Dr. Rohit Arora is currently at Captain James A. Lovell Federal Health Care Center. He is the Chief of Cardiology and Head of the Department of Medicine. Dr. Arora has had a career as an academic professor and has trained many doctors over the past three decades. He has authored over 400 papers and regularly participates in clinical research studies.
Dr. Rohit Arora attended medical school at the University of Bombay. He obtained his medical degree from Topiwala National Medical College. He had his residency program at Mount Sinai School of Medicine at North General Hospital followed by his fellowship in nuclear cardiology in New York at Mount Sinai Hospital. Dr. Arora continued his education at the Cleveland Clinic Foundation an interventional cardiology fellowship.
Dr. Rohit Arora is a true humanitarian. He has dedicated his life to alleviating the pain and suffering of others on many levels. He spends 12 to 16 hours a day at the healthcare center addressing the needs of many people, caring for patients daily. He is responsible for educating residents and fellowships as well as investigating research studies all in addition to other administrative duties.
Where did the idea for your company come from?
I wanted to mend or fix broken hearts. I was also encouraged by my older brother to become a doctor; he was a cardiologist.
What does your typical day look like and how do you make it productive?
I try to plan my day carefully. There are three essential things that I do. I categorize my day according to the requirements of the day. I see patients every day. Their care comes first, examining them and diagnosing them. Second is teaching. I educate students, residents, and fellowships. Then there is research and writing, doing papers and speaking at lectures. This goes along with my administrative duties.
How do you bring ideas to life?
The way I bring ideas to life is that I think about them and then I act on them. I follow the principal of JDI which means “Just do it!” Once I focus on a situation, I make sure I accomplish it.
What’s one trend that excites you?
The trend in medicine that excites me is the technology of electronic medicine and artificial intelligence. I believe one day we will not need doctors. Instead, we can be talking to Siri about a medical condition. She will tell us what to do. Chips in the body will tell us about our medical records, and the kind of medications people are taking. I believe within twenty or thirty years from now there will not be a need for doctors. That to me is very exciting.
What is one habit of yours that makes you more productive as an entrepreneur?
What I do daily as a habit is that I am very disciplined in what I do. In addition, I am very innovative. No matter what the situation, I will try to find an answer.
What advice would you give your younger self?
If I had to do it all again, I would do exactly what I did over the last thirty-five years.
Tell us something that’s true that almost nobody agrees with you on.
There is a lot of fraud and unethical practices going on in the medical industry in the United States. We all know it. I am more aware of it, but that is not a situation that anyone wants to address.
As an entrepreneur, what is the one thing you do over and over and recommend everyone else do?
There is a saying in medicine: learn one, teach one. I do that. I have always done that over and over again. If everyone would do the same, and do it over and over again, there would be no need for medical schools and training.
What is one strategy that has helped you grow your business?
I am very driven. When I decided to do something, I do it. The medical industry makes you disciplined as well and I am very disciplined. Using those two principals has made me who I am today.
What is one failure you had as an entrepreneur, and how did you overcome it?
Trying to help people without thinking about the financial impact of money on it. Also, speaking up without fear have been the negatives. In the interest of life, I have trained many doctors over the last three decades who are really very wealthy and financially well off. As an academic professor, I have not done that. I am happy with the money I make, but I could have done more. It is a drive for a lot of doctors but not for me. I am completely satisfied that I can practice medicine without thinking of the financial and bureaucratic situations.
What is one business idea that you’re willing to give away to our readers?
I think the business of doctors can be translated to digital and cell phone. I believe most situations can be taken care of by artificial intelligence.
What is the best $100 you recently spent? What and why?
I think that was buying three philosophy books.
What is one piece of software or a web service that helps you be productive? How do you use it?
The smartphone is an excellent tool for doctors. You can look up anything you want.
What is the one book that you recommend our community should read and why?
To Kill a Mocking Bird by Harper Lee. It shows how real life is when one person stands-up ethically and morally, he stands alone in life.
What is your favorite quote?
Hippocratic oath: Our mission and avocation as a doctor is to heal suffering and broken lives.
Key learnings:
• Compassionate
• Do not be self-centered
• Help others
Steve (Stefan) Junge hails from Germany and helps with the day-to-day publishing of interviews on IdeaMensch. While he and Mario don’t share a favorite soccer club, their enthusiasm to help entrepreneurs is a shared passion.