Why Pangea?
By Himanshu Agrawal, MD,DF-APA
My friends have called me ambitious, however I believe I am restless- it's a trait i have inherited from my late father (along with idiopathic confidence and a general indefatigable positivity). I have painfully learnt hard work and discipline from my mother, and from my Daadi (paternal grandmother), I have learnt her moral code of conduct, which included equity, generativity and community.
Somehow, at the age of 17, I found myself at Maulana Azad Medical College (deemed one of the 'most prestigious medical schools in all of India'). I had been given the enviable opportunity to learn at a stellar institution. I promptly started squandering this opportunity away. I had no beef with the curriculum-it was as rigorous and unrelenting as expected. My greatest challenge was the teaching culture. Faculty attempted to motivate us through fear, intimidation, ridicule and indifference. The delivery was banal and there was little room for curiosity in the classroom. Disillusioned, I started skipping classes and was at risk to head towards the exit ramp, out of medicine. Thankfully, a few wise and kind teachers intervened, and provided me with the timely guidance and mentorship I needed.
Over the next 30 years, I kept finding mentors and teachers who helped me thrive. I realized that all of them had something in common- they had a way of inspiring you to be curious, and a way of explaining complex, dense topics in a highly engaging and easy-to-understand manner. Many of them were story tellers, and being around them helped me hone my strengths. They taught me that the best psychiatrist, psychotherapist and educator I can be is to be the best version of who i already was when i entered medical school. Plus training. Plus Experience (Of course). Once I had embraced this truth, the fancy titles, accolades and awards started pouring in by themselves (Please feel free to download my CV below if you are curious).
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I founded Pangea to honor those teachers, and have dedicated this small effort to the incredible therapists who changed my life.
I have founded Pangea to try and pay it forward. I also have a very self-serving reason- I hope to learn and grow from each discussion, each participant. This shall be no one-way street!
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See you in class.
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Alpha Omega Alpha National Medical Honor Society
2022 - present
According to its website, "the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society (AΩA) emphasizes a distinguished heritage in medicine that embodies the characteristics of truthfulness, morality, virtue, purity, and complete dedication to caring for people, improving health, and serving society. Above all it is the obligation of worthiness to practice excellent medicine with humility, self-effacement, charity, and with the objective to achieve high moral professional stature."
The sole reason this achievement is special for me is because I was indoctrinated into this national honor society by my dear medical students at MCW.
Outstanding Teacher award (MCW)
2018,2020,2021,2022
I have been recognized by residents (postgraduate students), medical students and pharmacy students for my teaching, something I will never take for granted.
Edith Sabshin National Teaching Award, APsA
2024
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This award was bestowed upon me by the American Psychoanalytic Association for my teaching service to (non-medical) counselors and therapists. Since then, I have been invited to serve on the selection committee for this prestigious accolade!