Dr. Pramod Verma is an obstetrician and gynecologist in Edmonton. His patient nominated him for the AMA’s Shine A Light program because of his professionalism and expertise, but more importantly, he was nominated because of his pivotal impact upon the young families that come into his clinic.
“Dr. Verma makes a huge difference in the lives of his patients, in their family growth and in delivering happy, healthy babies for the moms. He and his team take excellent care of all patients, especially moms-to-be.”
In his 30+ years of practicing medicine, Dr. Verma has enjoyed the privilege of overseeing many of his patients’ pregnancies through to the deliveries of their babies. We asked Dr. Verma about his career and practice. Here’s what we learned.
How many years have you been practicing obstetrics and gynecology?
My MD is from the University of Saskatchewan, and I completed my obstetrics and gynecology residency at the University of Alberta. I started my medical practice in 1992 and have been practicing medicine for the last 32 years.
Why did you choose to focus your practice on OBGYN?
I chose this specialty because bringing a new life into this world is such a rewarding and satisfying feeling, and I feel privileged to be a part of that blissful moment with my patients and their family. Most other areas of medicine are taking care of a patient with an illness and bringing them back to improved health. Pregnancy is not an illness or disease; pregnancy and childbirth bring new life to the Earth.
What do you find most satisfying about your work?
I have had patients come to me after having gone through multiple miscarriages, despite previous medical treatments from other practitioners. Helping these patients become pregnant and make it through pregnancy, whether by medications and/or surgery, then delivering a healthy baby, is satisfying to me.
It’s also satisfying to care for patients with highly complex pregnancies, such as those with conditions like hypertension, diabetes, etc. as well as to detect cancer in its early stages and perform the necessary surgery to help the patient live a disease-free life.
Final thoughts
It’s fascinating to comprehend how when a tiny sperm and egg, both that we cannot even see, meet, they become a new human life, a new human being. Even more fascinating is, in addition to creation of a human body, there is creation of different traits and characteristics. How can the brain, which has the same anatomy from person to person, yield such drastically different traits and personalities? Are there any centres in the brain that are responsible for intelligence, feelings of anger, joy and happiness, or tendencies toward greed and criminal behaviour? If there are specific centres in the brain, is it possible to modify them for better human life on the Earth? Most of these questions remain unanswered.
About the Shine A Light Program
The AMA’s Shine A Light Program allows individual patients or community members to recognize AMA member physicians for:
- Providing exemplary care that made a difference in a patient’s life.
- Spearheading projects that improve patient and/or community life.
- Contributing to a high-performing health care system.
Do you know a physician who goes above and beyond to care for his/her patients? You can nominate them for the Shine A Light program on the AMA website.