Introducing Joht Chandan, an Editorial Assistant at MedShr!

Joht is a fifth year medical student at UCL with interests in a variety of fields.

MedShr: What inspired you to study medicine?

Joht: Initially I never planned to do Medicine. I always thought I might go into Engineering. However during my school holidays I volunteered at a hospice in Birmingham and saw some of the work that doctors do and where their limitations are. I found the work inspiring as they didn’t just cure individuals they supported families. From that day I always wanted to do Medicine.

MedShr: What area of medicine are you particularly interested in?

Joht: Public Health. I was fortunate to do an intercalated BSc looking at health in the wider population and came across some interesting work organisations linked to the NHS are doing in London to improve health on a community level. It’s an area of Medicine which can bring about a lot of change, but is often overlooked in the current Medical School curriculum. 

MedShr: As a medic and app developer, what areas of healthcare are most exciting to you?

Joht: In terms of innovation, my personal drive is for creating mobile applications. However, I am most excited by the future of wearable technologies. With software already available which can provide on the spot retinal diagnosis, blood film analysis and portable ECGs, the future is quite literally going to be in our hands. 

MedShr: Do you have an interesting hobby or hidden talent?

Joht: Alongside Medicine for the past 4 years I have volunteered as a Police Officer for the Metropolitan Police. Although being slightly abstract from Medicine and a big time commitment, volunteering for the Police is probably one of the best decisions I have ever made. You really have the opportunity to help people first hand and learn transferable skills to any walk of life…and get to drive the cars!

MedShr: What is your favourite case on MedShr?

Joht: This is a tough question, as there is so much good stuff on MedShr, but I am going to have to go for “Lipoma” case. Although what appears a simple picture and a simple case reminded me of something much bigger. During Med school I was sitting in on an appointment where a man was diagnosed with a Lipoma and it changed his life. Although the Lipoma was highly curable, the stigma associated with the deformity in his community drove his wife away. It reminded me to think of the wider cultural issues that as individuals we can overlook yet it is still our responsibility to help them.

Have a look at Joht’s interesting case: 12 year old - Blood in Urine.

If you would like to connect with Joht please click here.

We look forward to seeing your cases and comments on MedShr!