About

About Vishal Panchigar

Vishal Panchigar is currently studying to complete his Doctorate of Osteopathic Medicine (D.O.) at PCOM Georgia, a renowned institute known for its dedication to the highest quality standards in the education of osteopathic medical students. Vishal is also passionate about public health and aims to devote himself entirely to the larger community by being a leader in meaningful patient care and building effective teams in healthcare organizations.

Panchigar has an extensive list of volunteer work, internships, and employment that demonstrate his commitment to the community. He worked with his colleagues at PCOM Georgia to better understand why specific populations are hesitant to take vaccines. He also provided legislative testimony to a panel of experts for a project in his master’s program at the University of South Florida to promote government mandates that ensure all medical insurers accept telehealth service providers in all their insurance plans. Some of his collegiate projects have been groundbreaking, including his research on Space Utilization in a Multi-Specialty Health Clinic and a white paper entitled Apple + Healthcare: How and Why Your Apple iOS Data Should be Linked to Your Electronic Health Records.

As a student leader, Vishal served as the Clinic Director of the PCOM Hearts Student Clinic, a student-run clinic that provides free health screenings and community education that promotes a healthy lifestyle. In this role, he oversaw a record number of 12 primary health screenings in the Greater Atlanta Area throughout the year. He also established and maintained partnerships with two low-income health clinics where students could volunteer regularly. Vishal’s many professional affiliations are evidence of his desire to be involved in the community while also making professional network connections that can be used as resources critical to being an effective healthcare leader. This experience motivated him to pursue a board seat on Health Students Taking Action Together (H-STAT) as the Vice President of Advocacy. 

Public Health Visionary

Vishal Panchigar began his higher education at the University of South Florida, one of the top research universities in the country. He graduated Summa Cum Laude in 2019 with a Bachelor of Science in Biomedical Sciences. This broad field teaches the interrelationships between the human body, health, and disease and is commonly used as a baseline for doctorate study. The COVID pandemic in 2019 was likely instrumental in helping Panchigar dedicate himself to promoting health and preventing disease within communities and on a global scale.

Vishal continued his graduate studies at the University of South Florida, where he earned a Master of Public Health (M.P.H) in Health Care Organizations and Management in 2021. This field of study emphasizes data analysis and statistical reasoning. It empowers health professionals with the skills needed to promote public initiatives that improve the quality of life for local or global communities. He served as the class president through the USF Healthcare Management Students Association (HMSA). He actively participated in the USF Health Executive Student Leadership Board, the American College of Healthcare Executives Western Florida Chapter, and the Florida Public Health Association. Under Panchigar’s leadership, HMSA saw record numbers of engagement among students, alums, and local leaders of the Tampa Bay community. The University of South Florida recognized this by awarding HMSA the Outstanding Graduate Student Organization award among all USF Graduate Programs.

Panchigar is completing his doctorate studies in osteopathic medicine at PCOM Georgia, a field of study that promotes a hands-on, whole-body approach to healing. As a public health visionary, Vishal sees how healthcare is multi-faceted and extends beyond the Physician-Patient relationship and believes that public health demands a strategic approach to recognize trends and solve problems. He has witnessed firsthand the shifting factors that can affect public health, and he sees a role for both technological advancements and divergent health delivery systems as key to providing an agile response to public crises.

Career in Health Advocacy

Vishal Panchigar has interned at James A. Haley Veterans’ Hospital in Tampa, FL, where he has had the privilege of witnessing quality healthcare practices that have greatly benefited the mental, physical, and emotional health of our nation’s veterans. He has also volunteered as a physician observer at Tampa General Hospital, where he first discovered his unique passion for patient care. Vishal also put his biomedical science education to good use as a Data Entry Assistant at the Florida Cardiovascular Institute. 

Vishal’s college internships have laid a solid foundation for his future career as a healthcare executive. But, what he chooses to do in his spare time truly displays Panchigar’s penchant for being a health industry champion for underserved communities. In addition to being the Clinic Director for PCOM Hearts Student Clinic, Vishal was also President of the Healthcare Management Student Association and Vice President of the USF Order of the Golden Brahman, a self-motivated group of students and alumni who work hard to support both the university and its community. 

Vishal was the International Volunteer Coordinator and later the Internal Affairs Director of MEDLIFE at the University of South Florida. USF MEDLIFE is a university chapter healthcare organization dedicated to working within low-income communities, especially in Africa and Latin America. The non-profit’s acronym clearly explains its mission: Medicine, Education, and Development for Low-Income Families Everywhere. He still found time to act as a Volunteering Coordinator for the Alpha Epsilon Delta fraternity at USF, working to engage other college students in meaningful volunteer work.

When Vishal first entered the University of South Florida, he was elected to the USF Student Government as the College of Arts and Sciences Senator and served as Peer Leader in the USF Department of Chemistry. The role of Peer Leader (or mentor) is essential to helping other students adjust to university life and substantially increases a student’s satisfaction and persistence to attain their educational goals.

Panchigar is certainly well-balanced in his extracurricular activities. He also chose to serve as the Multicultural Representative within the Students of India Association and as Financial Officer in The Chocolatier’s Club at USF, an organization reserved for students with a severe sweet tooth, especially when it comes to chocolate!

Aside from his passion for medicine, public health, and community involvement, Vishal enjoys traveling to new places internationally, trying new dishes, and even cheering on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Tampa Bay Lightning!