Dr. Abhishek Bhandari joins the Department of Medicine in the Division of General Internal Medicine as an Instructor as of August 2026.
Originally from Kathmandu, Nepal, Dr. Bhandari studied at the B.P. Koirala Institute of Health Sciences (BPKIHS) in Dharan, Nepal, completing medical school and an internal medicine residency. After his training, he worked at Sindhuli Hospital, a remote government hospital in Nepal, where he focused on geriatric and underserved populations and led care for COVID-19 patients during the pandemic. He was also a part of the hospital academic committee. Aligning with his clinical interest, he moved to the United States to complete an Internal Medicine residency at Rochester General Hospital in Rochester, New York, from 2023 to 2026.
Dr. Bhandari is interested in Allergy/Immunology. He is a strong advocate for delabeling penicillin allergy and for using validated challenges to improve antibiotic stewardship. In line with his clinical interests, he has evaluated the safety of drug challenges for drug allergy labels and has published his findings. He has also been involved in immunology research focused on identifying clinical predictors of future infection risk in patients with secondary immune deficiency due to hematological malignancies.
With varied work experience in both urban and underserved settings, Dr. Bhandari emphasizes the importance of value-based care and the judicious use of diagnostic investigations. He is a firm believer in the power of a patient-centered approach, which he views as the primary vehicle for getting connected with patients as humans. Outside of the hospital, Dr. Bhandari is an avid photographer and artist who enjoys sketching. He also spends his free time reading contemporary non-fiction books.