The patient room in the new pulmonary clinic at Grande Ronde Hospital is unobtrusive. There are only a couple of seats, and a computer off to the side. The new doctor, Simran Galhotra, prefers to sit next to his patients. He doesn’t want to sit behind the computer as they talk to him. He wants to heal them. To do that, he wants to make a personal connection with them to get them on the road to recovery.

Galhotra’s first day was June 26. He is getting into the swing of things as he gets to know his patients who need care for pulmonary disease and sleep apnea.

“They’re two separate fields,” Galhotra explained. “But they’re sort of related.” 

Galhotra explained someone diagnosed with sleep apnea is having breathing issues. It’s not uncommon to see a doctor specializing in both. This isn’t necessarily a new service for GRH. The Sleep Clinic has been offerings its patients this service for a while through Neurologist Christine Quinto. However, Galhotra’s main focus is pulmonary, sleep and critical care, and can offer a wider range of care than what has been offered previously.

The doctor isn’t the only thing new to the hospital. Galhotra is now working with a new pulmonary function machine that will give him an assessment of how good the patient’s lung function is.

Galhotra said he’s had three similar machines in his career and the one now at GRH is the ‘latest and greatest’ of all of them. In fact, he said, there are only a few hundred of these machines in the world being used right now.

“It’s a very good diagnostic tool for us,” he said, adding that it will help the hospital treat twice as many patients as they were able to previously for pulmonary function.

Galhotra said the machine tests three different things:

• Flow, which is how much air is being pushed out of the lungs

• Volume, which is how much air is in the lungs

• Diffusing Capacity, which measures how much lung tissue is in there. 

Galhotra has spent most of his medical career in rural communities. He can see the need for a pulmonary specialist in Union County already. And he’s already asking for more work. 

“It’s the emigrant’s work ethic,” he said laughing.

Galhotra was born in India and raised there until he was 11 years old. In school, he was taught in English. When his family emigrated to Chicago in 1972, he was able to transition easier into the new country.

Ultimately, Galhotra studied at the University of Chicago from 1979 to 1989, ultimately earning his Doctor of Medicine in 1989. 

“I took a break from medical school then, and went to radiology,” he said. He became a software developer for four years, adding to his repertoire. “I finished my medical training in Washington, D.C., and then began looking for jobs.” 

While he found job offerings, none of them seemed like the right fit. Galhotra eventually accepted a position in Payson, Arizona, and began his practice in the small, rural town.

Not surprisingly, Galhotra was the only pulmonologist in Payson, which has a population of just over 16,000. His wife, Katherine, became his office manager and ran the practice.

“I thought it would last maybe 6 months (of Katherine running the practice),” he said. “It lasted 14 years.”

Eventually, they moved to a solo office in Show Low, Arizona. While it was successful, Galhotra decided to move his specialty to Summit Healthcare, the area’s hospital. During his time with Summit, he was able to grow the number of beds offered from one to six. 

Hopefully this happens for Grande Ronde Hospital, as well. It wouldn’t surprise him if it does, too.

“There’s an enormous need for it,” he said. 

Walla Walla is the closest hospital that has a pulmonary clinic. Galhotra is now regularly getting referrals from Pendleton, John Day and Baker City.

He said approximately two-thirds of his patients are being seen for Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, or COPD, and the other one-third are asthma related.

Galhotra is settling into his new position nicely. He is not intimidated by the Eastern Oregon winters at all, since he’s used to the gusty winters of Chicago. 

He’s finding his days are getting busier, but he doesn’t mind it. The opportunity to join GRH found him at the “right place, at the right time.”

“The future is so bright, I have to wear shades,” he said.