Devi Nampiaparampil

Devi Nampiaparampil
Born Devi Elizabeth Nampiaparampil
May 13, 1977
New York, New York, United States
Nationality American
Occupation Physician, journalist, actor
Years active 2002–present
Religion Roman Catholic
Spouse(s) Hormis Thaliath
Website
http://www.doctordevi.com

Devi Elizabeth Nampiaparampil a.k.a. "Doctor Devi" (born May 13, 1977) is an American physician and researcher developing strategies to prevent and treat chronic pain.[1] She performs x-ray-guided invasive spinal procedures for pain, teaches medical students and trainees, comments on medical issues for various platforms, and frequently appears on Fox News, CNN, MSNBC, CNBC, HLN, Fox Business Network, Al Jazeera America, CBS, NBC and The Dr. Oz Show. She has appeared on the daytime soap opera, General Hospital.

Early life

Nampiaparampil was born at NYU Medical Center (where she now teaches[2]) to Mary and Joseph Nampiaparampil, Catholic Indians who had immigrated to the U.S. from Kerala State, India. Joseph Nampiaparampil won a scholarship from the East-West Center, [3] moved to the U.S., and obtained an MBA degree and a PhD.[4] He became an industry innovator in applied quantitative analysis for direct marketing and served as Director of Corporate List Research for Readers Digest,[5] where he worked for approximately 20 years. Mary Nampiaparampil (née Tharakan) obtained a master’s degree from Columbia University in New York,[6] and then joined the administration of John Jay College of Criminal Justice, where she has worked for over 35 years.[7] Devi Nampiaparampil’s sister, Geetha Nampiaparampil, is a psychiatrist at Maimonides Medical Center in Brooklyn. Her brother, Robert Nampiaparampil, is a cardiac anesthesiologist at NYU Langone Medical Center and teaches at NYU School of Medicine. He has been featured in the New York Times as a child for his academic accomplishments.[8]

Devi Nampiaparampil was educated at Ardsley High School in New York and was elected Class President in her senior year. Between 1995 and 2002, Nampiaparampil attended the Honors Program in Medical Education (a seven year combined BA/ MD program) at Northwestern University, where she double-majored in Economics and Biology.[9]

Career

Nampiaparampil completed her specialty and subspecialty medical training through Harvard Medical School.[10] She was the only female trainee in both her residency and fellowship classes. Nampiaparampil began working for the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs in 2008 and is known for starting the Brain Injury Clinic at the VA Central California in Fresno. This clinic improved access to care for veterans and soldiers who had suffered blast-related and other head injuries in Iraq and Afghanistan.[11] Nampiaparampil moved to New York in 2009 to direct and develop the Pain Management program at the VA Hudson Valley.[12] She served as the head of the regional Pain Management program for the New York/ New Jersey region but stepped down to further develop the VA’s Interventional Pain Management program in New York City. Nampiaparampil is known for establishing the Veterans’ Hospital in Manhattan (the VA New York Harbor) as a referral center for invasive pain procedures and for improving access to pain treatment for disabled veterans.[13] She has been an Assistant Professor in the Department of Rehabilitation Medicine at NYU School of Medicine since 2009.[14]

Awards and Honors

In 2011, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs recognized Nampiaparampil for "outstanding service" and NYU Langone Medical Center honored her for her achievements in research and education. In 2005, the Department of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation (PM&R) at Harvard Medical School honored her for her efforts “to further the field of PM&R.” Nampiaparampil has won research awards from institutions and organizations such as Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, the Massachusetts Medical Society, the American Pain Society, and the American Society for Regional Anesthesia and Pain Medicine.[15] Nampiaparampil has traveled throughout Europe, Asia, and the Middle East to present her research findings. In her early life, she won awards and/ or scholarships in Math, Art, and English. She graduated Ardsley High School as a College Board National Scholar and graduated Northwestern University with honors for her research on the economics of the "marriage market".[16]

Publications

Search Results for author Nampiaparampil DE on PubMed.

Television, Radio, and Digital Media

Nampiaparampil appeared as a physician on the daytime soap opera, General Hospital, before becoming a physician in her real life. She intermittently appeared on the show between 2002-2005. She was involved with the show, Wet ‘N’ Dry, which aired on public access television in the early 90’s. Dr. Nampiaparampil has appeared as a health expert in documentaries and educational videos for the Campaign to End Women’s Pain as well as the Doctors’ Channel.[17] In 2010, Nampiaparampil joined Mehmet C. Oz (Dr. Oz) and Jeffrey T. Arnold (founder of Web MD) on their interactive QA platform that allows industry experts to answer health-related questions.[18] She made her debut as a medical expert on television on The Dr. Oz Show when she demonstrated botox injections for chronic migraine pain in front of a live audience.[19] Mehmet Oz nicknamed her Dr. Devi when she appeared on his show.

