Hall of Fame: Dr. Shekhar Challa
Photos by: Emma Highfill | Rose Wheat Photography & Grace Place
Some people are doctors. Some people are entrepreneurs. Dr. Shekhar Challa is both. Over the past 35 years, he has taken his love of medicine and used it to grow a conglomerate of successful medical clinics across the state, as well as a variety of other business endeavors that help people live better lives.
Dr. Challa, along with his senior partners, Ashram Su , MD and Jerry Feagan, MD, opened an outpatient ambulatory surgery center 32 years ago, specializing in colorectal cancer screening and treating digestive tract diseases. The clinic was the first outpatient surgery center of its kind in the Midwest and the fourth in the nation. Since then, KMC has expanded beyond gastroenterology to include dermatology and medical spa services with 10 locations that employ more than 160 people.
EXAMINING THE FUTURE
Dr. Challa is a real world “Doogie Houser.” Growing up in Hyderabad, India, he was required to choose
what career path he wanted (biology, engineering, computers, etc.) by the time he was in the 10th grade. So, at the tender age of 13, he chose biology. Eight years later he graduated from Kakatiya Medical College and headed o to Coney Island Hospital in New York City for his residency and fellowship.
“If you train in Brooklyn, you can practice anywhere,” Dr. Challa said. “You see everything imaginable in a city hospital, so nothing shocks you.”
After training in New York City for more than five years, he and his wife, Jayashree, decided they wanted a quieter place to raise their daughters, Akhila and Shruti. They wanted to live in a good-sized city that was still close to a big city. Topeka was a good fi. The city let him grow professionally and gave him the opportunity to explore his entrepreneurial side.
DIAGNOSING SUCCESS
After opening Kansas Medical Clinic in 1987, Dr. Challa found his entrepreneurial alter-ego taking over. Like any parent, he wanted his “baby” to grow and thrive. He began expanding services and opening additional locations. After extensive market research and feasibility studies, he added dermatology and medical spa services to his clinics.
With the opening of each new clinic, he minimized executional risk by putting into place the most qualified and experienced team he could find. They also worked to create a culture of quality service and compassion that implements KMC’s “Great Philosophy.” This philosophy operates under these principles:
No drama—life has enough, leave it out of the workplace.
We are family, take care of each other.
Make the patient’s day, that is why we are here.
Play (within reason).
“We are truly a family business. I am so proud of what we have all built here, together,” Dr. Challa said.
In addition to opening dermatology clinics across the state, Dr. Challa has created an innovative fellowship to increase the number of physician’s assistants and nurse practitioners trained in dermatology across the state of Kansas.
“Every dermatologist wants to have a physician’s assistant or nurse practitioner on staff, but they have to have experience,” Dr. Challa said. “The KMC Fellowship Program has been a great success so far and what we are doing is very unique. We are getting applications from all over the country.”
OPERATING OUTSIDE OF KMC
When Dr. Challa’s daughter, Akhila, nished medical school, she wanted to find a way to put her skills to work outside of a medical practice. The entrepreneur in Dr. Challa looked for ways to incorporate her education and training in a business that would benefit them both. His expertise on digestive health led him to explore the topic of probiotics, the good bacteria in the digestive system. Research has shown that gut flora influences health in many ways, from helping to extract energy from food and building the body’s immune system to preventing obesity and protecting against infection.
Dr. Challa dove into research on the various types of probiotics and found it so complex that it spurred him to write a book in 2012 titled, “Probiotics for Dummies.” Soon after, he took his research, experience and expertise to market with Probulin, but the business got off to a slow start. For a few years it felt like he was simply throwing good money after bad.
Dr. Challa knew the product was superior but recognized that he didn’t really know how to take the product to market. He hired an expert to take over the logistics and marketing, and the company flourished. Probulin products can now be found in 4,500 stores throughout the U.S. and the Middle East.
LEARNING FROM FAILED EXPERIMENTS
Some of life’s greatest rewards come as a result of failure. Dr. Challa sees each failure as a learning experience that results in a stronger character.
“Failure means you tried,” Dr. Challa said. “That is better than never trying. And being willing to get up and try again is what makes you stronger.”
From health clubs to hotels, weight loss centers to plastic surgery clinics, Dr. Challa has seen his share of failures. Through these failures he has learned to be honest with himself about when it is time to cut his losses. However, each time he chose to rise from the ashes and look for more opportunities.
“You have to feed your winners and starve your losers,” he said, “because status quo is the kiss of death.”
He has also learned to “stay in his lane.”
“I know medicine and the medical business,” Dr. Challa said. “So, now most of my entrepreneurial endeavors are now related to the medical field.”
SPREADING THE ENTREPRENEURIAL BUG
Successful entrepreneurs understand the value of experience and knowledge. They also understand the importance of passing that knowledge on to the next generation of entrepreneurs.
“Life is about being mentored and then mentoring others,” Dr. Challa said. “I still have a mentor that I turn to for advice.”
Dr. Challa finds himself mentoring medical students, entrepreneurs and pretty much anyone else who asks for his help. With his own crazy schedule and entrepreneurial endeavors, he may not have large chunks of time to give, but Dr. Challa carves out what he can to help the next generation discover their entrepreneurial
spirit.
