Berks County Medical Society Medical Record Summer 2017 - 30

BcMs n e w s & e v e n t s

Member in
the News

Welcome New Member

Kristen M. Sandel, MD, FACEP
Associate Director,
Department of Emergency Medicine
Reading Health System

Planning and have been leading the
initiative here over the last two years.

I

n the 12 years since
Dr. Sandel joined
the Department of
Emergency Medicine of the
Reading Health System,
she has been enormously
generous with her time and
talents as she has worked
towards improving health
care for our community
and beyond. Her belief in
the value of organized medicine has prompted her
to devote innumerable hours to the Pennsylvania
Medical Society as a member of its Board of
Trustees for four years. As an active member of the
Berks County Medical Society Executive Council
(and serving as our 2014 President) she has
contributed enormously to our efforts to improve
the practice environment for physicians and to
address the health care needs of our neighbors.
Within the Reading Health System she has served
on numerous committees and on the Board of
Directors as she has risen to become Associate
Director of the Emergency Medicine department.
Most recently, Dr. Sandel has added a new
title to her resume: Program Director for the new
Emergency Medicine residency program at RHS.
Joining with another Past President of the BCMS,
Dr. Charles Barbera (Chair of the Department
of Emergency Medicine) and a committed team
of other colleagues at RHS, Dr. Sandel's efforts
were key to making this residency program a
reality. The 3-year training program will welcome
its first group of 8 residents in June of 2018.
Interested medical students have already begun
inquiring about applying. Emergency Medicine
specialists are in high demand, and in addition to
helping meet the demand across the country, it
is anticipated that the creation of this residency
will result in some of the newly-trained physicians
choosing to stay in Berks County. We thank Dr.
Sandel, Dr. Barbera, and all the other dedicated
health professionals who contributed to this
accomplishment.
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www.berkscms.org

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The Berks County Medical
Society is pleased to welcome
Dr. Vinti Shah, Chief of
Palliative Medicine for the Reading
Health System. Dr. Shah did her
undergraduate work at Rutgers
University before earning her medical
degree from the College of Osteopathic
Medicine of the Kansas City University
of Medicine and Biosciences. Upon
completing a residency in Internal
Medicine at St. Luke's Hospital
in Bethlehem, PA, she underwent
fellowship training in Hospice and
Palliative Care at the same institution.
After finishing her training in 2011,
she remained at St. Luke's for two
years, serving as an Associate Professor
for Temple St. Luke's Medical School
during 2012-2013. In February of
2013 she joined the Palliative Medicine
team at the Reading Health System. In
addition to the Berks County Medical
Society, Dr. Shah is a member of the
American Osteopathic Association and
the American Academy of Hospice
and Palliative Medicine. She has given
multiple presentations on the POLST
initiative and Advance Care Planning.
To get to know Dr. Shah better, we
asked her to respond to a few questions:
Describe the focus of your practice
and any areas of special interest/
expertise.
I practice Palliative Medicine on
the inpatient and ambulatory side. I
have a strong interest in Advance Care

Why did you decide to practice
medicine in Berks County?
My husband is an ED physician and
had been working in the RHS ED for
several years. He described the health
system as one that was supportive
of physicians. Also, I was a young
provider and really wanted to go to
an area where I thought I could make
the greatest impact. Initially I had a
lot of trepidation about moving to a
new area as my kids were young and I
had no family out here. We have been
here for 2.5 years and are amazed by
the friendships we have made. My
in-laws just moved here two weeks ago
and so now we have everything we
need here. It is a great place to live. I
feel secure that my children are in a
fantastic school district. I also love that
my commute on most days is no more
than 15 minutes. I have a great worklife balance as a result of that.
What do you like best about
practicing medicine?
I describe myself as a "professional
listener." The best part about my job is
gathering people's narratives. Everyone
has a story that needs to be told and
heard. Our patients have led amazing
lives! Listening to my patients' stories,
hearing about the obstacles they've
overcome, and hearing how they have
personally grown helps me be a better
mother to my children. I am constantly
challenged to be kinder and more
compassionate.
If you could change one thing about
the current practice environment,
what would it be?
We have become very focused on
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