Women possess innate strength and capabilities that make them great leaders, particularly in healthcare, where their drive to help others is fuelled by empathy. Women leaders in healthcare innovate medical breakthroughs and head effective strategies for patient care all while being mothers, wives, and daughters. These fascinating figures exemplify resilience, dedication, and commitment to healthcare excellence, making them no less than their male counterparts.
Synonymous with this spirit is Dr. Minal Chandra, an eminent figure in the field of Pain Medicine with over a decade of experience in the field. Her motivation to create a pain-free society led her to pursue a career in pain medicine, an unexplored medical branch in India. A pain physician by profession she has well-updated knowledge of the latest technologies and innovations in the field.
She is the Co-founder and Chief Consultant Pain Physician at the Epione Center for Pain Relief, a leading pain management center that offers multidisciplinary and comprehensive care for pain management. The center is known for providing advanced non-surgical pain treatment services for various chronic pain conditions. It is dedicated to revolutionizing the field of pain management with a team of experienced specialists led by Dr. Minal.
With an exceptional ability to heal those in pain, her dedication and commitment to work is commendable. But her journey in healthcare is not just about treating pain but also educating others about the need for effective pain healthcare management.
Apart from her role as a pain physician, she is also an Educator at Essential Pain Management which is a novel move to educate healthcare professionals about taking care of chronic pain. Her dedication and commitment towards work are inspiring and have made her one of the youngest Pain Physician, renowned and recognised globally.
Discover the story of a dynamic personality in the Indian healthcare landscape and learn how she is making a significant impact on her patients.
Passion and Purpose in Pain Management
As a Board-certified Anaesthesiologist, Dr. Minal holds experience in the field of pain management and regenerative therapy. During her time in medical school, seeing patients suffer and deal with losses would often break her sometimes even leading to depression. However, the real enthusiasm and passion to pursue this profession further came from the fact that healthcare workers are the only source of hope when patients need it the most. There was an adrenaline rush that happens when you see your senior doctors doing anything to save a life and the happiness, hope and optimism when they succeed in saving lives. And when they were not able to do so, they would take ownership of the situation and try even harder to find out why they could not succeed and would read and research more so that they did not lose a life. Her days in medical school taught her the importance of life and passion started to be the source of connection between life and death. For her, nothing in life gives more happiness than when a patient thanks you for whatever you have done and that motivates her every day.
After venturing into the field, she realized the importance of undergoing surgical procedures and interventions for patients and their post-surgery recovery. This is a challenging time for patients and their families as they go through a lot of trauma. She highlights that almost 95 per cent of the time, patients suffering from chronic pain do not need surgery and can benefit from advanced non-surgical techniques. This realization led her to focus on pain management and regenerative therapy, which she believes can revolutionize the world of chronic pain.
Vision behind Epione Center for Pain Relief
Driven by her passion for healing, Dr. Minal established Epione Center for Pain Relief in 2018 along with Dr Sudheer Dara, a pioneer in pain medicine. It is South India’s first multidisciplinary pain management center. The center specializes in providing regenerative therapy and non-surgical chronic pain management. Its expertise extends beyond knee joint therapy to a wide range of pain treatments, positioning it as a leader in the field. Dr. Minal plays a pivotal role in this unique pain management center in Hyderabad, known for its holistic and multi-modal approach to treating various pain conditions.
The mission at Epione is to transform the lives of people by providing an exceptional, easily accessible healthcare facility for all, with a focus on creating awareness about pain management. The center aims to harness deep insights into patients suffering to create a pain-free society.
Epione is committed to delivering personalized care to help improve its patients’ quality of life. The center strives to make an early and accurate diagnosis of acute and chronic pain disorders to reduce the physical, financial, emotional, and lifestyle costs of pain. Epione collaborates directly with its patients to obtain the best possible response and help them, along with their families, understand the cause of their pain and learn ways to manage it effectively.
A Unique Pain Management Center
As the first Multidisciplinary Pain Management center in South India, Epione introduces the concept of Regenerative therapy for Musculoskeletal Pain in India. Despite its popularity in western countries, this modality had not gained recognition locally. Dr. Minal and her team conducted extensive research over a decade to identify barriers, refine protocols, and ensure maximum benefits for Indian patients. Their approach focuses not only on treating pain but also addressing its root cause, along with understanding and managing associated social and emotional factors.
Dr. Minal emphasizes not just motivating patients to maintain a healthy lifestyle but also ensuring they do so effectively. Epione’s comprehensive approach to pain management revolves around precise diagnosis, personalized treatment plans, and comprehensive rehabilitation. This strategy has earned trust and praise from patients, positioning Epione as a leader in non-surgical chronic pain management.
In addition to knee joint therapy, Epione’s expertise extends to addressing other chronic conditions like shoulder and hip joint discomfort. Their utilization of Platelet-Rich Plasma (PRP) therapy, a form of regenerative medicine, has significantly improved the quality of life for many individuals, empowering them to lead more fulfilling lives free from incapacitating pain.
Leading with Motivation
With a strong background in medical education, Dr. Minal Chandra effectively leads a skilled team at Epione, ensuring consistent delivery of high-quality care to their patients. She finds her greatest motivation in standing by her team through both good and challenging times, recognizing that supporting the team enhances their motivation to excel and work in the best interest of the organization.
