From Medical School Rejection to Public Health Advocacy with Dr. Krishna Vedala

What if the setback that stops you today is the very thing that shapes the doctor you become?

Dr. Krishna Vedala traces his path from a childhood in Edmond, Oklahoma, to primary care in Oklahoma City, including the painful stretch of not getting into medical school until his third attempt. He explains how those years as a medical assistant, research assistant, medical biller, and hospice volunteer taught him about persistence, and how writing down simple goals, an idea he calls hope theory, kept him moving forward.

The conversation then turns to the work that drives him today. Dr. Vedala describes how his public health training and MBA led him to launch Connected by Health, why he sees housing, social support, education, and civic health as part of every patient visit, and how stories from the clinic carry more weight with legislators than policy talking points. He and Dr. Crane close with practical advice for physicians who feel powerless, including joining advocacy organizations, scaling impact through podcasts, and balancing it all with family.

Top 3 Takeaways

Persistence is a skill that can be built: Dr. Vedala was turned away from medical school twice, used the time to learn about health care from every angle, and credits persistence and written goals for getting him to the finish line.

Dr. Vedala argues that health is the foundation of a strong society, and that housing, social support, education, and civic health shape patient outcomes in ways that show up years later, as his patient stories illustrate.

Physicians have a powerful voice: patient stories carry weight with legislators, and joining organizations such as the March of Dimes or a county medical society magnifies the impact of any one doctor.

About the Guest

Dr. Krishna Vedala is a board certified internal medicine and obesity medicine physician and a primary care doctor in Oklahoma City. He graduated from the University of Oklahoma School of Community Medicine, completed his residency at White River Health System in Batesville, Arkansas, and holds an MPH and a recently earned MBA. He is the host of the Connected by Health podcast and is active in advocacy through the March of Dimes, the Oklahoma chapter of the American College of Physicians, and the Oklahoma County Medical Society.

Connect with Dr. Vedala
Connected by Health: connectedbyhealthpodcast.com

About the Host

Dr. Peter Crane is a board certified physician, educator, and storyteller with a heart for service and a calling to spotlight doctors who make a difference, in their communities, in medicine, and in the lives they touch.
Through Doctors Making a Difference, he brings you into intimate conversations with physicians who have overcome challenges, redefined success, and found purpose in and beyond the clinic. His goal is simple: to help more doctors stay in medicine by showing them what’s possible.

About the Show:

Doctors Making a Difference is more than a podcast; it’s a movement to highlight the good, the gritty, and the deeply human side of medicine. In every episode, physicians share stories of challenge, purpose, and connection so more doctors can stay in medicine and leave it better than they found it.

visit: doctorsmakingadifference.com

LMC Series Note:

Living with Metastatic Cancer (LMC) explores the science, decisions, and day to day realities of life with advanced disease, through candid physician patient conversations.

Watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/8DsI6mPOyOA
Subscribe to Doctors Making a Difference on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@DoctorsMakingADifference?sub_confirmation=1

#doctors #cancer #physician