Smiley Thakur MD

While in training I realized that the hardest parts were learning to connect with patients, how to diagnose, and understanding the business of medicine. When in clinical practice I took an interest in teaching students and realized these were issues others also struggled with; I wasn't the only one.

So, I wrote this book as a 'message in a bottle' to my earlier self. These essays contain the scaffolding, concepts, and tips I know now, but wished I knew then. My hope was that pre-med/medical students, residents, and practicing physicians could benefit from my mistakes. Someone who is smart may avoid making mistakes. However, someone who is wise can learn from the mistakes of others. This book is meant to be a primer and map to smarter and wiser navigation for medical students at various stages of training.

I am in active clinical practice; treating nephrology and renal transplant patients across the USA as a locum tenens physician. COVID is the societal healthcare emergency of our generation. I volunteer with a local hospital to provide vaccinations to residents in their neighborhoods. This outreach extends to the unhoused, numerous ethnic communities in the Seattle area, high school students, as well as healthcare workers.