Dr. Adarsh D Kumar
Experience: | 3 years |
Education: | Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College |
Academic degree: | MS (Master Of Surgrey) |
Area of specialization: | I am trained in ENT but what shaped me most recently is my fellowship in head and neck oncology from Tata Memorial, Mumbai. Working there meant being right in the middle of complex cancers of oral cavity, larynx, thyroid, salivary glands—cases that demand not just surgery but long term planning, reconstruction, follow up. It is never only about removing tumor, its about preserving speech, breathing, swallowing, sometimes even dignity of the patient.
During this time I got hands-on with major resections, neck dissections, airway procedures, and also the smaller day-to-day things like scope based assessments, biopsy, counselling families who were too scared to ask what comes next. Head and neck oncology overlaps with so many disciplines—plastic surgery, endocrinology, radiology—that I had to learn quick how to work across teams, and honestly still learning.
I continue to practice general otolaryngology too, because infections, sinus issues, ear problems keep coming, but my focus is gradually more tilted toward oncology. The fellowship at Tata taught me that precision and empathy go side by side. Sometimes patients want straight numbers, other times they want silence and reassurance. Balancing both is as much a part of specialty as knowing surgical margins or staging systems.
It’s not always neat work, cancer care rarely is. But that is exactly why I keep at it—each case remind me that ENT is not just about anatomy, it is about people who carry that anatomy through life.!! |
Achievements: | I am someone who try to keep learning outside of routine hospital work, which is why I attended multiple CME’s and workshops during residency and after. From 2019 itself I was part of programs on vestibular disorders, balance awareness, and even hands-on VENG training with guest faculty in Belgaum. Later I joined sessions on otology, temporal bone disscetion (yes spelled wrong on the cert but the work was real), rhinoplasty webinars, and annual JNMC scientific CME’s in 2021 & 2022. All these helped me build steady confidence!! |
I am an otolaryngologist who sort of grew into the role step by step… not all at once. My training started with MBBS internship at Bharati Vidyapeeth, Sangli, then MS (ENT) at JNMC Belagavi from 2019–2022. After that came 2 years of Senior Residency at AIIMS Bhubaneswar, which taught me more than just techniques—it was about handling emergencies, airway issues, infections, complex surgeries where you dont really get a second chance. Right now I am an Assistant Professor in ENT, while also pursuing a fellowship in Head & Neck Oncology at Tata Memorial Hospital, Mumbai. It feels like I am constantly in-between teaching, learning, and treating, sometimes all at once. My areas of practice cover general otolaryngology—ear, nose, throat disorders that affect daily life—as well as more advanced head and neck oncology surgery. Tumors in this region can be tricky, involving voice, breathing, swallowing, appearance... it is never “just a surgery,” it changes how someone lives. That makes the responsibility heavier, but also meaningful. Research is part of my work too. I published on things ranging from dual nasal pathologies to rare foreign bodies in the aerodigestive tract, Covid-19 related mucormycosis, endoscopic lacrimal sac surgeries, even bacterial flora after tracheostomy. Some of these studies were small, pilot level, but they keep me grounded in evidence. Writing papers is messy (honestly the MQOL-36 questionnaire study nearly drove me mad with data collection), but it helps sharpen the way I approach patients. I care a lot about preventive ENT care too—screening, counseling, lifestyle modification in smokers or patients with metabolic disorders who come with ENT complaints. Sometimes small interventions change outcomes more than major operations. Looking back the path seems structured—MBBS, MS, SR, fellowship—but the truth is each step felt like stumbling into the next. And maybe that’s why I try to keep my clinical practice open, honest, not pretending I have all the answers all the time. Patients sense when you are real with them, and that makes treatment smoother, even when the road is rough.!!
