Connection, Connection, Connection: Life Lessons and more from YJA Board of Trustee Naishadh Shah

Meet Dr. Naishadh Shah, D.O, M.B.A, an attending Interventional Radiologist based out of Princeton, New Jersey and one of YJA Board of Trustees (BOT) members. From serving on past YJA Executive Boards to returning for a fourth two-year term as trustee, Naishadh has long been involved in and dedicated to giving back to Jain youth.

Publications Committee members Rahi Shah and Harshita Jain interviewed Naishadh to dive deeper into his background, motivations, and biggest takeaways from life so far. Keep reading to learn more about his advice on navigating his professional and personal journeys thus far — and the lessons he wants to share with the YJA audience.

We know we’ve collected your bio in the past, but for our readers who might be getting to know you for the first time, can you tell us a little bit about yourself?

“I’m a physician, I’m an interventional radiologist (IR), which pretty much means I use imaging guidance such as ultrasound, CAT scan, or X-ray, to perform a procedure that previously would have required surgery or an open procedure.”

The IR specialty involves using various radiology techniques to guide non- or minimally invasive surgeries. Learning to apply new, cutting-edge technologies is something Naishadh finds particularly exciting. Where does he spend his time outside of work?

“I’m happily married for 15 years, I have two kids, a nine year old son and eleven year old daughter, that’s pretty much where the rest of my time goes. I do enjoy hiking, photography, reading when time permits” However, at the end of the day, his children are definitely his top hobby. He surmised that “[it] probably will be that way for another decade, or as long as [they’ll] have me, right?”

“A lot of my day-to-day weekends are very busy. [This] weekend, I’m on call. But most weekends, we have something going on with our large family in New Jersey, or at the temple.”

Life certainly sounds busy — but very fulfilling, too! Given where you find yourself now, can we jump back to your roots and talk about the motivating factors that got you involved with YJA, along with your Sangh?

Prior to serving as BOT, Naishadh has long been in touch with Jain institutions and the Jain community. His parents were first involved with a Jain Center of America, and then with the Jain Center of New Jersey. This connection is something he currently strives to emulate.

“The pride and joy of being part of a group like that… I think that’s how I probably fashion myself to be one day. I want to be part of something bigger.”

Initial opportunities, such as working with a youth group in New Jersey during high school, helped Naishadh recognize his connection with the YJA community and his inclination towards leadership roles. This naturally funneled him into serving on the YJA Executive Board, first as Mid-Atlantic Regional Coordinator, and then as Co-Chair.

While faith, energy, and the new friends that he made are what drove him to invest more time into YJA, what he told us next came as a pleasant surprise:

“Finally, I think [YJA] has probably been the greatest leadership experience I’ve ever had. Even after having been vice president of a group of radiologists, having been chief of Interventional Radiology at a hospital, having been chief resident, having [had] so many other leadership roles, the groundwork really came from YJA. I say that unabashedly because it taught you how to work with people who are still learning about themselves, you know, in their transition from youth to adult years, and are volunteers.”

Since then, Naishadh serves in his current role and continues to support YJA through other means. He also participates in the Jain Sangh at a greater level, though not yet in a leadership capacity.

A long history of involvement, for sure. Now, in your current role as BOT, are there any goals you have in mind as you guide the Executive Board in their responsibilities?

Naishadh has two main goals: first, he seeks to help YJA anticipate and adapt with regards to any foreseeable issues. He stated that “finding a loophole that somebody can exploit or unintentionally fall into” can prevent future executive board members from having to worry about that, and instead focus on the “growth and progress” of YJA. By taking proactive measures to counteract unfavorable outcomes, he contributes to a stronger foundation upon which future leadership can rest.

Secondly, he aims to highlight the importance of the Executive Board position as not only an opportunity to help the Jain community in a larger role, but also a significant learning experience around leadership. Naishadh underscored that “each of these negotiations, conflicts, whatever you [face,] is a microcosm of what you’re going to be facing later on in the “real world.” [Take] the opportunity to learn from it and not just solve this one problem, but to keep it in the back of your mind so you know how you can resolve it again in the future.”

With his desire to pay the knowledge he had received forward already evident when taking on the role of BOT, this conversation only reaffirmed his conviction in and dedication to that personal mission.

We’ll have to take these nuggets of wisdom back with us to think about more — wow. It’s already apparent how they’ve measurably impacted your career, family life, and spiritual growth. Is there anything that comes to mind when thinking about guiding words for young Jains, specifically?

When it came to asking about his advice for us, the next generation of Jains in America, we could tell he had thought about this before. His response: maintaining a connection.

“I think it’s important to stay connected, whether it be at the Sangh level, the YJA level, or even with just close Jain friends. Everybody comes across a time when the rest of life makes you too busy to commit to Jain institutions and social networks. And I think to even keep some amount of connection throughout will be helpful in the long run because you do come out of that slump, be [it] in high school, college, or early career or even after you had kids. It’s good to maintain that connection so that when you’re ready to re-enter that social aspect of the Jain community, it’s a smoother transition. It’s a transition where you’re already familiar with everyone and it makes for a happier environment for you because everybody does end up coming back at some point.”