Empathy, multidisciplinary care and interventional pulmonology with Dr. Ashish Maskey

For this week’s Making the Rounds, we interviewed Ashish Maskey, MD, director of bronchoscopy and interventional pulmonology. Dr. Maskey specializes in pulmonology, critical care medicine and interventional pulmonology, a relatively new and upcoming field.

We chatted with Dr. Maskey about his approach to patient care, what made him want to pursue a career in medicine and what makes him happiest as a doctor.

Tell us about your approach to patient care.

I treat all patients like they were members of my family. I want to understand my patient as a patient and not as a disease. And all I want to offer is the best.

At UK HealthCare, with the multidisciplinary approach that we have, I think we are able to provide the best care – and individualized care – to every patient.

Especially in the field of cancer, empathy is very important – and giving patients a realistic goal, explaining the diagnosis and what is coming next are very important aspects of a holistic approach to treating a patient. 

What made you want to be a doctor?

I've always wanted to be a doctor, ever since I was a kid. My parents were doctors, and I thought that was the only profession out there. But as time went by, I started loving this field and did a lot of volunteer work in hospitals before I decided to go to medical school. 

How has your practice grown or evolved since you came to UK HealthCare?

When I came here, we established the Interventional Pulmonary Program. Over the [last] seven years, we have gone from seeing just a few patients to doing over 1,100 bronchoscopies a year, and I'm very proud of that. 

As long as we're able to help patients who benefit from our specialized care, that makes me happier than anything else.

Watch our full interview with Dr. Maskey.