NBC honors Kaiser Psychiatrist for her community service

Dr. Leena V. Khanzode, a psychiatrist with the Kaiser Permanente Santa Clara Medical Center, is receiving an honor from NBC Bay Area for her volunteer work at a non-profit medical clinic in San Jose, providing mental health care to refugees and victims of torture.

The award will be presented at the television station Saturday, May 18, during a program that recognizes Asian Pacific American Heritage month, a national celebration of culture and tradition.

Dr. Khanzode volunteers four hours every other week at the Asian Americans for Community Involvement (AACI) medical clinic, which is one of the largest community-based health centers in the area. It serves the vulnerable and marginalized ethnic communities of Santa Clara County. Dr. Khanzode has volunteered there since 2016.

At the clinic, Dr. Khanzode provides medicine management for mental health patients, and she also works with refugees who were victims of torture in the countries they fled. It is intense work but very rewarding, she said

“As a physician I have learned to not only honor and respect their experience but they have taught me to be empathetic and kind,” said Dr. Khanzode. “It continues to be a very fulfilling experience for me and I am very grateful for this opportunity.”

Many of the patients she sees are from Mexico and other Asian countries like Syria and the Middle East,

Dr. Khanzode said these survivors are unique in their resolve and resilience.

In India, where she was born and raised, her parents were active in community health organizations, so Dr. Khanzode’s community caring started early. In medical school, she volunteered to help in the infamous Indian slums where disease is rampant due to poverty, poor water, and lack of sanitation.

Recently, Dr. Khanzode won a Global Health Scholarship to Rwanda, a country still recovering from the 1994 genocide between warring tribal factions and had no psychiatrists then. Dr. Khanzode was able to train 7 resident psychiatrists there, and they still connect with her in California by Skype. There are only 10 trained psychiatrists in Rwanda for a population of 12 million and 10 residents in training.

“Training doctors is the best way to provide better community healthcare for all of us, whether in Rwanda or here in the US,” said Dr. Khanzode.

Dr. Khanzode did her residency in psychiatry at Stanford and came to Kaiser Permanente Santa Clara in 1999 as a resident.

“I never really left,” she laughed. “I loved the integrated, evidence-based care that Kaiser Permanente was providing then, and continues to provide now. My colleagues are wonderful and it’s so gratifying helping individuals and families overcome difficulties and lead happier, more productive lives.”

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