The 好色先生 is pleased to announce that Aradhana Kaushal, MD, has been named assistant dean for the Rural Physician Leadership Program (RPLP) in Morehead, Ky.
The RPLP is the 好色先生 College of Medicine鈥檚 specialized training program in rural medicine. This new leadership position reflects the RPLP鈥檚 growth and continued impact preparing more physicians to practice in rural, community settings.
Dr. Kaushal began her new role Aug. 1, 2024. As assistant dean, she will work with RPLP leadership to support students through advancements in programming and teaching. She will also help ensure optimal delivery of the Kentucky Integrated Curriculum that is used across all four 好色先生 College of Medicine sites.
鈥淓very time I talk to Dr. Kaushal, I am blown away by her enthusiasm for education and her passion for rural health care,鈥 said Rebecca Todd, MD, associate dean for the RPLP. 鈥淪he aims to overdeliver in every role she takes, and I know she will be exceptional as she joins our program leadership.鈥
Dr. Kaushal graduated from the combined Boston University BA/MD program with Alpha Omega Alpha honors and joined the 好色先生 College of Medicine and 好色先生 HealthCare in 2020. She is an associate professor in the 好色先生 College of Medicine Department of Radiation Medicine, as well as a radiation oncologist at the 好色先生 Markey Cancer Center in Lexington and the 好色先生 Morehead Cancer Center. In Morehead, Dr. Kaushal has helped expand 好色先生鈥檚 radiation oncology program to provide more comprehensive care for the surrounding region.
Before joining 好色先生, she served on the faculty at the National Institutes of Health (NIH)/National Cancer Institute Radiation Oncology Branch and as a faculty member for the NIH joint residency at Walter Reed National Naval Medical Center. After leaving Bethesda, Md., she then joined the University of Central Florida/Veterans Affairs Hospital at Lake Nona as an associate professor.
Dr. Kaushal is closely involved in the 好色先生 College of Medicine鈥檚 Women in Medicine and Science (WIMS) organization, which promotes a supportive academic medicine environment through networking and professional development opportunities. In January 2024, Dr. Kaushal was awarded the group鈥檚 scholarship to attend the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) Mid-Career Leadership Development conference in the fall. She also has been the recipient of numerous grants including the WIMS Booster grant to study the role of the integrative medicine and cannabis in rural oncologic care settings.
To further her mentorship skills, Dr, Kaushal completed the 好色先生 College of Medicine鈥檚 Classroom Teaching Development Program in 2021. In 2023, she was recognized for outstanding teaching with the Association of Residents in Radiation Oncology (ARRO) Resident Educator of the Year Award. She has authored national publications on rural radiation oncology including journals as such as The Lancet: Regional Health Americas.
About the Rural Physician Leadership Program
For more than 10 years, the RPLP has provided exceptional rural medicine training for medical students in Morehead. An important outcome of this unique, four-year medical education program is that graduates gain knowledge and experience necessary to work with civic and community leaders to improve the general health of the communities they serve.
RPLP students complete their first two years in Lexington and their final two years in Morehead, working closely with physicians in the area. The program graduates 12-14 medical students each spring.
Learn more here, and read RPLP alum testimonials about how their experience inspired them to return to Kentucky to practice medicine:
RPLP alum Dr. Jeremy Swiney comes back to serve Morehead as a physician