Today we’d like to introduce you to Dr. Girish Kalva.
Hi Dr. Kalva, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstories.
My medical career originated from my morbid fear of math back in 1989, when I choose to stay away from any career that involved doing calculations or using equations of any kind. I forced myself to study high school physics, biology, and chemistry to run away from being an engineer (what my family wanted me to be). I was determined to break that trend of becoming a graduate with a business degree. All my hard work paid off when I became the first doctor in my family for the last 3 generations.
Fast forward 6 years and I found myself doing internships in India for 4 years. It was during these formative years that I got to take a breath and finally establish myself as a person who would then try to be someone I promised myself to be. After finishing my Internal Medicine Residency in Brooklyn, NY, my wife and I spent the next 3 years enjoying life on the East Coast, oblivious of the amazing outdoors waiting to embrace us here in Salt Lake City. We moved here with the intention to stay just long enough to get our permanent resident card but ended up falling in love with everything that is uniquely Utah.
In 2014, I opened my own business in the healthcare industry and moved to see patients in the nursing homes and rehab settings here in Salt Lake City. I had ample free time and minimal stress, which led me to ponder why we as humans get sick. I went back to studying nutrition, where I found so many of the answers I was searching for.
I continued to learn more and more about natural methods of healing without relying solely on prescription drugs. I trained in both Functional Medicine and Obesity Medicine, and have spent the past 4-5 years gathering a wealth of knowledge that has allowed me to fight against big pharma, traditional medicine, prescription drugs, and all the ills that come with a poor diet, unhealthy lifestyle and lack of physical activity.
I found my true calling when I joined Rising Health Specialty Clinic in Holladay – it’s such an amazing place that embraces a similar ideology of what I wanted to do all along. I can truly say I love every single encounter I get to do, and I’ve gotten to meet wonderful people who are truly ready to start taking care of themselves.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
I have had to go through my own personal struggles throughout this whole process, including getting my permanent resident card. I’ve had to learn, through trial and error, the art of running my own business and the inherent obstacles that come along with that.
In my role at Rising Health, my goal is to help people live happier and healthier lives, without relying on instant solutions for health problems. Unfortunately, there’s often no time for people to wait for the healthy option. Making those choices takes an intentional, concerted effort. This struggle we continue to see among the American population is complicated by unhealthy food choices and a lack of availability of fresh foods at affordable prices. Those are by far the most significant obstacles I help my patients face head-on.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I am a functional medicine practitioner trained in nutrition, lifestyle, and obesity medicine. Outside of my main specialty of medical weight loss, I love to diagnose thyroid issues, nutritional deficiencies, and metabolic disease, just to name a few. Seeing these patients experience a complete 180-degree difference in how they feel is one of the most rewarding parts of my job.
When I’m not working with patients, I love a good game of ping pong or taking a long relaxing drive with my wife and 16-year-old son. Balance is essential to all parts of life, and I try to practice what I preach about that.
Networking and finding a mentor can have such a positive impact on one’s life and career. Any advice?
My two cents is to always have multiple mentors. In addition, I always advise those close to me to find the sweet spot where they want to be when it comes to becoming successful in what they are passionate about and working intentionally towards that. The universe will find those right mentors for you automatically. This is just part of how Mother Nature works in my opinion.
Coming to networking events and being active on social media can be a huge asset, but it’s not everyone’s strength. Networking is for extroverts, so if you’re not one, hire someone else to do that for you. You have to make yourself visible and leave your insecurities at home before you embark on growing your social circle.
I’ve found that word of mouth is an invaluable & often underutilized tool that’s led to a steady flow of new patients in our practice at a consistent, manageable pace. However, it’s not scalable long-term, so it’s crucial to grow your online visibility simultaneously.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.risinghealthspecialty.com/girish-kalva-md
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/risinghealthslc/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RisingHealthSpecialty
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuz5sJrVK-Oo2tu5138A-gQ
- Yelp: https://yelp.com/biz/rising-health-specialty-clinic-holladay
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@risinghealth
