Dr. Chandra Sekhar Pemmasani
Dr. Chandra Sekhar Pemmasani is a graduate of Osmania Medical College in Hyderabad, India. He ranked 27th out of 60,000 students who took the EAMCET medical school entrance examination, one of the most competitive examinations in the country. He completed his residency in internal medicine at Geisinger Medical Center in Danville, Pennsylvania, and obtained the highest percentile scores in most board examinations. During his postgraduate training, he represented the state of Pennsylvania in a national medical knowledge competition for 2 years. He then worked at Johns Hopkins University – Sinai Hospital for about 5 years as an attending physician, teaching residents and medical students.
Dr. Pemmasani has worked in a free medical clinic providing care to uninsured/underinsured patients in the Indian community of Dallas. In India, he helped provide free and clean water to residents of the Palnadu area for over 10 years, in the Guntur district, and donated land for a community hall in his father’s village. He has also provided educational funding to a number of children and adults and has made charitable donations to local community organizations. In addition, through the CSR and foundation activities, he continues the philanthropic activities focusing on education, global crisis, and service basic needs.
My Journey
What started as a passion project in my college dorm room has blossomed into a thriving company that students and professionals turn to when they require the best learning tools to prepare them for their pivotal exams. In 2001, while doing my medical residency, I began writing case-based learning questions for the US Medical Licensing Exam because the study resources I found at the time were poor quality and too expensive.
I originally tried to publish the 250 questions I’d written as a book, but after posting them in online forums, I received an overwhelming response and demand for more. With the help of my brother Ravi Shankar Pemmasani and my wife Sriratna Koneru, who were at Virginia Tech University, the UWorld (formerly USMLE World) was born.
Since I embarked on this journey, my guiding principle has been to support and uplift others. This personal mission fuels my daily efforts to empower individuals in their educational endeavors and professional growth. For me, philanthropy is a natural extension of this ethos. I engage with my community driven by a genuine desire to contribute, not out of obligation.
I am dedicated to forging connections with local organizations that leave a lasting, positive mark on education. By dedicating my time, skills, and resources, I aim to make a meaningful difference. From the people I surround myself with to the principles I uphold, my aspiration is for my legacy to be defined by the individuals I’ve had the privilege to assist.