Nishanthi Kandiah, M.D., and Karisa Walker, M.D., M.Ed., both joined the department in January in the Division of Pediatric Anesthesiology.
Nishanthi Kandiah, M.D., joined the department in January as an assistant professor in the Division of Pediatric Anesthesiology. Before joining us, she worked as an assistant professor of anesthesiology at the University of Pittsburgh and as a staff pediatric anesthesiologist at Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh. She has also taught at Yale University, Harvard University, the University of Washington, and the University of Nebraska.
In collaboration with other anesthesiologists within UF she will create a pediatric acute pain medicine service using age-appropriate equipment and supplies, including modern ultrasonography, and will develop educational modules for colleagues regarding the service.
Dr. Kandiah earned her medical degree from Jefferson Medical College in Philadelphia, PA. She then completed an internship at Lankenau Hospital in Wynnewood, PA, a residency at Jefferson Medical College, and fellowships in pediatric anesthesiology and chronic pain at Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh and Boston Children’s Hospital.
In her free time, she enjoys playing badminton and board games, reading, and traveling.
Karisa Walker, M.D., M.Ed., joined the department in January as associate professor in the Division of Pediatric Anesthesiology and associate program director of education assessments. She joined us from the University of Pittsburgh, where she served as assistant professor of anesthesiology.
Dr. Walker earned her medical degree from Jefferson Medical College in Philadelphia and her master’s degree in education research from Johns Hopkins University. She completed an internship in preliminary internal medicine at Christiana Hospital in Newark, Delaware, and her anesthesiology residency at Yale University. She then completed a fellowship in pediatric anesthesiology at Boston Children’s Hospital. After her fellowship, she worked on the anesthesiology faculty at the University of Washington and University of Nebraska.
Dr. Walker’s research interests include assessment in medical education, assessment validity, and mechanisms of feedback. She has made numerous contributions to abstracts, presentations, and peer-reviewed publications, and she is a member of several professional societies. She has also received numerous awards, including the Philip Liu Award for Innovation in Anesthesia Education from the Society for Education in Anesthesia.
In her free time, she enjoys baking, DIY home maintenance and repair, and playing with her two small children and dog.
We are excited to have such accomplished physicians joining us, welcome to the department!