Personal life

Nampiaparampil lives in Manhattan. As a teenager, Nampiaparampil suffered from severe congestive heart failure, which left her incapacitated for several months. She has stated that the pain from the treatment was much worse than the pain from the illness itself, and that she became a rehabilitation doctor and a pain management specialist in order to prevent other children and other vulnerable people from going through what she experienced.[20] In 2005, she was married at Saint Patrick's Cathedral in New York City. In 2010, she petitioned for a civil annulment from the New York State Supreme Court and for a Catholic annulment from the Archdiocese of New York. She received annulments from both. In 2015, she married Hormis Thaliath at the Church of Saint Paul the Apostle. [21]

Controversies

Nampiaparampil is most well known for her research on the relationship between brain injury and chronic pain.[11] Her findings were widely publicized by the Journal of the American Medical Association and have led to increased screening of patients with head injuries for symptoms of pain. She has received criticism from members of the medical community because it has not been clear whether these efforts, or the associated costs, have led to meaningful improvements in patients' quality of life.

In 2006, Nampiaparampil polarized her medical colleagues. She was honored with a Clinical Research Investigator Award by Massachusetts General Hospital for her work on doctors’ underlying prejudices impacting patients' pain treatment.[22] However, she simultaneously received physician push-back for her claims.

References

  1. ↑ "Sharecare Healthcare Reference Platform". Sharecare.com. Retrieved 2012-06-18.
  2. ↑ NYU School of Medicine Department of Anesthesiology Homepage
  3. ↑ "East-West Center Alumni and Benefactors Page" (PDF). Retrieved 2012-06-18.
  4. ↑ "University of Hawaii Alumni and Benefactors Page". Shidler.hawaii.edu. Retrieved 2012-06-18.
  5. ↑ "Cato Consulting Group Home Page". Catoconsult.com. Retrieved 2012-06-18.
  6. ↑ "Listing of Mary Nampiaparampil's Training in Graduate Catalogue". Retrieved 2012-06-18.
  7. ↑ "John Jay College of Criminal Justice Contact Page for Students" (PDF). Retrieved 2012-06-18.
  8. ↑ http://www.nytimes.com/1997/09/14/nyregion/two-13-year-olds-with-top-sat-scores.html New York Times 9/14/97
  9. ↑ "Doctors of Excellence Listings". Iahcp.com. Retrieved 2012-06-18.
  10. ↑ "NYU Center for the Study and Treatment of Pain Faculty Page". Pain-medicine.med.nyu.edu. Retrieved 2012-06-18.
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 Nampiaparampil, D. E. (2008). "Prevalence of Chronic Pain After Traumatic Brain Injury: A Systematic Review". JAMA 300 (6): 711–9. doi:10.1001/jama.300.6.711. PMID 18698069.
  12. ↑ "VA Hudson Valley Healthcare System Newsletter 2009" (PDF). Retrieved 2012-06-18.
  13. ↑ Veterans Health Administration (2010-11-08). "VA New York Harbor Healthcare System Provider Information". Va.gov. Retrieved 2012-06-18.
  14. ↑ "NYU Center for the Study and Treatment of Pain Faculty Listing". Pain-medicine.med.nyu.edu. Retrieved 2012-06-18.
  15. ↑ Nampiaparampil, D; Harden, R (2005). "Ethnocultural Bias in the Invasive Management of Radicular Pain". Annual Fall Pain Meeting & Workshops. American Society of Regional Anesthesia & Pain Medicine.
  16. ↑ Nampiaparampil, D. E.; Kuppy, J. E.; Tharakan, T. (2008). "The Rising Cost of Daughters in Rural South India's Marriage Market". Obstetrics and Gynecology 111 (4): 215. ISSN 0029-7844.
  17. ↑ http://www.endwomenspain.org/ End Women's Pain Official Website
  18. ↑ "Sharecare Official Website". Sharecare.com. Retrieved 2012-06-18.
  19. ↑ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fOzkug3omvM/ Injecting Botox for Migraine on The Dr. Oz Show
  20. ↑ http://www.doctordevi.com Doctor Devi Official Website
  21. ↑ "DeviNampiaparampil and Hormis Thaliath". nytimes.com. Retrieved 2015-02-15.
  22. ↑ Nampiaparampil, Devi E.; Nampiaparampil, Joseph X.; Harden, R. Norman (2009). "Pain and Prejudice". Pain Medicine 10 (4): 716–21. doi:10.1111/j.1526-4637.2009.00612.x. PMID 19453964.

External links