The Person Behind the Practice

Built on a Strong Foundation

Dr. Aakanksha completed her MBBS at B.P. Koirala Institute of Health Sciences (BPKIHS), Dharan — an AIIMS-associated institution known for its rigorous clinical training. Completing her medical education and internship there gave her hands-on exposure to a wide range of clinical cases early in her career.

She went on to specialise in Respiratory Medicine with her MD from Bareilly, trained at Indraprastha Apollo Hospitals as a Senior Resident, and joined as a Senior Consultant in 2021. With over 15 years of clinical experience since her MBBS, her practice has been shaped by both academic rigour and real-world patient care.

Never Done Learning

Most doctors collect qualifications early and settle into practice. Dr. Aakanksha keeps adding to her toolkit. She has completed the Advanced Management of Respiratory Disease certificate program offered by Harvard Medical School (2024 & 2025), holds a bronchoscopy and thoracoscopy certification from the Royal College of Surgeons of England (2022), and earned the ICCARe antimicrobial resistance certification in 2024.

In 2024 alone, she earned three major credentials — the Harvard Medical School certificate, the ICCARe course, and her FCCP from the American College of Chest Physicians. That kind of year tells you something about how she approaches her career.

A Teacher Who Happens to Be a Doctor

With 60+ conference speaking engagements — as Faculty, Speaker, Chairperson, and Panelist — at events like CRITICARE, NAPCON, RESPICON, and the Bronchopulmonary World Congress, teaching is clearly not a side activity for her. It's part of how she practices.

She organised the Thoracic Imaging Master Series, a 20-module CME initiative endorsed by the National Board of Examinations. Over 6,000 doctors registered. That's the equivalent of filling a small stadium — with pulmonologists.

Her YouTube channel, Pulmonology Insights, extends that teaching to patients and the public, with clinical videos on radiology in ICU, lung cancer imaging, and pulmonary embolism.

Recent Publications (2025–2026)

• Invasive Mechanical Ventilation in COPD — Chapter 2.8, ISCCM Critical Care Update 2026
• Aerosolized Drug Delivery: Technique & Applications in ICU — Chapter 7, ISCCM Critical Care Update 2025
• Chest Tube Placement — Chapter Publication, 2025
• Acute Respiratory Failure During Pregnancy — ICU Protocols: A Step-wise Approach, Vol II, 2025
• Hyponatremia — Chapter Publication, 2025
• Intra-abdominal Hypertension — Chapter Publication, 2025

Health Talks Outside the Hospital

Dr. Aakanksha doesn't just treat patients who come to her — she goes to where people work. She has delivered health awareness talks at Indian Oil Corporation, Power Finance Corporation, Housing and Urban Development Corporation (HUDCO), and Bharat Petroleum.

Topics? Practical ones: "How to keep yourself healthy in today's fast-paced life," "How to protect yourself from air pollution," and "How to keep your lungs healthy." These aren't promotional talks — they're genuine public health outreach.

Research That Actually Gets Published

Her research isn't theoretical — it comes from real ICU practice. She is co-author on multinational prospective cohort studies spanning 9 Asian countries and 281 ICUs, focusing on healthcare-associated infections (CLABSI and VAP).

Her work has been published in J Vasc Access, Am J Infect Control, Br J Anaesth, and Indian J Crit Care Med — journals that her peers actually read and cite.

She won First Prize at NAPCON 2014 early in her career for original research on ARDS epidemiology — and has since received multiple Apollo Academic Achievement Awards for her publications.

Navigating Delhi's Summer: Heat, Dust, and AC Lungs

Delhi's extreme summer weather presents unique respiratory challenges. While winter smog often dominates headlines, Dr. Aakanksha actively addresses the clinical impact of summer conditions — from severe heatwaves causing dehydration to dust storms (Aandhi) and poor indoor air quality driven by continuous air conditioning.

