Archana Gautam, MD, has been living and working in Norman as a specialist in cardiology for more than 25 years. Growing up in India, she was inspired by her father as she watched him serve his community by working as a surgeon. “That was when I decided I wanted to become a physician,” she said.
After completing medical school in India, Gautam moved to Oklahoma in her 20s to complete her fellowship at the OU Health Sciences Center. She and her husband were introduced through their families, and she has lived in Norman ever since.
“Everyone has been so kind and welcoming to me,” she said. “I love serving this community that I am a part of. It has been so good to know that I can serve this community where I have been welcomed. I love my patients. My goal is to treat them the way I would treat my own family.”
Gautam has a strong connection with her workplace of Norman Regional Hospital; along with it being a supportive professional community, both her husband and her son were born there. “Yes, there are very deep roots for me here,” she said.
When asked why she was drawn to cardiology, Gautam mentioned several important factors. “Several of my family members had cardiology problems, and I saw firsthand how it affected them and the entire family,” she said. “Also, when I was in my third year of medical school, one of my attending professors who I greatly respected was a cardiologist. And I learned that cardiology problems and heart attacks are often underdiagnosed in women, because women have different symptoms than men do. I wanted to help women in that way, so I have a special interest in treating women.”
Gautam has conducted numerous research studies in her field and been published multiple times. In a field led mostly by men, Dr. Archana Gautam represents a role model and inspiring figure to girls and women entering the field of medicine and medical research as she serves central Oklahoma.
