Once she makes a diagnosis, Dr. Mehta works with each patient, addressing their concerns and coming up with an individual treatment plan.

Story by: David Steen Martin on September 9, 2020

Daksha P. Mehta, M.D., is a board-certified rheumatologist in Elizabethtown, Kentucky, where she has served the community for over two decades.

Dr. Mehta treats auto immune diseases like rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis and lupus as well as osteoporosis, gout and osteoarthritis.

According to Dr. Mehta, since there are more than 100 types of arthritis and related conditions, it is important to diagnose and treat them correctly. Possible treatments include medications, joint injections or aspirations, physiotherapy or exercise. The office also provides in-house bone density testing through dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) scans.

“There have been great strides made in the availability of treatment options for various conditions. The right modalities of treatment can definitely offer a benefit to patients,” Dr. Mehta said.

Once she makes a diagnosis, Dr. Mehta works with each patient, addressing their concerns and coming up with an individual treatment plan.

“I believe in making the patient a partner in the decision-making process,” Dr. Mehta said.

Dr. Mehta attended medical school in Mumbai, India, before completing her residency in Internal Medicine at Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan, and a fellowship in rheumatology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

She was an Assistant Professor of Medicine at East Carolina University in Greenville, North Carolina, before she moved to Kentucky. She is board certified in both internal medicine and rheumatology. She is also a certified clinical densitometrist.

“I picked rheumatology as my career choice because I have a deep interest in science, and with rheumatology, there is a lot of cognitive thinking involved,” Dr. Mehta said.

Dr. Mehta said she enjoys the one-on-one patient interactions as well as the long-term relationships she’s able to have with her patients as a rheumatologist. Building a strong partnership with patients improves their buy-in and compliance with the treatment plan.

She enjoys photography, hiking, cooking and baking. She has been an advocate for education enhancement for all ages. Dr Mehta believes that every individual, a child or adult, should learn at their highest level and reach their fullest academic potential.

“Learning never ends,” Dr. Mehta said.

Dr. Mehta serves in leadership roles in the community and in support of education. She is on the advisory board at the Center for Gifted Studies at Western Kentucky University in Bowling Green, is a board member for the Central Kentucky Community Foundation in Elizabethtown and serves as a member of the Prichard Committee for Academic Excellence.

“I’m committed to providing the highest quality of rheumatologic care to my patients” Dr. Mehta said. “My goal is to promote optimal health for each person, to improve their quality of life and to empower patients with knowledge and information.”