its inception. He has held Indo-US Summits in India, exploring projects for reducing diabetes burden in India. He is also an executive committee member of the newly formed organizations,  Global Association of Physicians of Indian Origin (GAPIO). He has served as a Commissioner in the  Asian American Commission of Massachusetts.

It is not all work and no play for Ganda. What does he enjoying doing while not working? “Walking along a lake or a beach on a sunny afternoon for as long as possible. Good conversation and laughter with friends, or a gourmet meal at a restaurant with ambiance is also a very enjoyable thing” says Ganda. He likes old classic movies. Kabuliwalla, Anand and Casablanca are his favorites. The legends Tom Hanks, Catherine Zeta-Jone and Comedian Dana Carvey are his favorite heros from the tinsel world. He likes watching baseball and football games.  Marley and Me and Tuesdays with Morrie are his favorite books.

Devotional and Jazz music are his favorites. Geeta Dutt, SD Burman, Mohammed Rafi, Kundan Lal Saigal, Master Madan are some of his favorite singers. He loves old Hindi songs and ghazals.  Preetam Aan Milo by Chandru  Atma is an all time favorite song.

His sense of humor strikes again when we ask him about his collections. “ Fond Memories and ….also my wife’s credit card receipts!” says Ganda.

His favorite quotes -

“When I read the Bhagvadgita and reflect about how God created this universe, everything else seems so superfluous…” Albert Einstein

“It ain’t what folks don’t know that’s the problem, it is what they know that ain’t so.” ….Josh Billings

What does the future hold for this very successful doctor? Yogi Berra once said; - it is tough to make predictions, especially about the future! -  I am willing to go out on a limb and hope that I can make a difference in people’s lives by contributing to the efforts to prevent or forestall the complications of diabetes by concerted community involvement,” says Ganda.

Any message for our readers? “

Human lifespan is too short; be thankful for what you have in life, rather than lamenting over what you wish you had. Gratitude, Fearlessness, and Compassion are three attributes for all of us to strive for and practice, although easier said than done.

For the younger generation seeking a successful career, remember there are only 168 hours in a week, of which one-third is spent in sleep. Of the remaining 112 hours, focus your energy to work hard for at least 60 hours per week, and with some luck, you will succeed. That leaves you with a generous 52 hours per week to spend on anything else! Follow Confucius’ dictum: “By three methods we may learn wisdom: First, by imitation, which is the easiest; second by experience, which is the bitterest, and third by reflection, which is the noblest.”

A beautiful message indeed from a doctor who surely has contributed his fair share to help mitigate the problems caused by a deadly disease  - Diabetes.

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