Dr. Minal does not perceive herself solely as a female leader but rather as a leader facing challenges similar to her male counterparts. She believes in her capabilities, stating, “In my mind I just keep one thing that I am no less than any leader irrespective of the gender.” She stresses the importance of changing one’s mindset as a leader to overcome challenges, advocating for a perspective that does not differentiate challenges based on gender and encourages refraining from comparing oneself to male counterparts.
Staying Updated
In the dynamic landscape of healthcare, staying current can present challenges, yet Dr. Minal adeptly maintains her knowledge up to date. She believes in the fact that science brings innovation and so she keeps herself updated with the recent developments and innovations and uses them for the creating pain free society.
She remains connected to global advancements in healthcare through medical literature, participation in panel discussions, and advocates utilizing social media for staying informed. To uphold Epione’s position at the forefront of excellence, Dr. Minal prioritizes ensuring her team remains well-versed in the latest technologies and developments in the field.
Overcoming Challenges through Self-improvement
With a decade of experience in the healthcare field, Dr. Minal has gained significant exposure, accompanied by numerous challenges. While talking about the most significant challenges that women face today, she expresses, “First and the most difficult challenge is managing work-life balance and to be honest it doesn’t exist.” A second most common challenge is dealing with people in everyday life who comment and give unnecessary lessons about motherhood. Additional hurdles include struggles with financial independence, seeking validation for decisions, low self-esteem, and the burden of societal expectations.
Overcoming these is not as difficult now as it was previously. Dr. Minal chooses to put a deaf ear to things that bring a negative vibe and concentrates more on enriching her knowledge and skills and investing her time and money in herself to make me a better version of myself. She advocates overcoming these obstacles through self-empowerment. Encouraging individuals to believe in themselves and confront their insecurities is key, to promoting self-confidence in those lacking it and providing motivation for those in need. Offering platforms for individuals to voice their aspirations, validating their desires, raising awareness about legal rights and responsibilities, and expanding educational opportunities are essential steps towards empowering women leaders to overcome these challenges effectively.
Managing Multiple Roles
In addition to her role as a leading figure at her center, Dr. Minal serves as a Visiting Consultant at Dhaka Pain Management Centre in Bangladesh. She also holds the position of General Council Member at ISSP Telangana Chapter, actively contributing to the field of pain management. Engaging with multiple international groups, she serves as a Pain Physician, trainer, and educator at Essential Pain Management, an initiative supported by the New Zealand and Australian Anaesthesia Societies. Dr. Minal is a Visiting faculty member at the South Asian Society for Pain Medicine and BSSP-Anaesthesiology at the University of Minnesota, USA. She has organized Eight Hands-on Cadaveric International Workshops in Hyderabad and authored a book on Interventional Pain Management. Her numerous publications in international and national journals reflect her dedication to advancing knowledge in the field. Furthermore, Dr. Minal’s role as a faculty member at national and international conferences highlights her commitment to sharing expertise and contributing to the broader healthcare community.
A Global Vision
Dr. Minal Chandra perceives the journey of her center from its inception to its current status as a leading center in the city as a notable success story. The protocols developed by the center have garnered widespread acclaim, with various specialties adopting them, marking a significant achievement. The center has been acknowledged by the India Book of Records for its exceptional performance in administering the highest number of Platelet-Rich Plasma (PRP) treatments for knee joint pain.
Looking ahead, Dr. Minal envisions establishing multiple pain management centers across India and globally. Her goal is to lead transformative change in the healthcare sector by introducing innovative techniques to serve individuals from diverse socio-economic backgrounds in a cost-effective manner.
Dr. Minal’s vision for Epione involves providing multidisciplinary pain management services throughout India, with a focus on alleviating pain nationwide. Her ultimate objective is to revolutionize Regenerative therapy in the Indian context, making it accessible to a broader population at an affordable cost. Additionally, she aims to promote medical tourism as part of her strategic roadmap for the future.
Embracing Individuality
Dr. Minal has a realistic understanding of her strengths and weaknesses and possesses the courage to overcome them by combating negative thoughts. She emphasizes the power of embracing yourself and accepting your body shape, size, and colour to create a positive aura. This has helped her a lot over the years. However, it used to bother her a lot when the colour of her skin was kept above the degrees she had. This automatically took a U-Turn when she kept on enhancing her skills. She realized that it is not the body size, shape, or colour that fetches achievements, but it is the skills that one develops over time.
She also notes that when life gets hectic it can be easy to forget about taking care of yourself. But self-care is an important part of one’s physical and mental well-being.
Shaping Future Leaders
In offering guidance to aspiring women leaders, Dr. Minal imparts valuable advice. She encourages them to cultivate self-empowerment and independence, emphasizing that personal empowerment is key to achieving success. She believes that success knows no gender boundaries and is attainable by anyone who diligently pursues it.
In conclusion, she conveys a powerful message, “Always be open to opportunities and don’t let them go, however small they may be because these small opportunities will lead to big ones.”
Celebrating Success
In addition to her groundbreaking work in chronic pain management, Dr. Minal Chandra has distinguished herself as a TEDx Speaker. She is also one of the youngest Pain Physician in India who has been invited to serve as a faculty member at numerous national and international conferences.
Some of the awards and recognitions that underline her exceptional contributions include:
- Awarded India 100 women Icon award women of substance award by various institutions.
- Awarded women of substance award.
- Awarded Best Pain physician award in 2022 India.
- Impact She influences award in 2023.
- Awarded NARI PURUSKAR IN 2023.
For further information, visit www.epionepainandspine.com or reach out at 8743986579.
