W O M E N ’ S H I ST O RY M O N T H B O N U S PAG E S
KILLEEN DAILY HERALD | WEDNESDAY, MARCH 26, 2025
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Killeen oncology physician says she is inspired by her patients BY JOHN CLARK HERALD CORRESPONDENT
AUSTIN – When Dr. Sripriya (SHREEpree-ya) Santhanam completed medical school in her hometown New Delhi, India, and arrived in New York City to begin an internal medicine residency 25 years ago, she was not exactly impressed with her new surroundings. “I was disappointed,” said Dr. Santhanam (San-THAH-num), now a hematology and oncology specialist at the Baylor Scott and White Cancer Center in Killeen. “I thought it was going to be very different. New Delhi is a big, very busy, metropolitan city. Very fast-paced, congested … almost identical to New York, in terms of the pace, big city glitz and glamor. “I did not expect the same crowded streets, hustle and bustle, people being pretty rude. I thought, ‘Dang, this is just like home.’” Dr. Santhanam was in New York for nine years while she completed her internship, residency, and fellowship (sub-specialty training program) before coming to Texas in 2008. A colleague from Austin recommended she look for a job there, and she worked in the state capital for nearly four years before coming to work in Killeen. “Honestly, I was just looking to move out of New York to a warmer place. It didn’t matter where,” she said. “I found a job that offered a little bit of everything, to include teaching – which I love – so I jumped on it. “Then, I had my third son and wanted to go part-time, but there was not an option for that (in Austin). There was an opportunity in Killeen to do part-time, so I decided to try it out.”
Working part-time sounded like a good idea, but after a while, Dr. Santhanam – who commutes from Austin – wanted more, so she found a full-time position at Darnall Army Medical Center on Fort Cavazos and then moved to the Cancer Center on Clear Creek Road. Now specializing in the treatment of breast cancer, lung cancer, colorectal cancer, lymphomas, head and neck cancer, pancreatic cancer, Myelodysplastic syndromes, myeloproliferative disorders, chronic leukemias, and bladder, kidney and GU (urinary) cancers, Dr. Santhanam was interested early on in a career as a pediatrician but soon decided that would not be a good fit for her. “When I was training in India, I chose to start my residency in pediatrics,” she said. “That was very difficult for me. I can’t see kids in pain. I can’t imagine I would be able to do that for a career. So I switched out of pediatrics to adult medicine. “I think it depends on one’s personality. I would not have been able to bear that emotional burden of seeing children in pain and suffering. With adults, I’m able to handle that emotional aspect a little better, to where I can be there for them without getting completely mixed up. That would be of no service to my patients.” Before she decided to specialize in oncology, Dr. Santhanam also considered becoming a gastroenterologist (digestive system specialist). Then, she was paired with a mentor while training in New York, and that convinced her to become a cancer specialist. “When I was doing my residency in COURTESY PHOTO New York, I used to rotate at the VA and Dr. Sripriya Santhanam completed medical school in her hometown New Delhi, India, trained in New PLEASE SEE INSPIRED, 3
York City, and now works as a hematology and oncology specialist at Baylor Scott and White Cancer Center in Killeen.