New to the Health Care Team
Geriatric Medicine Specialist Joins Texas Tech Physicians of El Paso
Severe shortage of geriatricians extends nationwide and is growing
Maanit Kohli, M.D., has joined Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center El Paso and Texas Tech Physicians of El Paso as an internal medicine and geriatric medicine specialist.
Dr. Kohli is an assistant professor in the TTUHSC El Paso Department of Internal Medicine. He is board certified in internal medicine and geriatric medicine. At TTP El Paso at Transmountain, his clinical services include primary care, internal medicine, geriatric medicine, and inpatient hospital medicine.
Geriatric medicine is an underserved specialty nationwide, and demand for geriatricians – physicians trained to care for older adults – is booming as the country’s 65-and-older population grows. In addition to providing primary care for older adults, geriatricians also often work with other health care providers to ensure their overall well-being, including mental health. With Dr. Kohli, El Paso now has two physicians certified in geriatric medicine by the American Board of Internal Medicine. El Paso also has one doctor certified in geriatric medicine by the American Board of Family Medicine.
The shortage of geriatricians has created health disparities in the Borderplex and nationwide.
A federal model estimates that one geriatrician can care for 700 patients with complex medical needs. In addition, the model estimates the U.S. will need 33,200 geriatricians in 2025, but today there are only about 7,000, with only half of them practicing full-time.
With 12.8% of its population aged 65 and older, El Paso is not immune to the geriatrician shortage. Dr. Kohli said he’s doing his best to ensure his patients receive the utmost care.
“My patients and their families have been absolutely wonderful to work with,” Dr. Kohli said. “I hope to be a resource to the aging population in the community to help them achieve their goal of healthy aging and a good quality of life.”
Having physicians who specialize in caring for the elderly is part of TTP El Paso’s mission to recruit talented specialists to serve our community so access to world-class patient care is not a barrier, regardless of income.
Aside from the shortage of practicing geriatricians, there’s also a significant lack of doctors pursuing geriatric fellowships.
According to the American Geriatrics Society, 384 geriatric fellowship positions went unfilled in 2019, the most recent year with data available.
Dr. Kohli completed his fellowship training in geriatric medicine at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York.
His prior faculty appointments include attending physician at Drexel University Medical College in Philadelphia and the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York.
Dr. Kohli has a keen interest in medical education and participates in many clinical teaching activities. In September, Dr. Kohli gave a virtual presentation, “Optimizing the Palliative Care for Older Adults,” at the Edinburgh International Course in Medicine for the Older Adult.
He has received various accolades for his efforts to promote bedside medicine and has been recognized for his volunteer work.
More About Dr. Maanit Kohli
Dr. Kohli earned his medical degree at Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam Medical College in Mauritius. He completed his internal medicine residency at Saint Peter's University Hospital in New Jersey, where he was named chief resident during his final year. Dr. Kohli then completed the prestigious geriatric medicine fellowship at the Brookdale Department of Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York.
Dr. Kohli is an associate member of the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh and a member of the American Geriatrics Society, American College of Physicians, and the Society of Bedside Medicine.
About Texas Tech Physicians of El Paso
Texas Tech Physicians of El Paso is the region’s largest multispecialty medical group practice, with over 250 specialists providing world-class patient care right here at home. Our physicians are dedicated to excellence and committed to caring for Borderplex patients at convenient locations across the city so families never need to leave the region to find the latest medical and treatment opportunities.
As the medical practice of the Foster School of Medicine, the physicians who comprise Texas Tech Physicians of El Paso each hold faculty appointments at the medical school, where they teach the next generation of health care leaders.