A career in health care isn’t what Pallav Deka initially envisioned for himself. 

He came to the United States from India to pursue education in exercise science and planned to return and coach badminton, which he also played. It was through working as a graduate assistant in an exercise physiology lab that Deka was introduced to the possibility of a career in health care. 

“I ran an exercise program and for the first time was exposed to people with chronic health issues,” he said. “That triggered me to take an interest in how I could transfer my knowledge from exercise science to something in health care.”  

Deka, PhD, MS, AGACNP-BC, completed his Bachelor of Science in Nursing and PhD and taught elsewhere before he joined the Michigan State University College of Nursing faculty as an assistant professor in 2019.  

With his primary employment being the MSU College of Nursing, Deka teaches undergraduate and graduate-level students and conducts research. Additionally, he works part-time as a nurse practitioner at Capital Cardiology in Lansing, Mich. 

“My research involves examining the effect of exercise on cardiovascular health and as a nurse, I am interested in improving adherence to exercise in patients who have heart failure,” Deka said.  

He recently submitted to the National Institutes of Health (NIH) for a grant to build on his earlier work, which was studying how technology can influence physical activity and exercise in patients with heart failure.  

Deka is also working on two projects in collaboration with Capital Cardiology. One involves examining the impact of COVID-19 on depression, anxiety and physical activity in patients with heart failure. The other delves into understanding how chronic stress impacts health outcomes in patients with heart failure. 

Working at Capital Cardiology provides Deka access to the patient population for him to conduct research and to collaborating physician Milind Karve, MD, FACC. Michigan is not currently a state that allows nurse practitioners to have their own practice.  

A wide range of procedures are offered by Capital Cardiology: from various stress tests and pacemaker implantation to cardiac catheterization with intervention (stents). The patient population is mostly older people, as cardiovascular disease becomes more prevalent with age. However, there are some younger patients whose concerns are often heart palpitations.  

Karve, founder of Capital Cardiology and an assistant clinical professor in the MSU College of Human Medicine, said primary and secondary prevention are crucial. Primary prevention are steps taken by a patient who has not had a cardiac event to prevent issues. Secondary prevention is after a cardiac event has occurred to avoid additional problems from occurring.  

“Family history of heart disease puts you at a higher risk,” Karve said. “A lot of things can be done as primary prevention: keeping cholesterol down, regular exercise, eating healthy and avoiding a high-fat diet.” 

Through working at Capital Cardiology and seeing patients on a weekly basis, Deka said the practicum knowledge he gains can be transferred to the classroom.  

“I can provide my students first-hand and real-life experiences in my teaching,” he said.  

To Deka, an interesting aspect of a career in nursing is the ability to combine different components. In his case that is teaching, conducting research, and seeing patients.  

“Think of the profession as one that will allow you to keep and experience your interests,” he said. “If you are willing to work hard and put in the work, life does present you with opportunities.”