Physician Features

Volunteer Spotlight: Dr. Kavita Trivedi

Dr. Kavita Trivedi was born in Canada and raised in Texas after her family relocated to Dallas during her early childhood. She completed her undergraduate education at the University of Texas at Dallas and went on to earn her medical degree from the University of North Texas Health Science Center. She then moved to Chicago for residency training at the Shirley Ryan Ability Lab at Northwestern University, where she served as Chief Resident. Following residency, she completed a fellowship in Spine and Pain at the University of Michigan. After finishing her fellowship, she returned to Dallas to join the faculty at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, where she continues to practice. She was recently promoted to Clinical Professor and is the Associate Medical Director of the Multidisciplinary Spine Center. Dr. Trivedi is passionate about medical education and serves as the Associate Program Director of the Interventional Spine & Musculoskeletal Medicine Fellowship.

What made you choose PM&R?

Ever since I was young, I have known that I wanted to be a doctor. I was drawn to anything related to nerves, muscles and the brain. I also loved sports for the sport but found the human body and its musculoskeletal system fascinating. My mother is a speech language pathologist who works closely with PM&R physicians. It was through her that I was first exposed to the specialty. During my medical school neurology rotations, I had a clear realization: the neurologist tells the patient, “You’ve had a stroke, this is the part of your brain it affected, these are your deficits,” and then sends them to a physiatrist to regain function and quality of life. I knew I wanted to be that person—the one who helps patients get their lives back.

How did you get started volunteering with ABPMR?

My first volunteer experience was at an Item Writing Workshop meeting in Rochester around 2019. It was overwhelming at first with all the information that is presented to you but once I got the hang of it, I learned so much. It pushed me to dive back into literature and research, stay current on updates, and learn more about other specialties as well. I currently participate in item writing for the spine, musculoskeletal, and pain maintenance of certification sections. I also serve as an Oral Board Examiner for Part II boards, which I really enjoy.

What is your favorite thing about volunteering with ABPMR?

I enjoy the in-person meetings with colleagues and connecting with them on a professional level. I also appreciate that volunteering has helped keep me up to date on the educational side of medicine. Day to day, our lives are so busy, and we never have enough time. This work gives me the opportunity to stay current on developments in spine and musculoskeletal medicine.

What advice would you give to someone who is thinking about volunteering?

I would tell them that we are all busy with work and with our lives outside of work. We feel that we will never truly have time to volunteer. However, if you make it a priority, it can happen. Taking the time to travel to in-person item writing workshops or other activities allows you to connect with others in your field, and you learn so much from the experience. You’re also giving back to the specialty, which is especially meaningful because PM&R is a smaller field. Someone once took the time to examine me, and now it’s my turn to give back to the specialty.

What does board certification mean to you?

I believe there needs to be a standard to ensure that physicians are meeting expectations and practicing at the highest level in PM&R. When you see a physician who is board-certified, they are knowledgeable about current practices, maintain their certification on a yearly basis, and are committed to practicing evidence-based medicine. I think that level of accountability is incredibly important to provide quality care to our patients.

What do you enjoy doing outside of work?

I have 2 teenage children who I am crazy about and spend as much time with them as possible. We love to travel and spend time in places such as France, Japan, Norway, Netherlands, England, and India, with a trip to Croatia planned for this summer. I love spending time with my family and friends by doing active things, trying out good restaurants, and just hanging out. I grew up studying Indian classical dance and piano, both of which I still enjoy. I’m passionate about exercise and make it a daily priority. Our “Covid project” was building a home gym which is amazing and used daily. After all, we must practice what we preach to our patients!