Dr. Kavitha Kalvakuri-Meduru grew up in a small, rural community in southern India. She was the first person from her village to go to medical school, and the first from her family to earn a college degree.

Having moved from her home town to Peoria more than a decade ago, Dr. Kalvakuri-Meduru considers herself a Peorian. "I enjoy working for OSF HealthCare because it continues to invest in the well-being of the community," she said.

Inspired by her village physician, Dr. Kalvakuri-Meduru set her sights on becoming a physician at an early age. "Growing up in a small village, visiting a doctor was an all-day process," she said. "I was impressed at how he addressed many health concerns and provided a variety of treatments to our village. He was always a well-respected man."

During medical school, she received the Academically Bright Student Award from Guntur Medical College Alumni of North America. During her medical fellowship, she won the national championship in Jeopardy conducted by American College of Cardiology.

Dr. Kalvakuri-Meduru was drawn to cardiology because of the balance it offers. "I love that cardiology medicine can improve a patient's life dramatically," she said. "Cardiology also creates strong interpersonal relationships between a patient and physician."

Dr. Kalvakuri-Meduru specializes in evaluating and treating heart failure patients, evaluating candidacy for heart transplants and LVAD in patients with advanced heart failure and evaluating and treating cardiac problems in cancer patients.

Dr. Kalvakuri-Meduru's husband is an engineer at Caterpillar. Together, they have two young boys.

In her spare time, Dr. Kalvakuri-Meduru enjoys listening to music, cooking, decorating and spending time with her family. She also volunteers at her son's school and enjoys volunteering for a variety of heart month activities at OSF HealthCare.