When Science Meets the Soul - by Vipul Mankad (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

About The Book

The book entitled, When Science Meets the Soul, A Doctor's Quest for Deeper Healing, presents a comprehensive and multifaceted approach to exploring the questions, "Who am I?" or "Who are we?". It encourages readers to uncover the truth through their own efforts, maintain mental balance, and live a Good Life.

Cultural factors, including family, neighborhoods, the country, and the world, influence our development. The history of population migrations and our genetic profile, i.e., nurture and nature, contribute to the development of our body, mind, beliefs, and behavior. However, these factors also generate superficial descriptors such as age, gender, race, skin color, education, profession, and material wealth, which can lead to comparisons, conflicts, discrimination, and sometimes even wars. Delving into our inner self, that pure consciousness nestled within our body-mind machine, empowers us to reject external labels, achieve mental balance, and lead a Good Life.

Drawing on my life experiences and my lifelong quest for truth, this book provides self-assessment tools and encourages readers to embark on a similar journey toward self-improvement.

About The Author

Dr. Vipul Mankad is the author of the book, titled "When Science Meets the Soul, A Doctor's Quest for Deeper Healing".

Dr. Mankad is a physician specializing in treating children with cancer and blood diseases. He is an internationally recognized biomedical scientist, a former endowed professor and chair of pediatrics, and a past advisor to the U.S. Senate (2003-2005). As a critical thinker rooted in both ancient Indian and Western philosophical traditions, he is also an expert in meditation. He explores life's fundamental questions and enjoys sharing stories that illustrate their answers.

At the age of 23, with a medical degree in hand and a few dollars in his pocket, he emigrated from India to the United States. Even on the first day of his international journey, he began to question his identity and contemplated the promises he made to his parents. He completed his residency training at Cook County Hospital, New York University, and Cornell University Medical Centers in the U.S., as well as at Guy's Hospital in London, England. Throughout his early career, he faced significant discrimination. Nevertheless, by leveraging the American meritocratic system, he secured NIH funding for his research (equivalent to $60 million in today's dollars), published 150 scientific papers and three medical books, chaired a pediatric department, and founded a Children's Hospital. He has traveled to over 35 countries, presented his work internationally, and gained work experience in India, England, Brazil, and Japan, in addition to the U.S. He is internationally recognized for his work in pediatrics, pediatric hematology, oncology, biomedical sciences, and health policy.

Despite these accomplishments, Dr. Mankad encountered the proverbial "glass ceiling" in his quest for leadership roles. He cared for children battling cancer and other life-threatening illnesses. The emotional difficulties inherent in his field and the discriminatory environment compelled him to draw on his philosophical and spiritual background to maintain mental equilibrium. In this book, he offers strategies for staying balanced in our turbulent world. He employs several time-tested approaches, illustrates these approaches through his life experiences, and offers practical tools for readers.