Ronak H. Mistry, DO

Ronak H. Mistry, DO 

• Assistant Professor of Clinical Medicine, Hematology/Oncology 

• Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania 

2022-2024: HTRS Clinical Fellows Network Council Member 

Recruitment, Operations, Social Media Committee 

Co-Founder and Co-Host of Podcast: ‘The Fellow On Call: The Heme/Onc Podcast’ 

An educational podcast on all things hematology and oncology for providers looking to maintain their broad base of medical knowledge in the field. 

Fellow Co-Hosts: Vivek Patel, MD (Assistant Professor of Medicine, Vanderbilt University Medical Center), and Dan Hausrath, MD (Assistant Professor of Medicine, Vanderbilt University Medical Center), and a behind-the-scenes team. 

“Our primary goal is to develop high quality, evidence-based podcast episodes discussing fundamentals, core concepts, and important management approaches to hematologic and oncologic diseases. Coupled with the power of social media, we aim to use our episodes to spark discussion and cultivate curiosity in our listeners.” 

Available on Spotify, Apple, and Google Podcasts. 

I was on a competitive Indian dance team throughout high school and college, performing at venues including Disney World in Orlando and the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade (on the green carpet and on television in New York City).

I am a huge Harry Potter fan!  As a millennial, Harry Potter was a big part of my childhood, and I was just never able to shake it off.  I certainly have read every book and seen every movie.  In addition, I have visited the Studio Tour in London, exhibits in NYC and Tokyo, and the Harry Potter theme park at Universal Studios in Florida.  Fast forward many years, I met my wife who I learned was also a huge fan. It seemed fitting that when I asked her to marry me, I incorporated Harry Potter into the proposal – it was perfect!

I started CrossFit nearly two years ago and love every minute of it – the group fitness classes are enjoyable and the motivation around me is exhilarating.  I made a promise to myself in medical school that I would find an outlet to decompress and look out for my own well-being.  We were often reminded that “you cannot take care of anyone else if you don’t take care of yourself.” Since I’m taking care of sick people, I realize the impact of this statement.  I’m a firm believer in practicing what you preach.  Getting into health and fitness leads to better nutrition, sleep habits, and taking breaks.  It all fits together into my approach to lifestyle, career, and the way I want to live.

Mentorship is what led me to explore classical hematology as a career, but my journey to establishing it has taken many turns.  In college, I studied cell and molecular biology.  A big part of my experience was spent in lab studying small RNA mediated gene expression in Vibrio cholerae, and I thought I may take the PhD route.  However, something about interacting with patients convinced me that medical school was where I belonged.  I was captivated by hematology and oncology because the discipline seemed the perfect combination of clinical medicine, molecular biology techniques for diagnosis, critical thinking and rapid advances in treatment, which means lifelong learning.  Ultimately, it was through mentorship in residency that I stumbled upon classical hematology, and I have not looked back. Finding a mentor who inspires you is critical to finding a career that suits you.

In addition to combining all the things I love about hematology/oncology, classical hematology specifically stood out to me because of the field’s interdisciplinary nature. In our clinics, we see patients referred to us by internists, surgeons, ob/gyn, and more. The work we do can impact so many patients and gives us the chance to collaborate with colleagues from so many specialties. And while there are ample guidelines, there is a lot of room for clinical gestalt and clinical experience, which I love.  I feel so lucky to be living my dream as a classical hematologist at an institution working alongside people who inspired me to go down this path.

Being a trainee during COVID and seeing the clinical relevance of thromboinflammation was particularly eye-opening; I was fortunate to be able to contribute to the body of intense research into this early in the pandemic. My initial paper as a first author focused on the association of D-dimer and death among ICU patients with COVID, which was also educational and impactful to my career choice. Further, the mentorship of Neil Zakai, MD, MSc for this project was equally key -- especially his eye to the complex interpretation of nonspecific markers such as D-dimer to try to make timely clinical recommendations.

Don’t be afraid to be your own advocate – but do so in a way that still shows respect for those around you. Having good mentors is very important, but at the end of the day, you need to be your own advocate. If you want to accomplish something important to you, it’s critical to give it your best shot. Along the way, you need to be receptive to feedback and be adaptable if the course changes.  What is paramount is to remain humble. 

Living in Nashville during fellowship taught me a lot about what’s important in life.  I observed work-life balance in action; growing up in the suburbs of New York City, I was immersed in a very financially motivated, career-focused mindset. I learned from many of my patients in Tennessee about finding happiness by surrounding yourself with family and friends and pursuing hobbies that bring you joy. This changed my perspective and serves as a constant reminder to me as a new faculty member. Bottom line, there is more to this life than your career.