‘I fondly remember time spent at the school canteen with friends’

After his schooling at Apeejay School, Noida, he completed his graduation from Bangalore Medical College in 2009, followed by securing a postgraduate seat in Internal Medicine at KM Hospital, Pune. Afterwards, he joined multiple Delhi government hospitals for hands-on experience and brought in his skills in the subspeciality of Gastroenterology. He cleared his Royal College of Physicians Speciality certificate training exam in Gastroenterology from the United Kingdom. Thereafter, he joined St Stephen’s Hospital in the year 2019, one of the oldest hospitals in Delhi, where he continues to render his services. Meet Dr Varun Menon.

In a candid interview, he talks about what made him pursue Gastroenterology, among other things.

How did your time at Apeejay School influence your path toward medicine?

The school did play a great role in inculcating values towards holistic thinking and disciplined student life and providing a structured environment for personal discovery. The school has been a platform in keeping my school of thought clear in achieving my goals. My sincere regards to our Biology teacher for keeping the subject interesting. A thank you to my Science teacher for her style of teaching, ensuring I loved it right from the beginning.

What led you to choose gastroenterology as your speciality?

Back then, I used to love watching Discovery Channel, and in one of the series on the medical profession, the daily life of a cardiothoracic surgeon left a deep impact on me. The resilience during extreme decision-making, technical precision and the burden of professional responsibility culminating in saving a precious life made a deep impact on me. That is how the thought of becoming a doctor started in my early teenage years.

Fond memory from the school.

My fond memories from school include the time spent at the school canteen with friends and spending hours in the school library overlooking the sprawling ground, which is something I will always cherish. Whenever I got free time, I used to sit in the library and read books by Ruskin Bond or any books I enjoyed at that time while looking out at the ground during sunny days. I will always cherish the time spent on those wooden chairs.

What advice would you give students who want to pursue medicine?

Medicine as a profession is a calling rather than just a career. Choose this profession only if you are ready to go through the initial years of hardship. There will be gruelling rounds, long duty hours, and often little appreciation for the effort put in. Persistent hard work is necessary to grow into a doctor. This is true in most professions, but the duration and intensity are much greater in medicine.

What simple habits can young people adopt for better digestive health?

Small children must be fed on demand. Nowadays, parents often buy processed foods; these should be reduced. One should never overeat. There is a Japanese saying: you should eat only up to 80% of your capacity and leave the rest. This helps in maintaining weight. It is also important to reduce sugar, salt, and refined flour in daily diets as much as possible. One should also take out at least an hour daily for physical activity.