“I believe in building a strong partnership with my patients because
this leads to the best outcomes,” said Vijaya Dudyala, MD, who has
cared for people as a critical care hospitalist and primary care physician
in the Bay Area for the past 12 years. “My goal is to guide and
support patients in making healthier choices that will enable them to
live happier, more active lives.”
Dr. Dudyala recently joined Washington Township Medical Foundation (WTMF)
as a primary care physician. This February, she began seeing patients
age 18 and older at the group’s Nakamura Clinic in Union City.
“I am very excited to be here,” she added.
Dr. Dudyala began her medical career as a hospitalist at Mills Peninsula
Hospital in Burlingame in 2003. Hospitalists specialize in treating patients
in the hospital. In 2006, she began working as a hospitalist at Washington Hospital.
“I really like the people in the Tri-City area,” she commented.
“I’m proud to have served this area for 10 years. I already
have a connection with the community.”
Born and raised in India, Dr. Dudyala attended Osmania Medical College,
considered the best medical school in her state in India. After she and
her husband moved to the U.S., she completed her internship and residency
at St. Barnabas Hospital, an affiliate of Cornell University, in the Bronx,
New York. Board certified in Internal Medicine and Primary Care, she is
fluent in English, Hindi, Telugu and also understands Punjabi.
As a hospitalist, Dr. Dudyala cared for critically ill patients, mostly
in the intensive care unit.
“I enjoyed my work in the hospital, but I always wondered what happened
to my patients after they were discharged,” she explained. “Now,
as a primary care physician, I can take a greater role in guiding people
to live a healthier life over the long term.”
For the past two years, Dr. Dudyala has been working as both a hospitalist
and a primary care doctor. With WTMF, she will focus on primary care but
will also take on the role of hospitalist for her patients, as needed.
In her own life, Dr. Dudyala likes to spend as much time as possible with
her family, including her husband and their son, 13, and daughter, 10.
The family enjoys hiking together. She also makes time for her own healthy
practices, like meditation and yoga.
“It is important to find balance in my life and to do things more
efficiently,” she stated. “I want to help my patients take
this same approach in their lives.”
Dr. Dudyala explained that a physician’s job is much more than just
treating illness and disease. Along with medical knowledge, a doctor should
have compassion and empathy.
“I take the time to listen to my patients’ medical complaints
carefully and attentively and am very committed to their health and well-being.”
According to Dr. Dudyala, a key factor in the doctor-patient partnership
is trust. This is especially true for doctors in primary care. On her
first day in the Nakamura Clinic, one of her patients was the mother of
another local doctor.
“I am so honored to be caring for my colleague’s mother,”
she stated. “It demonstrates the level of trust the family has in
me.”
Nakamura Clinic provides continuing family medical care and urgent care
at 33077 Alvarado Niles Road in Union City. It is open Monday through
Friday from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., and walk-ins are welcome. For more information
or to make an appointment, call (510) 248-1500.
Learn More. To find out more about Washington Township Medical Foundation,
go to www.mywtmf.com.