MEET LOCAL LEGEND: Neeta Kohli-Dang, M.D.

BIOGRAPHY

Although it took Neeta Kohli-Dang most of her life to reach Huntsville-she was born in Mombassa, Kenya and immigrated to Canada when she was fifteen years old to attend high school in Toronto-she's very happy to have found home and professional fulfillment in Huntsville.

"My family and I really like the area," she says, "and I especially like the medical community." A 1982 honors graduate of the University of Toronto Medical School, she earned certifications from the both the Canadian and American Boards of Otolaryngology in 1987. She is a member of the American Academy of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, a Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons of Canada, and belongs to the Madison County Medical Society and the Medical Association of the State of Alabama.

Nominating her as a Local Legend, Rep. Bud Cramer said, "Dr. Kohli-Dang is an outstanding physician who proudly serves our community. She has raised the bar for all physicians and is an inspiration not only to women but to us all. She has a love of medicine and a strong commitment to others."

Dr. Kohli-Dang and her husband, Dr. Paul Dang, an oncologist, moved to the United States in 1996, because, she says, "We were attracted by the immediacy with which we could get things done. It was hard to leave friends and family but we have lots of friends now and we are going to become citizens."

After practicing in North Alabama for six years, in 2002 Kohli-Dang and partners established the Huntsville Ear, Nose, and Throat Associates. "Ear, nose and throat is a combination of medicine and surgery, which gives me the opportunity to work with both adults and children," she observes. She is a member of the Crestwood Medical Center board of trustees and serves on numerous committees, including physician leadership, surgical and medical staff planning. Brad Jones, Crestwood's CEO, remarks, "She has made exceptional contributions to the image of women in medicine."

An experienced public speaker and author whose work has been published in the Journal of Otolaryngology and Plastic Reconstructive Surgery, Kohli-Dang has given presentations to lay and professional audiences, alike, on topics ranging from "Airway Management in Craniofacial Surgery" to "Ear, Nose and Throat-Smoking Related Diseases" and "Snoring and Sleep Apnea."

In addition, she has been recognized with numerous scholarships and awards, including being nominated in 2004 by the International Biography Centre, of Cambridge, England, as International Health Professional of the year. The American Medical Association and the Medical Association of the State of Alabama both honored her with their Recognition Awards, honors which they had first bestowed on Kohli-Dang in 1999. In 1985, she won the prestigious Silverman Award, presented by Professors Alberti and Cantrell, University of Virginia, for her paper entitled, "Cephalometric Radiographs and Nasal Resistance."