Anesthesiology

HumAnes of UCLA: Shradha Khadge, MD

Introducing Dr. Shradha Khadge, Obstetric Anesthesiologist

Shradha Khadge, MD hiking

December 2, 2022

First off, welcome to UCLA and to DAPM! Tell us a little bit about where you are coming from.
Thank you! It's exciting to be part of the department. In terms of my story, I was born in Kathmandu, Nepal and immigrated to the US when I was young. I grew up in New York on Long Island and went to college at Northeastern University in Boston. I completed my medical school and anesthesiology residency at Mount Sinai in NYC, and my OB anesthesiology fellowship at Cedars Sinai in Los Angeles before starting as an attending at UCLA.

Do you speak any languages other than English?
I speak Nepali and can understand Newari.

Selfie of Shradha Khadge, MD with her husband and daughter

What inspired you to go into anesthesia?
I was first introduced to anesthesiology in college when I did a global health semester in Nepal and loved it! In medical school, I met a lot of amazing anesthesiologists who mentored me and convinced me that anesthesia was the right field for me. I love taking care of the whole patient, seeing the immediate effects of my interventions, and seeing physiology and pharmacology in action every day.

Do you have any clinical interests specifically within anesthesia?
I sub-specialized into obstetric anesthesiology because of my interest in women's health. I'm also interested in ambulatory anesthesia, as well as mentoring and teaching medical students and residents.  

What do you like to do for fun outside of work?
I love to go to the beach (year-round now that we live in LA!), hike, travel, play board games, and hang out with my husband and daughter.

Shradha Khadge, MD with her family dressed up as the Baby Shark family on Halloween

Tell me about a good day that you had at work recently.
During my last Santa Monica OB shift, I went to check on one of my postpartum patients who was so happy to see me and thanked me for a wonderful experience. It really brightened my day. I love working on Labor & Delivery because it is one of the joyous reasons to be in the hospital. It is incredible to take away someone's pain and anxiety and keep mothers safe throughout their delivery.

What did you do for Halloween?
My toddler is obsessed with Baby Shark so we went trick-or-treating as the Baby Shark Family.

Shradha Khadge, MD and her husband

What are you planning for your next vacation?
I'm heading to New York for a wedding!

What is something about you that might surprise people?
I come from a big extended family in Nepal. My mom is one of 10 kids and I have family all over the world! My husband is also an anesthesiologist, we met in medical school and did all of our training together. When we got married, we had a big ceremony in NY and another one in Nepal.