Anish Dhamija, MD
Well, hello there. Welcome to my bio page! Probably part of the reason youve clicked on this page, and Im making a fairly big assumption here, is to not only get to know me a bit, but also to understand why I chose/like combined training here in San Diego. So, here are some of those reasons:
- This feeling of family — when I walk into the doors of St. Vinnie’s, I can feel the warmth. From the playful banter with the MAs and nurses, to practicing Spanish with our receptionist, to the hugs from the staff, it is a big adopted family here.
- The clinic is designed with combo training in mind. I cannot think of a population that could use combo training more than the patients we see at the clinic. San Diego has the 4th largest homeless population in the country (solid bar trivia!), many of whom are suffering on the streets due to serious psychiatric issues, unaddressed medical issues, or both. And without us, many of them would likely not receive care. I feel useful here.
- San Diego — everybody mentions the weather, but it is difficult to find a place that has beaches and hiking, wealthy and poor, cultured and cultural neighborhoods, history and growth, and people literally from all walks of life all within a 30 mile radius. The diversity of experiences in one weekend in San Diego rivals no other place I’ve been to.
- The leadership, camaraderie, support and love— our coordinator, program directors, attendings, and residents have fostered a culture of acceptance and family. We all look out for one another. No one else really knows what you are going through except those who’ve been through it themselves. It was incredibly important to me during interview season that I find “my people” for this journey. And honestly, I found them at UCSD’s combined program.
Now a little bit about me. Born and raised in Northern California, went to undergraduate at UC San Diego, and then went to med school at UC Riverside after a couple years in Portland and Connecticut. Interesting fact — I heard about the UCSD combined program from some guy at a sandwich shop in San Jose while studying for the MCAT. I then googled it and stalked the webpage (like you are, perhaps?) for 5-6 years until I had the fortunate opportunity to join the combined class of 2022. Moral of the story: stalk.
Some things I like to do are hike in nature, climb, travel, talk about life, collect music, adventurize, and google my favorite Bay Area sports teams multiple times daily. Anyway, that’s enough for now — we’ve got to have something to talk about when we meet in-person...come check us out and say hi!
Best,
Anish
