Doctors Deepak & Alka Nair By Diana Colson
FOR SENIORS BY ACTIVE SENIORS®
Companionship & In-Home Care A Safe and Reliable Source for Quality Care Since 1992
(941)
924-0494
DAILY LIVING NEEDS
HOURLY • OVERNIGHT • 24 HOUR CARE
A Nurse Registry Providing: Personal Care and Homemaker/Companion Services
Judith Cuppy, President
www.seniorhomecompanions.com
Bonded, Insured & Licensed in the State of Florida with the AHCA NR#30211323 & HSC 5023
24
THE LANDINGS EAGLE March 2016
A delightful couple lives over on Peregrine Point Way: Deepak and Alka Nair, both medical doctors, and parents of three beautiful children. The family lives in a spacious, childcentered house on a cul-de-sac where the atmosphere is bright and upbeat. Deepak was born in India and immigrated to Manhattan at the age of 5, while Alka was born in Queens to parents who had originally come from northern India. The couple met during their undergraduate years at The City College of New York, when Deepak was in his sophomore year and Alka in her freshman year. Deepak’s father was an engineer in the NYC subway system. His mother was a nurse who spoke highly of the physicians with whom she worked. The boy decided early on that medicine would be his profession. As a child, Alka was fascinated by her charismatic pediatrician. By the age of 11 she had decided to become a physician. Like her mentor, she originally dreamed of working with children, but later found herself too soft-hearted to deal with the tragedies of pediatrics. Both completed their undergraduate studies in three years, and went off to their respective NY state medical schools. Deepak attended Upstate Medical University in Syracuse, where he graduated in 1998. Alka graduated in 1999 from The School of Medicine at Stony Brook University Medical Center in Long Island. Deepak gravitated towards the field of Vascular Surgery, while Alka specialized in Internal Medicine working with adults. In 1999—when she was a medical intern and he was a surgical resident—the couple married in Long Island. It was a splendid Indian Wedding, small by traditional standards: there were only 450 guests in attendance! Deepak did his residency at The Albert Einstein College of Medicine / Montefiore
Medical Center while Alka did her residency at North Shore University, New York. In 2005, they moved to Atlanta, where she worked at Piedmont Hospital, and he completed his fellowship at Emory University. In 2007, they succumbed to the lure of the crystal sands of Siesta Key Beach, for they were expecting their first child, and, as Alka says: “Warm weather always makes you happy.” Deepak loved the quality of life in Sarasota: he found things slower than they were in Atlanta and NYC, and it seemed like the perfect place to raise a family. In January of 2008, the Nair’s found the ideal place on Peregrine Point Way in The Landings. The house is spacious and spread out, with high ceilings and plenty of room for visiting friends and family. It was close to work, the perfect environment for kids, plus they were surrounded by wonderful neighbors. “It was everything we wanted!” exclaims Deepak. They renovated the house in two stages, and it continues to
be a work in progress. Today, their daughter Diya is 8 years old and attends Pine View. She is a beautiful, wellmannered young lady, who helps lovingly care for her younger siblings: Aryan, age 3 ½ , and Maya, only 6 months old. Today, Deepak and Alka try to spend every moment they can with their wonderful children. At the moment, Alka is still on maternity leave. In April she plans to return to her practice in Venice, where she is affiliated with Venice Regional Medical Center— one of 39 doctors at the center who specialize in Internal Medicine. Deepak has won a number of awards, including: Patient’s Choice Award; Compassionate Doctor Recognition; and Castle Connolly’s Top Doctors. He has an appointment at the FSU School of Medicine as ASSISTANT CLINICAL PROFESSOR OF SURGERY. He has been Chief of Vascular Surgery at Sarasota Memorial Hospital since 2010.