Shivamogga, Sep 26: Taking up medicine and becoming a doctor is a challenge for many youngsters these days, as the profession faces the onslaught of new diseases and viral pandemic like Covid-19. It also has to deal with social miscreants taking the law into their hands and physically attacking doctors over trivial reasons.

Swimming against the current, one young lady has not only chosen medicine as her profession and completed her post-graduate specialisation in general medicine, but has also excelled in the field by reaching the highest level of super specialisation in India today, that is DM (Doctor of Medicine). She is Dr Sphoorti Pai, hailing from Shivamogga in Karnataka.

Dr Sphoorti Pai has completed DM in endocrinology from St John's Medical College, Bengaluru and has scored the highest marks in Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences. That is something for all the young doctors to ponder, as not many reach her level, nor do they match her performance. She has done that while curing hundreds of ailing poor patients in the hospitals that she has worked over the years.

Dr Sphoorti P Pai is the elder daughter of Dr Prashanth Kumar Pai and Sucheta Pai.

She did her schooling from Class I to X at Vasavi Vidyalaya, Kote Road, Shivamogga. She completed her PUC at DVS Composite PU College, Shivamogga, MBBS and MD (General Medicine) from Bangalore Medical College and Research Institute, Bengaluru. Her credentials are listed at the end of this article.

Being the class topper in her school, Dr Sphoorti also secured the 25th rank in the state-level National Talent Search Examination Scholar and received the prestigious national scholarship from Class X till the completion of MBBS.

She has also represented Karnataka state team, which won the gold medal in 51st National School Games 2005-2006 at Vishakapatnam.

Her essay on the environment was selected for publication in a book which was released by the then President of India, Dr APJ Abdul Kalam in 2006. She has also won several drawing and music competitions and won many prizes in the district, state and national level chess tournaments. Sphoorti also secured the sixth rank in medical, 17th rank in engineering, fourth rank in ISMH in CET, Karnataka in 2008.

In her medical field, Sphoorti has won six gold medals in pathology, ENT, general medicine, and was the topper in her third and fourth year of MBBS. She was also the best outgoing student graduating from Bangalore Medical College and Research Institute in 2014.

In 2014, Sphoorti also secured the 13th rank in PGCET for MD. She also secured the seventh rank in MD (General Medicine) from Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences in 2017 and the 28th rank in medicine branch for NEET super specialty entrance examination. She completed her DM in endocrinology from St John’s Medical College, Bengaluru in 2020. In her spare time, she says she enjoys playing chess, singing, drawing pencil sketches and cooking.

Sphoorti's father Dr Prashanth Kumar Pai is a senior consultant physician at Sahyadri Hospital, Shivamogga. He is also an exponent of Hindustani tabla and her mother Sucheta Pai is a post-graduate in English literature from Manasagangotri, Mysuru. She was a lecturer at Kuvempu University, Shivamogga. She is a homemaker and an enthusiast in Hindustani classical vocal.

Her younger sister Dr Pranati Pai is a graduate in dental sciences from SDM Dental College, Dharwad. At present Dr Pranati is pursuing MDS in Prosthodontics from Bapuji Dental College, Davangere. She was the under-9 state champion in chess and has won many prizes in chess tournaments. She is also skilled at singing and sketching.

Her paternal grandparents Shanthi Pai and Late Raghupathi Pai are from Hosangadi in Udupi district. Her grandfather was a merchant and agriculturist.

Dr Sphoorti's maternal grandparents Dr Suresh D Isloor and Dr Veena S Isloor established their own nursing home Sahyadri Hospital in Shivamogga in 1964. The hospital also celebrated its golden jubilee in 2014. Dr Suresh Isloor has been conferred the prestigious Dr BC Roy Award for his contribution in the field of medicine. Dr Isloor is a specialist in both Eye and ENT, which is again rare in the field of medicine.

Dr Sphoorti Pai is married to Vignesh Prabhu, who is a graduate in engineering from Bangalore Institute of Technology and MBA from Indian Institute of Management (IIM), Rohtak. He is currently placed as a manager at SLK Software, Bengaluru.

Dr Sphoorti has myriad achievements which range from literary wins to academic accolades. When asked about how she could achieve all that at such a young age, she just smiles and says, "One should have honesty, self-confidence, genuine interest and dedication in what one does. Then impossible becomes possible".

Sphoorti plans to excel in the field of endocrinology and contribute to the well-being of her patients and society.