Saurabh Rajpal and Taru Saigal
As doctors, board members of multiple community organizations and parents of three boys, New Albany residents Dr. Saurabh Rajpal and Dr. Taru Saigal spend most of their time caring for others.
Both from India, the two met and fell in love during their residencies in Louisiana and soon after married. They eventually moved to Boston but didn’t stay long.
“Boston was a lot of fun… but to raise a family, we wanted a Midwest city with all the amenities but the conveniences of a mid-sized town,” Saigal says.
In line with their familial priorities, New Albany won the pair over seven years ago with its health-conscious atmosphere, diversity and proximity to Columbus and The Ohio State University. With their passions in medicine and education, OSU offered the perfect combination of their interests and careers.
“We saw the opportunities here were not just abundant, they were unmatched,” Saigal says. “We knew that Ohio State was shaping the future of medicine, so we wanted to be here.”
Caring for patients
Rajpal, a specialist in cardiology and Congenital Heart Disease (CHD), always knew he wanted to be a cardiologist. His passion for those with CHD didn’t manifest until later in his career, however.
“I noticed that there were very few physicians who were taking care of these patients who were born with heart disease,” Rajpal says. “It’s a very unique set of patients, which I like taking care of.”
Home to one of the largest CHD programs in the country, OSU provides Rajpal the opportunity to work with many patients.
Alongside caring for patients, he is continuing his research on CHD and cardiac imaging, specifically cardiac MRI findings in athletes.
“Being able to make a difference in the lives of people who were born with CHD is what drives me the most,” Rajpal says.
Similarly, Saigal was always intrigued by medicine. Growing up with parents who were both physicians, she spent the majority of her childhood observing their work and how they were able to help their community.
For 10 years, Saigal focused on hospital medicine, however the COVID-19 pandemic – and a bit of friendly nagging from her husband – pushed her toward a different area of medicine: primary care.
Saurabh Rajpal and Taru Saigal
“When I decided that I wanted to be a physician, I liked doing everything. I wanted to take care of the patients as a whole… I wanted to develop long-term relationships with my patients, that’s why I transitioned to primary care,” Saigal says.
As part of her specialization in LGBTQIA+ gender-affirming care, Saigal is currently researching hormone therapy and its effects on heart health. She’s also passionate about minority health and health disparities, serving on the Department of Internal Medicine’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Advisory Council, as well as serving as the director of the Language Concordant Care Program and the chair of Health and Wellness of Bhutanese Community of Central Ohio.
Saigal finds fulfillment in working on initiatives embedded in diversity and equity because she wants to make sure everyone has access to resources and good outcomes.
Rajpal and Saigal are also educators at OSU’s medical center, serving as an associate professor of Internal Medicine and a clinical assistant professor of Internal Medicine, respectively.
Caring for the community
Outside of their work in the medical and educational fields, Rajpal and Saigal believe in staying involved within their community.
They are members of New Albany boards and commissions; Rajpal is the secretary of the Healthy New Albany Board and a member of the U.S. 62 Interchange Focus Area Plan’s Steering Committee, and Saigal is a member of the IDEA (Inclusion, Diversity, Equity & Accessibility) Panel.
“Communities need to have diverse voices, because progress happens in collaborative exchanges, not in silence. I think it drives growth and satisfaction,” Saigal says.
Rajpal has also enjoyed helping coach soccer for his sons over the years, while Saigal still enjoys being the director of OSU’s Community Health Education program. In that role, Saigal is able to serve not just people in her community, she is also able to help people in the broader area of Columbus as well.
“It’s very fulfilling to be a part of a community where everyone cares about everyone,” Saigal says. “They want to take initiatives that represent (the people) and they want to hear each voice.”
Festival of Lights
One of their proudest accomplishments includes their roles, alongside the IDEA Panel, in bringing the popular Diwali festival to New Albany.
The festival typically consists of music, art, dancing, food and fireworks and is a fun event for all ages and backgrounds. Not only does it offer a good time, it is also an all-inclusive, participatory and charitable event.
Sam Fahmi, City of New Albany
Local residents and students help run the show, while others perform during the festival, including New Albany High School’s acapella group which performed last year. Additionally, the celebration collects donations for New Albany Bridges and the Healthy New Albany Food Pantry.
“(This past year) we doubled our attendees since (2023),” Saigal says. “Everyone coming out and celebrating together just doubled the joy of the celebration. It instilled a sense of belonging.”
Whether you are someone who has celebrated before or are looking for the opportunity to learn about other cultures and experience something new, this event is open to everyone.
“Everybody can spread cultural awareness, acknowledge the contributions of the South Asian community – which is 10 percent of our community – and at the same time, we can inspire the community to come out and participate in community engagement and other initiatives as well,” Saigal says.
While Diwali is something that gives Rajpal and Saigal joy because they’re giving back to the community, it’s also a great way to encourage and cultivate diversity in New Albany. Those who traditionally celebrate get the opportunity to feel closer to home, and those who don’t usually partake get the opportunity to learn about other cultures and experience something new.
Importance of connection
Although they already have quite full plates, Rajpal and Saigal hope to become even more involved with the community in the near future.
Rajpal hopes to work more with other New Albany initiatives, such as its health and summer programs as well as increase his support for the food pantry. He is also helping plan this year’s New Albany Walking Classic.
Saigal says they are both passionate about continuing to get more involved with the IDEA Panel’s efforts, and are enthusiastic about starting the panel’s Neighborhood Ambassadors Program.
“We want to plan initiatives which are more tangible and longitudinal for people with different abilities,” Saigal says. “So that is our next focus… we want to make New Albany more accessible for every family.”
Though many may wonder how Rajpal and Saigal find the time for everything they do, for them, the joy they get from their work in medicine and in the community is worth every second they put into it.
“As physicians, we see individual patients in the clinics and hospitals, but coming out into the community allows us to connect with people on a broader level,” Rajpal says. “(We) take care of individual patients in the clinic, but after hours, (we) want to contribute to the health of the community.”
Ella Jay is an assistant editor at CityScene Media Group. Feedback welcome at ejay@cityscenemediagroup.com.
