Amanda Wilde (Host): Welcome to the Sinai Chicago Health and Hope podcast, where caregivers from Sinai Chicago share insights, updates, and important advice on the health topics impacting our communities. From the latest in medical research to practical tips for improving wellness, our doctors, nurses, and health professionals are here to help you and your families take control of your health.

I'm Amanda Wilde, your host, joined by endocrine and general surgeon Dr. Amna Khokhar. We're talking about endocrine health and how Sinai Chicago's new endocrine clinic is changing care for patients with endocrine conditions. Dr. Khokhar, thank you so much for being here.

Amna Khokar, MD: Amanda, thank you so much for having me. I'm super excited to be here.

Host: Can you walk us, first of all, through your journey into healthcare? What initially drew you to medicine and what ultimately led you to specialize in your area of expertise?

Amna Khokar, MD: So, I've always been drawn to medicine because of my father. He's a pediatrician. And growing up, I watched how much he loved what he did and how much he meant to his patients. Seeing the impact he had on people's lives and on the community inspired me from a young age to pursue a career in medicine.

During my rotations in medical school, I was drawn to general surgery. Despite the rigorous schedule, I found myself spending late nights reading and wanting to learn more about how we diagnose and treat patients with surgical diseases. And then, during my general surgery residency, I had the opportunity to work closely with an endocrine surgeon in the community and really enjoyed the technically challenging operations.

I was fascinated by the fact that the thyroid, parathyroid, and adrenal glands are small organs, but they have enormous effects throughout the body. Being able to diagnose complex conditions, work closely with endocrinologists, and then offer a definitive surgical treatment is incredibly rewarding.

Host: And then, what brought you to Sinai Chicago? You were already an accomplished endocrine specialist, and you just described some of your passions. You're also an educator and researcher. Why did you feel this was the right place for the next chapter of your career?

Amna Khokar, MD: Yeah. So, what brought me to Sinai Chicago is Dr. Anngell Jones. She's the Chief of the Department of Surgery here. And I had the opportunity to work with her previously when she was the medical director of surgical services at another hospital where she helped me expand access to endocrine surgery care on the South Side of Chicago.

I've always been interested in building specialized care in underserved communities, which is a value my parents instilled in me, from a young age. So when Dr. Jones offered me the opportunity to come to Sinai and help build the endocrine surgery program, I was incredibly excited.

Since arriving, I've learned more about Sinai's mission, culture, and commitment to the community, and I felt that this is exactly the kind of environment where I want to work.

My father always said that when a hospital invests in caring for its pediatric population, despite the financial challenges that can come with that care, it tells you the organization is truly committed to the community it serves, and that resonated with me a lot. I found the people here to be welcoming, supportive, and committed to serving patients.

I'm excited about the opportunity to build a program that expands access to endocrine surgery care and makes a lasting impact on the community for years to come.

Host: Well, tell us about this new endocrine clinic at Sinai Chicago. What need did you see in the community that this clinic is designed to address? And what will make the clinic different from other endocrine clinics?

Amna Khokar, MD: Yeah. So, the Multidisciplinary Endocrine Tumor Clinic was created to address a need for comprehensive endocrine care closer to home. Patients often have to navigate multiple appointments and multiple providers across different health systems, which can create unnecessary delays in diagnosis and treatment.

So, our goal is to create a centralized destination where patients can receive expert evaluation and personalized treatment plans. We're particularly focused on conditions involving the thyroid, parathyroid, and adrenal glands. One thing that will make the clinic unique is our ability to provide ultrasound evaluations and biopsies right in the clinic. Rather than being sent to multiple locations, patients can often have much of their evaluation completed in one place, creating a convenient and streamlined experience.

What truly makes a clinic different though is the close collaboration between medical and surgical specialists. Patient receive coordinated care rather than fragmented care. And then, we wanted to make access easier, improve communication between providers, and ultimately achieve better outcomes for our patients.

