Naperville native named White House fellow
To Pat Basu, people are like books - everyone he meets is another sentence, page or chapter in his life that he can learn from.
The Naperville native's newest chapter will include some of the top political minds in the country.
Basu, a radiologist at Stanford University, is one of 13 people who have been named a 2010-11 White House fellow.
"Obviously being a physician it takes a fair amount to get me rattled but I was just shocked," he said of the announcement.
President Lyndon Johnson created the fellowship program in 1964 as a way to get fresh ideas and cultivate new leaders. Fellows work full time for White House staff or cabinet members, take part in an education program and participate in service projects.
"As a physician I feel like I get to impact lives for the better one-on-one a lot of the time," Basu said. "What I hope to do with this experience is get to a position (in the future) where I could impact hundreds of thousands of lives at a time."
Basu brings a diverse set of skills to the table. He currently works as a radiologist at Stanford University as well as a veteran's hospital in Palo Alto, Calif. He also teaches a graduate level class at Stanford and co-founded ExtendMD, an online portal to help patients with chronic illness manage their health.
In addition, Basu founded a nonprofit, STARS Luncheon, giving less fortunate students a chance to interact with professionals from a variety of fields.
Basu's path toward a White House fellowship began more than a year ago on the recommendation of a Stanford dean.
Throughout the rounds of paperwork and interviews, officials repeatedly listed his hometown as Palo Alto, Calif. where he currently resides, but he insisted it be changed to Naperville where he spent most of his life.
Basu is a 1996 graduate of Naperville Central High School, where he ran track, played basketball and participated in the National Honor Society and student government.
He had an eye toward becoming a doctor even as a teen but heeded his older brother's advice and chose a college major other than biology. Instead, he earned a degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Illinois.
After his undergraduate work, Basu went on to earn both his doctor of medicine and a master of business administration from the University of Chicago.
"I'm very proud of the well roundedness and multidisciplinary approach I've taken to life," he said. "It's helped me build partnerships and bridges across different professions, different personality types."
Basu will take a leave of absence from Stanford when he moves to Washington D.C. with his wife to begin his yearlong White House fellowship Sept. 1.
Despite the troubles the country is facing, Basu said the fellowship candidates and the national leaders he met during the application process left him feeling optimistic.
"This country always finds a way to rise to its feet again and that's an inspiring thought and why I'm leaving a cush faculty position in California to go to D.C. for a year to serve that idea," he said. "That mission is really important to me."