CommunityHealth shines the Volunteer Spotlight on Dr. T.K. Venkatesan for Volunteer Appreciation Month!
CommunityHealth was overjoyed to present Dr. T.K. Venkatesan with the 2024 Volunteer Specialist of the Year Award for his tremendous commitment to serving people without access to essential health care. Dr. Venkatesan has been a consistent volunteer for over 10 years, serving as CommunityHealth’s sole ENT provider and offering much needed free services to our uninsured and underinsured patients.
Every month, Dr. Venkatesan comes in with the sunniest of spirits and promptly gets to work caring for his patients. In addition to being a phenomenal provider, Dr. Venkatesan is also a phenomenal supporter.
Not only has he donated his time and talent – roughly 400 hours! – but also helped us secure a new endoscope this year, and will forever be etched in our hearts for donating gowns during the height of the COVID pandemic when shortages were widespread. Dr. Venkatesan is a cherished member of the CommunityHealth volunteer team, and we are honored to celebrate his contributions to our clinic, our patients, and our overall community.
CommunityHealth sat down with Dr. Venkatesan to learn more about what quality health care for all means to him…
In a few sentences, tell us more about yourself and your background.
“I was born in Madras, now Chennai in southern India. I have a hearing-impaired younger sister and my entire family has been dedicated to improving the situation for deaf children in my hometown. Early on in my life, my mother became a teacher for young deaf children and my father, although not a physician or politician, has been instrumental in securing mainstream education for the deaf as well as college and job placement. It was quietly understood in my house that my elder sister would approach deafness from an engineering perspective while I would take the medical route. I attended Madras Medical College after which I came here to Chicago to do my residency and fellowship in Ear, Nose and Throat at Rush University. I am a consultant at several hospitals in Chicago. I supervise medical students and residents at these institutions.”
Why and how did you begin volunteering at CommunityHealth?
“I was asked by one of my senior colleagues Dr. Paul Jones who used to work at the clinic to take over as he was getting ready to leave Chicago. I really did not know what to expect and it made it easier in some ways. Having been here for more than 10 years, I can safely say that I am so glad I was given this opportunity. The most appealing part is the ability to render healthcare without any interference from the commercial medical system in which I practice outside of Community Health. While one may say that the patients are grateful for the care they receive at the clinic, I am equally if not more grateful for the opportunity to serve. My wife who embodies the spirit of volunteering has also been a huge influence in my decision to stay on and if she had her way, she would rather I spend all my workdays at Community Health. We can all agree that there is a lot of work that remains to be done.”
What is your favorite memory from CommunityHealth?
“There is no single memory but a collection of them and the universal theme centers on a cohesive group of staff from the front desk to the clinic, pharmacists and nurses all of whom deserve to take pride in bringing a smile to the faces of the many who comes through the doors of the clinic.”
What do you do outside of Volunteering?
“I am an avid woodworker in my free time. What started out as a simple question to my elderly neighbor has transformed into a veritable journey. Along the way, I have acquired several skills (and tools) and met wonderful people. I love problem solving and researching woodworking techniques and hope to learn Japanese next so that I can go to Japan to apprentice with a Master Craftsman. Music of all genres appeals to me as I am a percussionist. Although I learnt traditional Indian drumming, I have been able to apply the concepts to any finger percussion instrument. Currently, I enjoy playing the Cajon. I am quite a competitive badminton player on the weekends and love biking during the warmer seasons.”
Health care providers, both clinical and nonclinical, devoted to quality health care for all are encouraged to apply.