Dr. Sanjay Gupta to bring world view to New Albany

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In August 2001, Dr. Sanjay Gupta, a neurosurgeon and chief medical correspondent for CNN, was making the move to Atlanta, Georgia, to begin working at the Emory Medical Center as a neurosurgeon. Though his day job remains in the medical field, he’s also picked up a secondary title of journalist.

Gupta, who had written for publications such as Time Magazine and The Economist and worked in domestic policy concerning health care with the White House in 1997 and 1998, happened to cross paths with CNN employees at an airport.

“It was a little serendipitous and unexpected in a way,” Gupta says. “They told me they wanted to start building a medical unit and cover more news surrounding it.”

Roughly three and a half weeks later, the attacks on the World Trade Centers would take place in New York City, putting a halt to any new projects at CNN.

“They basically looked at me and said, ‘Hey, you are a doctor working at an international news network. We probably won’t be doing any health care policy stories for a while,’” Gupta says. “I was always interested in how medical people took care of each other in conflict zones around the world and they asked me if I wanted to cover the attacks, so it just grew from there.”

Coming to New Albany

Gupta is no stranger to the Midwest. He is a proud alumnus of the University of Michigan, where he received both his bachelor’s and medical degree. New Albany residents and visitors will get the chance to hear Gupta’s story in his own words when the New Albany Community Foundation brings him to the Jefferson Series on Sept. 13 at the Jeanne B. McCoy Community Center for the Arts.

“You don’t see a lot of opportunities for smart adult-continuing education,” Gupta says. “It’s a great thing for adults to come together to share ideas and talk to people who have a lot of value to add to the conversation.”

The intersection of journalism and medicine creates an interesting dynamic in Gupta’s life. While he is still a neurosurgeon first and foremost, his work with CNN has allowed him to gain a different perspective into how health and wellness are depicted throughout the world.

“I feel that there is this interesting inflection between medicine and media, which is the world I live in,” Gupta says. “I will focus on how certain stories get presented, why certain ones are chosen, giving behind-the-scenes stories of what happens with bigger events we cover.”

A Global Traveler

CNN and Gupta have worked together since 2001 and he has covered virtually every major conflict and natural disaster for the past 17 years.

“I think that when you start covering stories, especially overseas, health becomes the common denominator,” Gupta says. “The greatest impact on me is making these global stories very intimate and important to people.” 

Americans spend about a billion dollars a day on heart disease, and it is the No. 1 killer of Americans. Considering the increasingly easy access to clean water and health care in the U.S., this is staggering, especially when these issues are relatively non-existent in other countries – even underdeveloped ones.

“There is a basic disconnect in this whole co-mingling of wealth and health,” Gupta says. “People equate being in a rich country is going to automatically lead to better health for its citizens. And there is a component of truth to that, to a point.”

You are more in control than you think…

“We know that roughly 75 percent of chronic disease in this country is self-inflicted due to lifestyle choices, especially with people having access to a lot of food and calories very cheaply and quickly,” Gupta says.

Disconnection

Last year, Gupta found himself looking into places around the world where heart disease did not exist. He spent time with a tribe in the Amazon rainforest to learn more about tribe members’ daily lives. The tribe has been left untouched from industrialization and agriculturalization – the most mechanized item there was a pulley it used for the water well. 

“There was little to no evidence of dementia, heart disease or diabetes,” Gupta says. “Sure, their diets and levels of activities are going to be different, but it is not as intuitive as people would think. I believe there are some important lessons in that.”

People today do not interact with the environment the way we used to as human beings, Gupta says. Times have changed, resources and medicine have gotten immensely better, but there may be a negative to these improvements.

“Ironically, we live in these very self-imposed and sterilized bubbles,” Gupta says. “We do this to not get infections and to stay super hygienic and clean. But it could be that our bodies evolved to have this constant interplay with parasites, bacteria and pathogens.”

A Balancing Act

The seemingly chaotic nature of Gupta’s life, which is split between the operating room and working in the field with CNN, is something of a marvel. When he’s not at work with CNN, he spends at least a day or two each week in the operating room and consulting with patients.

Most doctors’ – especially neurosurgeons’ – schedules are hectic enough. But Gupta has found a balance between what are typically two full-time positions.

“I still think of neurosurgery as my day job and, as a doctor, your impact is very direct,” Gupta says. “I get to see patients with all types of problems. I’ve been doing it for a long time and still get tremendous satisfaction from that work.”

Rocco Falleti is an assistant editor. Feedback welcome at rfalleti@cityscenecolumbus.com.

Fit Five: Dr Sanjay Gupta shares his wellness habits 

With Rocco Falleti 

  • Are there any foods you try to avoid or emphasize?

After keeping a food journal, I found one of the foods that I emphasized a lot more was foods that were fermented because I felt a lot better after eating them. Added sugar is something that I avoid. Our human bodies have not evolved to deal with and metabolize those types of added sugars. We got sugar from fruits, trees – even honey was protected by the bees. I try and eat how humans evolved to eat.

  • What are your favorite ways to stay active?

I have to set goals, I am a triathlete. I feel that I have the same hang ups of everyone else. I will be quick to skip something if I have an excuse. I need to hold myself accountable with a goal like a race coming up.

  • What do you like to do to relax?

I spend a lot of time with friends, some of which I’ve known since childhood. I find it really relaxing to spend time with people who know me very well. I’ve been practicing mindful meditation for the past decade or so. Last year, I actually took some time to meditate with the Dalai Lama. But for me, it’s making plans with family and friends and having something to look forward to.

  • How do you balance work life and family time?

I no longer think of these as two separate things, everyone talks about the work life balance, I find that for me, it is a little artificial way of looking at things. My kids, wife and extended family, they are all very interesting people and they are interested in the work I do. I often include them in things I am working on; my daughters will come to work with me, go on trips with me. … When I get back, my kids want to know about the project. We broke down the wall between work and life.

  • When traveling, how do you find time to stay healthy and deal with the stresses of the road?

It comes down to a few basic rules. Doing brain surgeries can be far more stressful than anything in the TV world, and that gives me good perspective. In regard to health, you want to be active as you can. … For me, 75 to 80 percent of it comes down to diet when I am on the road. People stop following their rules when they are on the road, they figure it is a social event, you are allowed to do that from time to time. I stick to my diets when I am on the road, and if I do that, I’ll stay pretty healthy, even if I don’t get my work outs in.