ENT-OTOLARYNGOLOGIST, TAMPA GENERAL, MOFFITT CANCER CENTER, JAMES A. HALEY VETERANS HOSPITAL, TAMPA, FL
Dr. Padhya is motivated by his personal relationships with his patients — he’s not just their doctor, but their partner.
At the age of five, Dr. Tapan Padhya knew he would be a doctor. It’s in his genes, after all — he’s a fourth generation physician.
As an ear, nose, and throat specialist, Dr. Padhya manages plenty of complex diseases. One such patient, Mike C., has an extremely rare condition that required a tracheostomy, which is a surgical hole in the trachea (windpipe). This leaves him unable to verbalize or even gesture.
Dr. Padhya has gone through hundreds of designs in order to fit custom parts for Mike’s tracheostomy so that he can breathe and live comfortably. He believes it’s his duty to make Mike’s life as enjoyable as possible, which means having his team available to deal with emergencies, or recommending other ENTs when Mike’s family was out of town. This is exactly why Mike’s mom nominated Dr. Padhya as one of our Hospital Heroes.
“He’s always made sure that Mike was cared for in a professional and respectful way and has even attended his birthday parties. Dr. Padhya is our partner; not just Mike’s doctor!”
KAREN C.
Most data shows that others with Mike’s condition do not live past their teens, yet Mike is in his 30’s. “A birthday in his life is so much more important than most of the population,” Dr. Padhya said. These personal relationships with his patients and being able to improve their quality of life each day is what motivates Dr. Padhya most in his career.
Dr. Padhya also knows that physicians depend on having a strong hospital partnership — allowing them to deliver everything from simple to the most complex care.
Join us in thanking Dr. Padhya for going above and beyond to deliver outstanding care to his patients! Stories like his are exactly why we work to protect care and keep our hospitals strong.