In today’s tech-driven world, healthcare providers are balancing the need for electronic medical records and new forms of communication with personal patient interaction. It is so easy to lose the essential human connection that we are all wired for and crave. As both a physician and a medical news contributor, Dr. Narula places a priority on making interactions and information relevant and personal. Patient data is so important, but we can’t treat the whole patient without knowing their personal story, emotional health and spirituality. Drawing upon her life-changing experiences as a doctor and patient with her passion for a “whole patient” approach on improving health outcomes, she encourages others to “make medicine personal, because it is personal.” By combining technology and the human side of healthcare, we can make a difference in health outcomes, resulting in healthier communities.

Nothing is more personal than the heart: the sacred site we carry our love, our wounds, our strength. At the same time, heart disease is the biggest killer of women and men in this country, taking more lives each year than all cancers combined. Shockingly, many don’t realize it’s their biggest threat. This is alarmingly true among minority populations, whose higher risk factors and lower awareness make them especially vulnerable. In this empowering presentation, Dr. Narula emphasizes that 80% of Cardio Vascular Disease (CVD) cases could have been prevented with proper nutrition, maintaining a healthy weight and lifestyle, managing stress and being consistent with your doctor visits. Hear simple yet powerful tips that will help keep your heart beating strong as you become the best champion of your health. This highly motivational keynote integrates Dr. Narula’s clinical knowledge, patient stories, and her reporter’s notebook to outline ways that we can all make our own health a priority.

With all the opportunities available today, a straight path is no longer the norm in achieving personal and professional success. Growing up in a medical family, Dr. Narula began accompanying her cardiologist father on rounds at the young age of 10. Even though medicine was an important part of her early life, she decided to study economics at Stanford. As a recent college graduate, she went on to start her own business, a juice bar that satisfied her entrepreneurial spirit. Having left the door open to a career in medicine, Dr. Narula graduated from medical school and completed her residency, also becoming a medical news correspondent for CBS. Now a high-profile journalist, practicing physician and assistant professor, Dr. Narula celebrates the resilience and determination that it takes to follow one’s heart, creating not just one path in life, but demonstrating that it’s sometimes important to take the fork in the road.

There is nothing more deeply personal than an individual’s choices regarding end-of-life care. In both her practice and work in the critical care unit, Dr. Narula is known for making medicine personal. She shows the importance of making our wishes, personal values, preferences and beliefs known to our loved ones and our doctors. Dr. Narula stresses the need for developing an advance care plan that clearly communicates end-of-life wishes by sharing impactful stories of patients and families who were prepared for this time. Meant to spark conversation on a subject that we often avoid or perceive as taboo, Dr. Narula promotes an active dialog and provides expert, compassionate advice and tools.

The daughter of a cardiologist and a nurse, Dr. Narula grew up immersed in the practice of medicine, accompanying her father on rounds at age of 10. She graduated from Stanford University with degrees in economics and biology, intent on becoming an entrepreneur. For several years, she was founder and CEO of her own small business, Sun Juice Inc., before following her heart to a career in medicine. She reports on a variety of health and medical topics for CBS This Morning, CBS Evening News, CBS Sunday Morning and CBSN, the network’s digital platform. She also frequently contributes to O, Oprah Magazine. Passionate about empowering women to become more confident and effective leaders, she shares her personal story of making inroads in the male dominated field of cardiac medicine. Her experiences have given her keen insights in how women can navigate challenges and continue shattering glass ceilings.