UC San Diego Combined Family Medicine & Psychiatry Residency Program

Kanwar was born and raised in and around Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He ventured out to LA to attend USC for undergrad, where he majored in Psychology and Biology. He returned to Milwaukee to eventually join the MD/PhD program at the Medical College of Wisconsin (MCW). His PhD explored synaptic plasticity in Alzheimer’s disease as well as cocaine addiction. At MCW, Kanwar was active with multiple organizations and clinics, helping start one in Milwaukee’s inner city. He also was highly involved in his community and its response to a mass shooting by helping start a non-profit that helps promote peace and community, giving talks about diversity, community and faith as well as developing mentorship groups. His experience helped him realize the value of mental health and the different ways to approach it. He is particularly interested in the interface of mental and physical health, and the potential of empathy and community to positively impact both. Kanwar feels very blessed to be a part of the UCSD combined program and is hopeful that we can use a scientific approach to explore such creative ways to care for underserved populations, such as those at “St. Vinnie’s". He likes to spend his time focusing on spirituality and meditation as well as being active with running, sports, dancing and living it up at the beach.