Host: So, accessibility and interdisciplinary care are really important features of this program. When you think about endocrine health, and so many of us have different endocrine conditions, what are some of the biggest misconceptions you wish patients understood? Are there symptoms or warning signs that people tend to overlook?

Amna Khokar, MD: Yeah, no, that's a really great question. What fascinates me about endocrinology is that hormones affect nearly every organ system in the body One misconception is that hormone-related disorders always produce dramatic symptoms. But in reality, many endocrine conditions can develop slowly and present with symptoms that are easy to dismiss. For example, persistent fatigue, unexplained weight changes, difficulty concentrating, kidney stones, osteoporosis at a younger age, or a lump in the neck, can all be signs that warrant evaluation.

Another misconception is that every thyroid nodule is not cancer—or the misconception is that it is cancer, but most thyroid nodules are not cancerous. The key is proper evaluation so we can identify which patients need monitoring and which patients need treatment.

So, my message to patients is that if something doesn't feel right, don't ignore it. Many endocrine conditions are very treatable and early diagnosis can make a significant difference.

Host: You also described your passion for endocrine surgery. What drew you to the surgical side of endocrine care? And what do you find most rewarding about being able to treat patients through surgery?

Amna Khokar, MD: So, what drew me to the surgical side of endocrine care was the combination of complex medical decision-making and highly precise operations. Every patient is different, and I enjoy the challenge of understanding the underlying disease and developing the best treatment plan.

I love being able to offer patients a definitive solution. Many endocrine disorders have excellent surgical treatments. A patient who has struggled with hyperparathyroidism or a large thyroid goiter or certain adrenal conditions can often see significant improvement after surgery. And the recovery is quick, and patients overall do really well.

The operations themselves require precision and judgment, but what I find most rewarding is seeing the impact on my patients afterward. Helping someone regain their energy, alleviate symptoms, or remove the worry of a cancer diagnosis is incredibly meaningful.

Host: Can you describe further how this new clinic brings together surgical care and medical care?

Amna Khokar, MD: So many endocrine conditions don't neatly fit into one specialty. A patient may need medical management, imaging, laboratory testing, and possibly surgery. So when endocrinologists, radiologists, pathologists, oncologists, and endocrine surgeons work together, patients benefit from a unified treatment plan.

Instead of receiving separate opinions in different places, they receive coordinated care designed around their individual needs. That collaboration is especially important for conditions involving the thyroid, parathyroid, adrenal glands, and other endocrine tumors, because treatment decisions often depend on combining the medical, laboratory, imaging, and surgical perspectives.

Host: So, this multidisciplinary approach that you've just described is really key. As you look ahead, what do you hope the new endocrine clinic means for patients and for the Sinai Chicago community? What would success look like for you and your team a few years from now?

Amna Khokar, MD: So, my hope is that patients in the Sinai Chicago community have access to the same high-quality endocrine care available anywhere in the country without having to leave their community to find it. Success for us in a few years would mean earlier diagnosis, shorter waits for specialty care, coordinated multidisciplinary treatment, and improved patient outcomes.

I'd also like the clinic to become a trusted resource for referring physicians and a place where patients know they'll be heard, educated, and cared for as individuals. Ultimately, the goal is not just to treat disease, it's to improve quality of life, build healthier communities, which is very much aligned with Sinai's mission.

Host: Well, Dr. Khokar, thank you so much for all of this great information and for sharing your vision for the new clinic. Your commitment is certainly obvious and your enthusiasm as well.

Amna Khokar, MD: Thank you so much for having me on this podcast, Amanda. It's been a pleasure sharing my passion for endocrine surgery care, and I'm excited to be here at Sinai.

Host: That was endocrine and general surgeon, Dr. Anna Khokar. For more information, visit sinaichicago.org. And if you found this podcast helpful, please share it on your social media and check out the entire podcast library for topics of interest to you. Thanks for listening. This is Sinai Chicago Health and Hope.