October 22, 2004

Dr. Meena Sathappan opens pediatrics practice in Evergreen

People have told her that starting a solo practice in this day and age is crazy, but according to Meena Sathappan, MD, a board-certified pediatrician with more than eight years of experience, “This is what I’ve always wanted to do—it has always been my dream to operate a pediatrics practice of my own.”

(From left) Dr. Meena Sathappan and her medical assistant Valerie Ybarra are ready to serve the Evergreen community through Aasha Pediatrics at 2060 Aborn Road, # 230, San Jose, CA 95121.

Earlier this year, Sathappan decided to start her new venture, Aasha Pediatrics, right here in Evergreen, at the corner of Aborn Road and Capitol Expressway. ‘Aasha’ means ‘Hope’ in Hindi, the national language of India. The practice started on Oct 1, 2004.

Sathappan felt that Evergreen, as a young and vibrant community, afforded her the best of opportunities to establish and grow her practice. She also lives in Evergreen with her husband Sathy Chalam, who works for Apple Computers, and her two children, 11-year-old Aakash and 8-year-old Varsha.

“I’m committed to offering a differentiated level of care and service to my patients,” she said. “To accommodate the schedules of working parents, my office is open on evenings and weekends. And to help prepare expectant moms, I am also offering free, personalized consultation regarding newborn care. I want to offer the best of care to the patient population in the Evergreen area.”

Sathappan graduated from one of the most prestigious medical schools in India—the Jawaharlal Institute of Post Graduate Medical Education and Research. She came to the United States to pursue her residency training in pediatrics at Columbia University, New York.

Sathappan initially started practicing with a pediatrics group in Arizona. She moved to the Evergreen area in June 2000 with her family, and ever since then, has been working a flexible, part-time schedule at Kaiser-Santa Teresa and Valley Medical Center.

She has also been covering many pediatrics offices in San Jose. She has admitting/ consulting privileges at Valley Medical Center, Regional Medical Center of San Jose and Good Samaritan Hospital.

“I could work one ICU shift and spend the rest of the week with my kids,” noted Sathappan, who feels she has more time to devote to a solo practice now that her kids are older.

Her children, who attend Challenger School in Almaden Valley, were very excited to be involved with their mom’s launch of her new practice. They helped pick out furniture and advised her on which stickers to buy for her patients. Barney stickers, they explained, were no longer the best choice.

Sathappan said that without her husband helping her manage the business, she couldn’t have done it.
“Evergreen still has a small community feel to it, and since I live here, I thought I might as well serve this community,” added Sathappan, who sees many Evergreen residents driving long distances to take sick children to pediatricians outside the area.

“It’s so hard to get in to see a pediatrician on the weekend, but I’m very willing to see sick kids on the weekend,” said Sathappan. “At Aasha Pediatrics, your child’s health is our priority, and that means being available when they need me.”

To make an appointment with Dr. Sathappan, call (408) 274-9099.