Growing up in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India, Saloni Christian was surrounded by healthcare professionals. Her dad is a physician, and her mom is a psychologist. Though never pressured to go into medicine, Christian knew at an early age that she wanted to come to America, study pre-medicine biology and then go to medical school.
Christian decided to attend Kent State University – more than 7,700 miles away from her hometown – where her brother received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees, to begin her medical journey in 2019. She was active on campus, working at the Warren Student Recreation and Wellness Center and the Kent State Ice Arena. She served as a student representative of the Department of Biological Sciences. She participated in various clubs, including the Biology Club, the Female Medical Student Organization and United Christian Ministries. Christian worked as an undergraduate research student in the lab of Edgar Kooijman, Ph.D., professor and undergraduate coordinator in Kent State’s Department of Biological Sciences.
Finding Podiatric Medicine
An email Christian received in her junior year introduced her to podiatric medicine and changed the direction of her medical career plans. The first word of the email, “suturing,” caught her interest. Kent State’s College of Podiatric Medicine was hosting a suturing workshop on the Kent Campus, and biology students were invited.
“My goal was to always go into medical school,” Christian said. “I didn’t know what podiatry was because back home, it’s a part of orthopedics. In my junior year, I found out about the podiatry school through a suturing workshop the school was doing in Kent. I was going in blank. I was like, ‘OK, suturing sounds like medicine. I’m going to go in and find out what’s this about.’ And then they told me podiatry specializes in the lower extremity.
The first big thing that obviously caught my eye is that podiatry has a big work-life balance,” she continued. In a normal medical school, your 20s and 30s are almost gone studying and practicing. With podiatry, you get free time. It’s not as stressful as a normal medical school. It is difficult, don’t get me wrong. It’s the same amount of years, but I feel there’s a good balance. If you want to get married and have kids, it’s a perfect balance to have a career and a life.
At the workshop, Christian met third- and fourth-year students from the College of Podiatric Medicine. She also met an outreach coordinator from the college, who answered a lot of Christian’s questions. At the time, she didn’t drive. The college offered to arrange for someone to take Christian from Kent to the podiatric medicine campus in Independence, Ohio, for a tour.
“They were so welcoming,” she said. “It proved to me that this is a good, safe environment. They really cared.”
The next day, Christian emailed the college and received a quick response. “They told me exactly what I need to get done before I apply. They were holding my hand throughout the whole process, and that helped.”
From Discovery to Doctoral Studies
Christian earned her undergraduate degree in biology with a concentration in pre-medicine/pre-podiatry/pre-dentistry from Kent State in fall 2022. She began at the College of Podiatric Medicine in 2023. In her third year of podiatric medicine school, Christian completed clinic rotations helping patients. She has spent time at the Louis Stokes Cleveland Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center and University Hospitals, as well as at the college’s clinic.
“What’s the most rewarding – and it’s specifically for podiatry – is that when a patient comes into a podiatry clinic, you give them instant relief,” Christian said. “You instantly help them. Let’s say something like plantar fasciitis, they have pain on the heel, and they can’t walk. We give them an injection. We do some kind of taping. They go home and walk out of the clinic pain-free. And that’s really rewarding because they’re just so happy.”
The college’s location is also appealing to Christian and her fellow students.
Independence is 15 minutes from downtown Cleveland, so there are a lot of things to do,” she said. “You don’t even have to go to Cleveland. There are so many coffee shops and restaurants around here. There is the SouthPark Mall in Strongsville. My friends and I go to the Flats and Tremont. We’re all happy. We have a social life. We’re all hanging out all the time.
Christian’s advice to students: attend a workshop and shadow a podiatrist.
“See if you like what they’re doing,” she suggested. “See the way they interact with patients and what they do with their day-to-day life. Just even one hour of shadowing with a doctor would really help. High schoolers and even undergraduates come to our clinic to shadow us for two or three hours. They follow us. They talk to us. I’m pretty sure they’re going to fall in love with podiatry because it is its own, separate specialty. It’s only a podiatrist who specializes in the lower extremity. There are only 11 schools in podiatry, so it’s one of a kind.”
Read more about Saloni Christian’s journey to podiatric medicine.
Christian plans to graduate with her Doctor of Podiatric Medicine degree in 2027. She hopes to do a mix of wound care and surgery in her residency, and the idea of specializing in ankle surgery appeals to her. She is equally eager to help patients.
“With podiatry, the patient case starts with you and ends with you,” she said. “You are there with them the minute they walk into the clinic and the minute they walk out of surgery. You are with them throughout. It’s really just helping people out.”
About Kent State’s College of Podiatric Medicine
Located in Independence, Ohio, about 10 miles south of Cleveland, the College of Podiatric Medicine is Kent State’s medical school, where students develop the skills and knowledge to become podiatric physicians and surgeons. Doctors of podiatric medicine diagnose, treat and prevent foot and ankle disorders. It is one of only 11 podiatric medicine schools and colleges in the nation and the only one in Ohio.
Kent State’s College of Podiatric Medicine has graduated more than 7,000 podiatric medicine doctors throughout its history. Kent State is playing a critical role in addressing the nation’s need for qualified foot and ankle specialists at a time when diabetes, obesity and an aging population are driving demand for podiatric care to record levels.
Podiatric medicine combines clinical and surgical care with the ability to build lasting, meaningful patient relationships. Doctors of podiatric medicine can specialize in a variety of areas, including sports medicine, diabetic wound care, dermatology, radiology, limb salvage, pediatrics and surgery. They can work in a variety of settings, including private practices, clinics, hospitals and educational environments. Physicians specializing in podiatric medicine are the only doctors to receive specialized medical and surgical training and board certification in the care of the lower extremity, which is the part of the body from the hip to the toes.
Learn more about Kent State’s College of Podiatric Medicine.
Kent State has a personalized support system designed to help its students prepare for admission to professional schools in medicine, dentistry, podiatric medicine, pharmacy, veterinary medicine, optometry, physician assistant studies and other health-related fields. Contact Kent State’s Pre-Health Programs Office for information and assistance.
