Profiles of Roothbert: Andrew Parambath ‘19
“It is the doctor’s duty to preserve health, to preserve life”, began Andrew Parambath, “but patients may also need spiritual conversation as another means of healing.” A recipient of the Roothbert Fund in 2019, Parambath is now well within his second year at the University of Pennsylvania’s Perelman School of Medicine.
Parambath completed a fellowship with Teach for America, serving as a high school chemistry teacher in Dallas, Texas. Student performance, Parambath quickly learned, is not solely determined by the quality of instruction, but access to support and services outside of the classroom. In particular, healthcare access became a prominent issue for Parambath’s students. “A lot of my students had immigration complications, no insurance, or just couldn’t afford it,” recalled Parambath. “Healthcare is a big issue my students face, and this pivoted me towards medicine, specifically bringing access to care among those who are underserved.”
Amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, questions of healthcare access have grown only more prominent. At the onset of the pandemic, Parambath and a team of colleagues joined Penn’s Center for Health Care Innovation to launch COVID Watch. COVID Watch is an automated text messaging system designed to remotely monitor and provide care to patients who have or are suspected of having COVID-19. COVID-19, especially in the months following its emergence into the global stage, generated fear through its novelty. “You didn’t know if [the symptoms] you had were life threatening or could spiral down very quickly,” commented Parambath. “We wanted to be able to offer care without being directly in front of the patient.”
Upon enrolling in the program, patients simply respond to text messages with questions on their condition twice a day. COVID Watch provides 24/7 supervision. Whenever a patient reports a worsening condition, they are automatically connected to a nurse who will then determine how to proceed. An infographic provided by the NEJM Catalyst further outlines the flow of patient care offered by COVID Watch.
Parambath shares two principal takeaways from this program. First, COVID Watch provided a more efficient, systematic pathway to in-person care. The program provides patients with assurance as to whether or not their condition further requires medical attention, preventing major overflow into the emergency room. “We saved a lot of space in the ER...for patients who really need it.”
Second, COVID Watch promotes healthcare access among underserved communities. “It is a program for anybody. You don’t have to go to Penn. You don’t have to have insurance. As long as you have a phone and you can text, you can enroll in this program,” confirmed Parambath. COVID Watch creatively addresses a call for information and access. Patients officially graduate from the program after 21 days.
While the COVID Watch program continues, Parambath has begun his clerkships, a right of passage for medical students as they transition from the classroom environment into a hospital setting. While Parambath remains uncertain as to his exact pathway in medicine, he shared a strong interest in emergency medicine. “You work with all kinds of patients in the emergency room,” commented Parambath. “You get to directly act and care for them.”
Regardless, Parambath expresses a commitment to infusing spirituality into his medical practice. “I had an opportunity to shadow a chaplain in the healthcare system. You see patients with chronic medical conditions or patients near the end of their lives,” reflected Parambath. Medical care, proposed Parambath, requires tending to both the body and the soul. “No matter what surgical technique I perform, the spiritual aspect really carries the care over.”
From education to medicine, Parambath stands for improving the lives of those underserved. As a Roothbert Fellow, Parambath visualizes a more holistic approach to healing. “Medicine has led me more into the spiritual aspect of life. I learn so much about the human body. I learn so much about anatomy. However, there are so many unanswered questions in regards to patient conditions and mortality.” COVID Watch marks Parambath’s initial steps toward redefining medicine as a more accessible, spiritual practice. The Roothbert Fund is proud to support such a remarkable individual, compelled by spirit into action.
For more information on the University of Pennsylvania’s Center for Health Care Innovation, please click here to read commentary from the New England Journal of Medicine’s NEJM Catalyst.
