Dr. Gunisha Kaur, B.S. ’06, M.D. ’10, understands first-hand what it means to be a refugee: Some 30 years ago, she and her family came to the United States as refugees, escaping political violence in India. Now an anesthesiologist and human rights researcher, Dr. Kaur is training the next generation of physicians on how to treat foreign-born patients.
“When people ask me why I’ve stayed in the Cornell system as an undergraduate, as a medical student, resident, physician, and now as faculty, it’s because of the support for innovative ideas and individuals,” said Dr. Kaur, an assistant professor of anesthesiology at Weill Cornell Medicine. “The leadership here sees somebody like me, an immigrant with refugee roots, who is dedicated to the idea of marrying medicine and human rights, and provides me with as much support and mentorship and space that I need to develop those ideas and trailblaze a new pathway.”