By: Sheila Crowley
Murray County News Staffwriter
At the young age of the 13 years old, Atul Mishra had already decided he wanted to become a doctor. Mishra grew up in Allahabad, India and spoke of a trip he made on his bike to visit the local medical school where he had insisted on meeting the president. As he got to the office, however, the assistant informed Mishra the president didn’t have time to meet him. As luck would have it though, Mishra just happened to be in the hallway as the president was finishing one of his meetings. The young lad ran up to him and the president knelt down next to Mishra asking if he wanted to be a doctor. He nodded. After this conversation, the president gave Mishra a photo and told him to hang it where he would see it every day.
To this day, Dr. Mishra believes this was his motivation to become a doctor. He was one of three boys in his family. His father had commented more than once he wanted an attorney, a doctor, and an engineer. One brother chose to be an attorney and the other an engineer. “So,” chuckled Mishra, “the only option left was to become a doctor.”
As Mishra entered medical school, his initial thought was to become specialized in treating heart disease. However, Mishra soon found out, his true love was children. “I love kids and they like me. I am able to talk to them at their level and I appreciate how pure they are.”
After completing his training in India, Dr. Mishra opened a clinic in his hometown. However, things didn’t go as he had hoped. Many of his patients didn’t feel the need to pay their bills, according to Mishra. Ultimately this forced him to leave his practice and head to the United States in 1987.
After finishing his residency at the University of Minnesota in the Twin Cities, Dr. Mishra searched for opportunities in small communities although he had other offers. He eventually found a perfect spot in southwest Minnesota and began practicing in 1992. Mishra smiled as he spoke of taking care of the next generation of patients.
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