AAPI Heritage Month Spotlights: Drs. Vidya Chidambaran and Sheila Angeles-Han

Posted byOffice of Academic Affairs and Career DevelopmentPosted inResources for Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion

May is Asian Pacific American (AAPI) Heritage Month! The Office of Academic Affairs and Career Development is commemorating this year’s celebration by spotlighting AAPI faculty at Cincinnati Children’s. This week, we are spotlighting Dr. Vidya Chidambaran and Dr. Shelia Angeles-Han.

Vidya Chidambaran, MD, MS

Dr. Vidya Chidambaran is the Director of Perioperative Pain Management and a Professor in the UC Department of Anesthesia. Her clinical focus is on pediatric anesthesia, specifically perioperative pain and ultrasound-guided regional analgesia. In her research, she focuses on personalized medicine, pharmacogenomics, epigenetics, chronic post-surgical pain, and psychosocial predictors of pain. Dr. Chidambaran says of her clinical and research areas, “My clinical field and experience led me to believe each individual is unique. In addition, it showed me the importance of the big picture in improving perioperative outcomes, which includes understanding gene-environmental interactions. This led to my desire to combine my clinical skills with my research interests.”

Dr. Chidambaran received her MBBS in Medicine at the Bangalore Medical College and her MD at the Kasturba Medical College, both in India. She then completed her internship in anesthesiology at Jackson Memorial Hospital in Florida and her residency at Brookdale University Hospital in New York. Her fellowship in pediatric anesthesiology was completed at Johns Hopkins Hospital. Since working at Cincinnati Children’s, she also completed her MS in Clinical and Translational Research from the University of Cincinnati. In addition to English, she speaks both Hindi and Tamil languages.

We asked Dr. Chidambaran:

What accomplishments are you most proud of?

My research, clinical work, and my team inspire me the most. While it feels good to be one of the few pediatric anesthesiologists to have NIH R01 funding, being able to make a difference in patients’ lives by creating innovative programs gives me pride, as with the pathway for mucopolysaccharidosis patients to improve safety, improving outcomes and equity by developing and implementing tailored novel pain management programs and mentoring students/young faculty and inspiring them to take on academic pursuits.

What/who inspired you to pursue a career in medicine/research?

I remember my Dad always wanted me to pursue medicine, and his experience with cancer made me intrigued about opioids and pain. During my internship in India, I shadowed an anesthesiologist and got hooked on the discipline for the ways it influences physiology, the immediate pharmacological effects, its multidisciplinary aspects, and lifesaving skills. Beyond that, my training with some awesome pediatric pain stalwarts during my fellowship at Hopkins and mentors when I was junior faculty at CCHMC helped me carve my clinical and research paths.

What moment in your cultural history influenced or shaped your personal/academic/career trajectory?

Photo by Monstera Production

In general, Asian heritage prioritizes learning and holds professions such as teachers, doctors, engineers, etc. in great esteem. For me, my love for learning and intellectual pursuits were imbibed by my parents who valued science and education. Although I do not consider myself religious or a custom follower, my Hinduism roots and spiritual beliefs that resonate and guide me are to do my duty diligently for a cause greater than myself, for success cannot be pursued – it is the fruit of actions and will follow.

Sheila Angeles-Han, MD, MSc

Dr. Sheila Angeles-Han is a Physician and Associate Professor in the Division of Rheumatology. She is also a member of the UC Department of Ophthalmology. In both the clinic and in her lab, she focuses on juvenile idiopathic arthritis and associated uveitis, and chronic pediatric non-infectious uveitis. She explains “During my fellowship training and as part of obtaining my master’s degree, I discovered a profound lack of high-quality research studies in pediatric uveitis. Now, I dedicate my research to improving the visual outcomes of children with chronic, noninfectious uveitis using interventions that decrease vision loss and blindness.”

Dr. Angeles-Han identifies as Filipino. She was born and raised in the United States and moved to the Philippines when her father retired from the military in her teen years. She received her MD from the University of Santo Tomas. She then completed her residency at the University of Illinois and her fellowship at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York City. She also completed her MS in Clinical Investigation at the Weill Graduate School of Medical Sciences of Cornell University. Dr. Angeles-Han has two daughters with her husband and enjoys spending her free time with her family.

We asked Dr. Angeles-Han:

What accomplishments are you most proud of? 

I take great pride in leading research initiatives for children with autoimmune uveitis. It became clear during my fellowship training that there was a tremendous lack of pediatric studies in this area. Since then, I committed myself to improving patient vision outcomes through clinical care and research.

What/who inspired you to pursue a career in medicine/research?

I remember asking for a toy doctor kit, but my parents never got me one. I think this made me even more determined to be a doctor! My research mentor battled severe, long-standing uveitis since childhood. Meeting her and other patients with uveitis inspired me to towards a research career focused on advancing knowledge in this field.

What moment in your cultural history influenced or shaped your personal/academic/career trajectory?

University of Santo Tomas Photo by Francia Denise M. Arizabal

I went to medical school in the Philippines and was truly affected by the lack of resources for patients. I clearly remember nights on call when families were unable to afford oxygen for their preemies or had to manually ventilate their own children due to the unavailability of equipment. These experiences solidified my passion for pediatrics.

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