How summer conditions affect your respiratory health

During the intense summer months, transitioning abruptly from extreme outdoor heat to heavily air-conditioned indoor spaces can trigger airway spasms. Furthermore, unserviced AC filters act as breeding grounds for mold and dust mites, circulating these allergens into the room and frequently triggering allergic airway disease and asthma flare-ups.

Additionally, summer dust storms carry coarse particulate matter that irritates the throat and lungs, while high heat combined with pre-monsoon humidity creates a perfect storm for respiratory distress in vulnerable patients.

Practical steps to protect yourself

• Service your AC filters — clean them every two weeks to prevent the spread of trapped dust and mold spores.
• Manage indoor humidity — ACs dry out room air, which can irritate mucosal linings. Consider using a humidifier or placing a bowl of water in the room.
• Stay hydrated — adequate water intake is critical to maintaining the protective mucosal defenses in your airways during extreme heat.
• Avoid sudden temperature shifts — give your body time to adjust when moving between scorching outdoor heat and very cold indoor environments.
• Stay indoors during dust storms — wait for the air to clear after an Aandhi before exercising outdoors.

When should you see a specialist?

If you notice any of the following during the summer months, it may be worth getting a structured respiratory evaluation:

• A persistent dry cough that worsens when you turn on the AC
• New-onset wheezing or chest tightness when moving between hot and cold environments
• Increased use of your reliever inhaler (more than twice a week)
• Worsening breathlessness or fatigue despite staying indoors
• Recurring sinus infections or unmanageable allergic rhinitis

Prevention First, Always

If you ask Dr. Aakanksha what matters most in medicine, the answer is clear: don't wait for a problem to become serious. Her approach is rooted in a simple belief — health comes first, everything else follows.

She distinguishes sharply between need and want in clinical care. Not every symptom needs aggressive intervention, and not every investigation is warranted. But when something does need attention, she believes in acting early and acting decisively — fix the problem now, don't let the patient suffer through rounds of trial-and-error.

This "prevent where possible, treat decisively when needed" philosophy runs through everything — from how she counsels asthma patients on trigger avoidance to how she manages ICU cases where timing can be the difference between recovery and complication.

The Details Matter

Colleagues and patients both notice the same thing: Dr. Aakanksha pays attention to details that others skip. In clinical practice, this means structured evaluation where every symptom is traced to its cause, every report is reviewed line by line, and every treatment plan is specific — not generic.

This attention to detail extends beyond medicine. She's specific about how her clinic environment feels, the quality of patient communication, and the execution of every process — because if something is worth doing, it's worth doing properly. In respiratory medicine, where a missed detail in a CT scan or a glossed-over symptom can change the diagnosis entirely, this trait isn't just a personality quirk — it's clinically essential.

Patient outcome is supreme. Every investigation ordered has a reason. Every follow-up has a purpose. Every treatment plan has a clear endpoint. That's the standard she holds herself to.

Respectful of Your Time and Money

Healthcare in India can be expensive, and Dr. Aakanksha is acutely aware of that. She actively works to optimise costs for her patients — ordering investigations that are genuinely needed, avoiding redundant tests, and choosing treatment approaches that balance effectiveness with affordability.

This isn't about cutting corners. It's about clinical efficiency — knowing exactly which tests will give you the answer, and not subjecting you to a battery of investigations "just to be safe." Her approach is that good clinical judgement should reduce unnecessary spending, not increase it.

When she recommends a test or procedure, it's because the clinical picture demands it — not because it's the default protocol. Patients notice this. It builds trust, and it's one of the reasons they come back and refer others.

Driven From the Start

In 2014 — just a year before completing her MD — she presented original research on ARDS epidemiology at NAPCON and won First Prize. That was the beginning of a career defined by not just clinical practice, but active contribution to the field.

By 2022, she had certified in interventional bronchoscopy from England. By 2024, she'd earned her FCCP, completed the Harvard Medical School certificate program, and was serving as faculty at international conferences. The trajectory is clear: she keeps raising the bar.