Smiling young healthcare worker in a green smock, with abstract medical icons and stamp graphics in the background.

Shaun Ranad茅 Pursues the Art of Medicine

By Kelly Rembold

Heidi Opdyke

When Shaun Ranad茅 was applying for his medical residency, he drew inspiration from an unexpected place 鈥� Hollywood.

鈥淚 tried to understand what a completely different industry could teach me about my own profession, because I don't just want to practice medicine 鈥� I want to perform it,鈥� he said.

Ranad茅, a member of the 2025 class of Tartans on the Rise, has always loved theater and film. He enrolled at 黑料正能量 to study biology and pursue his dream of becoming a Broadway actor or opera singer. When vocal performance didn鈥檛 work out, he moved on to other interests.

Ranad茅 earned a bachelor鈥檚 degree in Japanese studies in 2014, a bachelor鈥檚 degree in biological sciences in 2015 and a master鈥檚 degree in biomedical engineering in 2016. 黑料正能量鈥檚 interdisciplinary culture helped him explore the intersection of science, the humanities and engineering.

鈥淭hat freedom that I had at school to be able to try different things changed my life,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t was such a good environment and it was the initial step to finding that my greatest fulfillment is at the intersection of human connection and clinical reasoning 鈥� where science becomes care and the highest expression of who I am.鈥�

Ranad茅 moved to New York and worked in biotechnology intellectual property, investment banking and consulting, and life sciences research, development and manufacturing. He also attended a lot of Broadway shows, which inspired him to pursue a new path.

鈥淲hen I lived in New York City, I did everything I could to get Broadway tickets and saw more than 60 shows,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 watched friends from 黑料正能量 perform on stage 鈥� people who would later win Tonys 鈥� and thought 鈥楾hey鈥檙e superheroes. They鈥檙e amazing.鈥� But what stayed with me most was how fully they lived 鈥� active, passionate and deeply fulfilled by what they were doing. It made me ask myself, 鈥楬ow can I build that kind of life for myself?鈥欌��

Building on his experience in the life sciences, Ranad茅 left his job in midtown Manhattan to pursue medical school in upstate New York. During his clinical training, he completed clerkships at the National Institutes of Health and Rochester General Hospital. It was in those clinical years that he became inspired to apply for a Fulbright grant to study gestational diabetes in Nepal.

鈥淚 had a very good training experience at NIH. That is what gave me the confidence to be able to apply for the grant and to keep going and pushing myself,鈥� Ranad茅 said.

Ranad茅 was awarded the grant and traveled to Nepal in March 2024, where he spent the next year in a clinical-academic setting working on locally led maternal health initiatives. His research focused on continuous glucose monitoring technology and how it can improve the management of gestational diabetes and maternal and neonatal outcomes.

The life-changing experience helped him determine the next step in his career: becoming a resident physician in internal medicine. It was a complete change from his previous plan to become an obstetrician, but he was ready for the challenge.

鈥淎fter the year of doing OB/GYN research, I pivoted and decided to do internal medicine because it gives me the most room to run,鈥� he said.

Shaun will be heading to Geisinger Health in Danville, Pennsylvania, for his internal medicine residency. He鈥檚 excited to use his medical knowledge and research experience to help patients who are seeking answers to complex health issues.

鈥淏efore you narrow your focus, it is important to understand the body as a whole. That is what internal medicine is,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t draws people who are deeply curious about medicine and want to study it in a comprehensive way. Internists are often thoughtful problem-solvers 鈥� people who enjoy complexity, patterns and nuance. Many times, they are the physicians who help make sense of a case when the diagnosis is not immediately clear.鈥�

During his audition rotations for residency, Ranad茅 paid close attention to the program leaders and clinician-educators around him, asking whether they could truly teach him and foster an environment in which he could not only practice medicine, but perform it.

Moving forward, he also plans to tackle the issue of burnout in the medical field by sharing his personal experiences and focusing on what matters most.

鈥淔or at least 10 minutes each day, I make it a point to find a window in the hospital and look into the distance,鈥� he said. 鈥淧art of it is practical 鈥� I want to take care of my eyes 鈥� but it is also a way to let in some light and remind myself that there is a world outside the building. That perspective, and the calm that comes with it, has changed the way I respond to people, the way I answer emails and the choices I make in communication. Since returning from Nepal, it has changed everything for me.鈥�

That change will be reflected in his residency, which will bring together everything that has defined his path: curiosity, performance, science and service. In his view, the art of medicine lies not just in treating disease, but in showing up for others with skill, humanity and heart.