Student Spotlight: Nandan Kodur

Tell us about yourself.

I was born in Ottawa, Canada, and moved to Michigan when I was 7 years old. I attended Michigan State University for college, where I majored in physiology, with minors in bioethics and philosophy. After graduating with my bachelor’s, I took a research gap year at the University of Michigan before enrolling at CCLCM in 2021. I’m in my final year here at CCLCM and will be graduating in 2026.

Why CCLCM?

I love CCLCM’s approach to assessments. The lack of emphasis on testing means that we get more opportunities to engage in problem-based learning and to collaborate with each other. CCLCM also strongly values introspection as a learning tool, and I thoroughly enjoy receiving detailed feedback and engaging in reflective writing. These opportunities for self-directed growth are enhanced by small class sizes as well as faculty who are eager to serve as mentors.

What are some of your favorite CCLCM experiences?

One of my favorite experiences at CCLCM has been being involved with Stethos, our school’s medical humanities journal. I served as an editor for the journal during my first couple of years of medical school and have since served as co-editor-in-chief during my third and fourth years. I’m constantly in awe of the creativity and artistic talent of folks in our community and beyond. Viewing medicine through a humanistic lens provides me with a refreshing reminder as to why I chose to enter this profession.

I also had the privilege of co-leading our school’s book club during my second year. Not only did I get to connect with my peers over books, but we also hosted amazing guests like Nobel Prize-winning physician-scientist Dr. Robert Lefkowitz, MD, who spoke about his career journey.

Tell us about your research year project.

I conducted my research here at Cleveland Clinic under Dr. Wilson Tang, MD, who is a cardiologist and heart failure specialist. My thesis focused on a condition known as heart failure with improved/recovered ejection fraction (HFimpEF), which refers to a state in which patients who have a heart with weak pumping function subsequently achieve improvement in such function, owing to medication and device therapies. While current clinical guidelines recommend that all patients with HFimpEF should continue to receive treatment indefinitely, there is growing awareness that a subset of these patients might be able to safely de-escalate from these therapies. It is currently difficult, however, to personalize treatment recommendations for patients with HFimpEF, as we lack robust clinical markers for risk stratification. My research sought to better characterize HFimpEF, including by identifying clinical markers that can risk stratify patients. Through conducting multiple retrospective cohort studies as well as a clinical study, we were indeed able to identify multiple clinical markers that can risk stratify patients with HFimpEF.

What advice would you give to new CCLCM students?

Trust the process. We have one of the most unique medical school curriculums in the country, which can initially be unfamiliar, especially since we don’t have exams to assess knowledge. However, through engaging in problem-based learning, obtaining early clinical exposure and receiving continual personalized feedback, you will have ample opportunities to learn and reinforce key clinical concepts that will prepare you for the USMLE exams and, more importantly, real-world patient care.

Tell us a fun fact about yourself.

My favorite show of all time is Avatar: The Last Airbender (the original, animated series—not the new live-action one). The show has a beautiful storyline and it’s funny, philosophical and enjoyable for people of all ages. I highly recommend giving it a watch!