Dr.
Ashish Dalal: Central Florida Humanitarian
A mentor can be life-changing.
For a physician, a mentor can change lives. Dr. Ashish Dalal has the utmost
admiration for one of his mentors, Dr. Kantilal Bhalani, founder of Doctors’
Goodwill Foundation.
Dr.-Ashish580-7“Dr.
Bhalani is more than a friend, he is a guide,” said Dalal, who specializes in
hematology and oncology at Space Coast Cancer Center.
Dalal first met Bhalani
when he moved to Brevard County in 2002.
“At that time, he had just
started the Foundation and he asked me to go to Africa on a medical mission,”
said Dalal.
As it happens for most of
the doctors and nurses who participate in these mission trips, Dalal found the
experience life-altering.
He found his patients
extremely grateful for life’s little gifts, despite the poverty they faced.
The interaction helped
define a new perspective for Dalal.
“They are such nice
people, but economically so poor,” said Dalal, referring to the residents of
Tanzania and Kenya helped during that particular trip.
“If India is considered
poverty-stricken, Africa is in 10 times worse shape.”
During the trip, Dalal
averaged about 80 patients a day. Although he specializes in cancer treatment,
he had to wear other medical hats during the mission.
“There was such a lack of
resources that there was no way I could practice my specialty,” said Dalal.
FORMER
DGF PRESIDENT
Dalal drew on his
background in internal medicine to minister to the African patients, many of
whom were suffering from severe nutritional disorders.
AS IT HAPPENS for most of
the doctors and nurses who participate in these mission trips, Dr. Ashish
Dalal, above right, found the experience life-altering. He found his patients
extremely grateful for life’s little gifts, despite the poverty they faced. The
interaction helped define a new perspective for Dalal.
“They would start lining
up at 7 a.m. with different problems,” said Dalal. “We did a lot to help them
out with problems such as anemia and iron deficiency.”
Bhalani tapped Dalal to
become president of the Doctors’ Goodwill Foundation, a position he held for
several years.
Although he is no longer
president, Dalal continues to be active with the organization, particularly in
fundraising.
“I work on getting
sponsorships for the Expo,” said Dalal.
“These help fund the
Foundation’s medical scholarships and other efforts.”
Dalal graduated from the
M.S. University Medical College of Baroda in Gujarat, India, where he also
completed a rotating internship in medicine, surgery, pediatrics and obstetrics
and gynecology.
He was a clinical research
associate in the Department of Oncology at the Montefiore Medical Center in New
York and completed a residency in internal medicine and a fellowship in
hematology and oncology at the Beth Israel Medical Center, also in New York.
With a young family, the
Rockledge resident has been unable to join additional Foundation mission trips,
but now that his children are six and nine years of age, he is looking forward
to being a part of these critically important humanitarian efforts.
“I want to do more,” said
Dalal.
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