Dr Sphoorti Pai – An Inspiration to Young Doctors

Dr Sphoorti Pai – An Inspiration to Young Doctors

Taking up medicine and becoming a doctor is a challenge for many youngsters these days, as the profession faces the onslaught of new diseases and viral pandemics like COVID-19. It also has to deal with social miscreants taking the law into their hands and physically attacking doctors for silly reasons.

Swimming against the current, one young lady has not only chosen medicine as her profession, not just completing Post Graduate specialisation in General medicine, but she has also excelled in the field by reaching the highest level of Super Specialisation in India today, that is DM (Doctor of Medicine). She is Dr Sphoorti Pai, hailing from Shivamogga in Karnataka.

Dr Sphoorti Pai has completed DM in Endocrinology from St John’s Medical College Bengaluru and has scored the highest marks in Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences. That is something for all the young doctors to ponder, as not many reach her level, nor do they match her performance. She has done that while curing hundreds of ailing poor patients in the hospitals that she has worked over the years.

Dr Sphoorti P Pai is the elder daughter of Dr Prashanth Kumar Pai and Sucheta Pai.

She did her schooling from 1st to 10th at Vasavi Vidyalaya, Kote Road Shivamogga, completed her PUC at DVS Composite PU College, Shivamogga, MBBS and MD (General Medicine) from Bangalore Medical College and Research Institute, Bangalore. Her credentials are listed at the end of this article.

Sphoorti’s father Dr Prashanth Kumar Pai is a senior consultant physician at Sahyadri Hospital Shivamogga. He is also an exponent of Hindustani Tabla and her mother Sucheta Pai is a Post Graduate in English literature from Manasagangotri Mysore. She was a lecturer at Kuvempu University Shivamogga. She is a good homemaker and an enthusiast in Hindustani Classical vocal.

Her younger sister Dr Pranati Pai is a graduate in Dental Sciences from SDM Dental College, Dharwad. At present Dr Pranati is pursuing MDS in Prosthodontics from Bapuji dental college, Davangere. She was the under-9 yrs State Champion in chess and has won many prizes in chess tournaments. She is also good at singing and sketching.

Her paternal grandparents Shanthi Pai and Late Raghupathi Pai are from Hosangadi in Udupi District. Her grandfather was a merchant and agriculturist.

Dr Sphoorti’s maternal grandparents Dr Suresh D Isloor and Dr Veena S Isloor established their own nursing home Sahyadri Hospital in Shivamoggain 1964, and the hospital celebrated Golden Jubilee in 2014. Dr Suresh Isloor has been conferred the prestigious Dr BC Roy Award for his contribution in the field of Medicine. Dr Isloor is a specialist in both Eye and ENT, which is again rare in the field of medicine.

Dr Sphoorti Pai is married to Vignesh Prabhu, who is a graduate in Engineering from Bangalore Institute of Technology and an MBA from Indian Institute of Management (IIM), Rohtak. He is currently placed as Manager at SLK Software, Bangalore.

Dr Sphoorti Pai’s achievements:

• Class topper in school.
• National Talent Search Examination Scholar – State level 25th rank and received the prestigious national scholarship from 10th standard till completion of MBBS.
• Has represented Karnataka State team, which won the gold medal in 51st National School Games 2005-2006 at Vishakapatnam.
• Has won many prizes in the district, state and national level chess tournaments.
• Essay on the environment was selected for publication in a book which was released by the then President of India, Dr APJ Abdul Kalam in 2006.
• Has won prizes in essay competitions, drawing and music.
• Secured 6th rank in medical, 17th rank in engineering, 4th rank in ISMH in CET, Karnataka in 2008.
• 6 Gold medals in Pathology, ENT, General Medicine, Topper in 3rd and 4th-year MBBS and Best outgoing student graduating from Bangalore Medical College and Research Institute in 2014.
• 13th rank in PGCET for MD entrance in 2014.
• 7th rank in MD General Medicine from Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences in 2017.
• 28th rank in medicine branch for NEET super specialty entrance examination in 2017.
• Completed DM Endocrinology from St John’s Medical College Bangalore in 2020.
• Her hobbies are playing chess, singing, drawing pencil sketches and cooking.
• When asked about how she could achieve all that at such a young age, she just smiles and says, “One should have honesty, self-confidence, genuine interest and dedication in what one does.
  Then impossible becomes possible”.
• Dr Sphoorti Pai has future plans to excel in the field of endocrinology and contribute to the well-being of her patients and society.