Dr. Desai is the Associate Program Director of the MedStar Health Interprofessional Palliative Medicine Fellowship Program and an Assistant Professor of Medicine at Georgetown University. She obtained her undergraduate degree at Johns Hopkins University, followed by a Master of Public Health degree at the University of Southern California. After attending medical school at Touro University Nevada, Dr. Desai completed residency training in Internal Medicine at UCSF Fresno. She completed her fellowship training in Hospice and Palliative Medicine at the University of California, San Diego.
Dr. Desai is highly motivated to provide compassionate care to patients and families who are facing serious, life-limiting illness. Her clinical interests include complex symptom management, caring for patients at the end-of-life, and supporting individuals experiencing grief and loss. She is deeply passionate about medical education, and has a special interest in communications skills trainings, promoting primary palliative care skills, and cultivating clinician wellbeing and resilience. Dr. Desai is a recipient of the James A. Curtin Award for Excellence in Teaching.
Dr. Desai is a physician lead for Schwartz Rounds at MedStar Washington Hospital Center, which aims to promote compassion and vulnerability in healthcare. She is an active member of the American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine.