Physician Stories

Six Questions with Dr. Krishna Amuluru

This month, we’re getting to know one of the newest members of our Goodman Campbell team, interventional neuroradiologist Dr. Krishna Amuluru. We asked and he answered—even our toughest questions…about funny movies.

Originally from New Jersey, Dr. Amuluru graduated from Northwestern University’s Feinerg School of Medicine and did his radiology residency at Loyola University, with fellowships in diagnostic neuroradiology at Columbia University Medical Center and in endovascular neurosurgical radiology at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School. Before joining Goodman Campbell last summer, Dr. Amuluru was medical director of stroke research at the University of Pittsburg Medical Center Hamot.

 What made you want to practice at Goodman Campbell?

I was excited to join because of the amazing personnel here. Our senior partners, Drs. Scott and DeNardo, started the intervention group something like 30 years ago. Dr. Scott was trained by one of the grandfathers of neurointervention, Dr. Alejandro Berenstein, and Dr. Sahlein was trained at NYU by another of the major leaders in our field. So I was really excited to come work with this team.

Volume is another factor. At the University of Pittsburgh, I was medical director of stroke research, and it was a great experience. But the volume of patients we see here compared to what we saw there is probably four to five times greater. It’s exciting to be in a place where you’re treating a lot more of the patients you’ve been trained to treat.

What are your areas of subspecialty?

A lot of my interest in research deals with ruptured brain aneurysms and the complications patients suffer after aneurysm rupture. Specifically, something called arterial vasospasm in subarachnoid hemorrhage patients—how to diagnose and treat it, and the specific factors that predict which patients will have good outcomes.

Another area of research I’m interested in deals with selecting patients for a procedure called flow diversion, which is a special type of stent that we use to treat brain aneurysms. We’re looking at procedural and anatomical details of patients and determining how these details can predict which patients do better or worse after the diversion procedure.

What makes Goodman Campbell stand out as a neurosurgical group?

The amount of collaboration that we have inside of our own group is rare to see. At Goodman Campbell, the neurointerventionalists and the open neurosurgeons have a really great relationship; it’s really collegial. Every two weeks, we have a conference where we present all of the patients who have complicated cases. We discuss every case and come up with the best option tailored to that patient.

It’s a very democratic process and one that I have not seen anywhere else. At other practices these patients are managed under the opinions of one or two people, but in our practice, we have—on any given case—probably eight or nine doctors weighing in on the best way to treat a patient.

What do you like to do in your spare time?

I really like to travel, although I don’t know what the state of traveling is going to be in the next couple of months to years. I was a pretty big tennis player growing up—have been playing since the age of four—and was nationally ranked as a Junior. Indianapolis seems to be a really great city for tennis.

I like reading and movies—all film.

What’s your favorite comedy movie?

I was watching this one channel recently that was playing only Christmas movies—I think in the midst of everything COVID-related. National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation was on. It was kind of weird to watch it at this time of year, but it’s an amazingly funny movie.

What do you like most about Central Indiana?

I live downtown, and I haven’t even been here a year yet, but the people here are really friendly. Our patients are all so nice and appreciative of the work that we do, and our staff and the people at the hospital are just a pleasure to work with.

I love the restaurants downtown—Bluebeard and Black Market are two of my favorites. And once the weather gets better, I’m pretty excited to take my bike out.

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