Specializing In
- Hospital Medicine
Biography
Dr. Sarita Khemani is a Clinical Associate Professor of Medicine at Stanford University School of Medicine, a Hospital Medicine physician, and the founding Director of STRIVE, the Stanford Resilience & Longevity Initiative.
Her academic work focuses on physiological reserve as a central concept in longevity medicine — the biological capacity that allows individuals to maintain strength, cognition, independence, and recovery potential across the lifespan. Through Stanford STRIVE, she is advancing a clinically grounded approach to measuring and strengthening resilience across aging, illness, hospitalization, surgery, and recovery.
Dr. Khemani’s clinical expertise is in perioperative medicine and the care of neurosurgical patients, with a focus on preventing and managing medical complications around surgery. This work has shaped a central question in her academic work: why do some individuals recover well after surgery, illness, or biological stress, while others experience accelerated functional decline?
A dedicated educator, Dr. Khemani has served as Director of the Perioperative Medicine Rotation for medical students, Stanford Medicine residents and physician assistant students. She is a recipient of the Department of Medicine’s Excellence in Teaching Award.
Dr. Khemani is the founder and co-director of the Stanford Medicine Clinical Summer Internship (SMCSI), a globally recognized program that exposes premedical students to the clinical and academic world of medicine. Under her leadership, the inclusive program has expanded access to medical training through numerous scholarships for students representing a range of experiences, with a mission to empower future leaders in healthcare.
Dr. Khemani is an invited speaker at national and international medical meetings, has presented at Stanford Neurosurgery Grand Rounds, and delivered the keynote address at the Stanford Physician Assistant Program’s graduation ceremony. She has also been featured on U.S. media platforms and international television as a guest expert.
Dr. Khemani is a member of the American College of Physicians and serves on the Stanford Hospital Pharmacy and Therapeutics Committee and the Hospital Medicine Wellness Committee.
Her academic work focuses on physiological reserve as a central concept in longevity medicine — the biological capacity that allows individuals to maintain strength, cognition, independence, and recovery potential across the lifespan. Through Stanford STRIVE, she is advancing a clinically grounded approach to measuring and strengthening resilience across aging, illness, hospitalization, surgery, and recovery.
Dr. Khemani’s clinical expertise is in perioperative medicine and the care of neurosurgical patients, with a focus on preventing and managing medical complications around surgery. This work has shaped a central question in her academic work: why do some individuals recover well after surgery, illness, or biological stress, while others experience accelerated functional decline?
A dedicated educator, Dr. Khemani has served as Director of the Perioperative Medicine Rotation for medical students, Stanford Medicine residents and physician assistant students. She is a recipient of the Department of Medicine’s Excellence in Teaching Award.
Dr. Khemani is the founder and co-director of the Stanford Medicine Clinical Summer Internship (SMCSI), a globally recognized program that exposes premedical students to the clinical and academic world of medicine. Under her leadership, the inclusive program has expanded access to medical training through numerous scholarships for students representing a range of experiences, with a mission to empower future leaders in healthcare.
Dr. Khemani is an invited speaker at national and international medical meetings, has presented at Stanford Neurosurgery Grand Rounds, and delivered the keynote address at the Stanford Physician Assistant Program’s graduation ceremony. She has also been featured on U.S. media platforms and international television as a guest expert.
Dr. Khemani is a member of the American College of Physicians and serves on the Stanford Hospital Pharmacy and Therapeutics Committee and the Hospital Medicine Wellness Committee.
View Full Biography
Professional Summary
Education & Certifications
- Residency: UCSF Dept of Internal Medicine (1997) CA
- Internship: UCSF Dept of Internal Medicine (1995) CA
- Board Certification: American Board of Internal Medicine, Internal Medicine (2009)
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- Medical Education: Indira Gandhi Medical College (1992) India
Honors & Awards
- Awardee: Division of Hospital Medicine Excellence in Teaching Award, Stanford School of Medicine, Department of Medicine (2016)
- Malinda S. Mitchell Quality Award for development of Perioperative Medicine Program (Co-Recipient), Stanford Hospital and Clinics (2013)
- Nominee: Division of Hospital Medicine Excellence in Teaching Award, Stanford University School of Medicine, Department of Medicine (2015)
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Memberships
- Stanford Hospital Medicine Wellness Committee, Stanford Division of Hospital Medicine (2020 - Present)
- Stanford Pharmacy & Therapeutics Committee, Stanford Hospital (2017 - Present)
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Administrative Appointments
- Co-Director, Stanford Medicine Clinical Summer Internship, Department of Medicine (2015 - Present)
- Director, Medical Student Perioperative Medicine Rotation (IM), Stanford School of Medicine (2018 - 2025)
- Director, PA student inpatient rotation (IM), Surgical Co-management Hospitalist (2012 - 2018)
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- Director, Resident Peri-operative Medicine Rotation (IM), Department of Medicine (2015 - 2022)
- Director, Stanford Resilience & Longevity Initiative, Department of Medicine (2026 - Present)
- Head, Stanford Lifestyle Medicine Stress Neuroscience, Stanford University (2022 - 2024)
- Preceptor, Practice of Medicine course, Stanford School of Medicine (2012 - 2018)
Publications
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IN-VIVO AND IN-VITRO EFFECTS OF MACROPHAGE-COLONY-STIMULATING FACTOR (M-CSF) ON BRONCHOALVEOLAR MACROPHAGES FOR ANTIHISTOPLASMAL ACTIVITY
Khemani, S., Brummer, E., & Stevens, D. A. (1995). IN-VIVO AND IN-VITRO EFFECTS OF MACROPHAGE-COLONY-STIMULATING FACTOR (M-CSF) ON BRONCHOALVEOLAR MACROPHAGES FOR ANTIHISTOPLASMAL ACTIVITY. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF IMMUNOPHARMACOLOGY, 17(1), 49–53. -
Exploring the breadth of medicine: 8-year outcomes of a brief clinical summer immersion for premedical students.
Weinlander, E., Sams, E., Khemani, S., Jamal, A., & Srinivasan, M. (2024). Exploring the breadth of medicine: 8-year outcomes of a brief clinical summer immersion for premedical students. BMC Medical Education, 24(1), 1387. -
First, do NOHARM: a medical safety benchmark and randomized study of physician and AI teaming on clinical consultations
David, W. (2025). First, do NOHARM: a medical safety benchmark and randomized study of physician and AI teaming on clinical consultations. arXiv. -
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Asking the Right Questions: Benchmarking Large Language Models in the Development of Clinical Consultation Templates
McCoy, L. G., Haredasht, F. N., Chopra, K., Wu, D., Wu, D. J. H., Conteh, A., … Chen, J. H. (2026). Asking the Right Questions: Benchmarking Large Language Models in the Development of Clinical Consultation Templates. BIOCOMPUTING 2026. WORLD SCIENTIFIC PUBL CO PTE LTD.
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Asking the Right Questions: Benchmarking Large Language Models in the Development of Clinical Consultation Templates
Practice Locations
Stanford Hospital Stanford, CA
Stanford, CA
Important Information about Our Organizations and Physician Affiliation
Stanford Health Care, Stanford Health Care Tri-Valley, and Stanford Medicine Partners are each independent nonprofit organizations that are affiliated with but separate from each other and from Stanford University. The physicians who provide care at facilities operated by Stanford Health Care, Stanford Health Care Tri-Valley, and Stanford Medicine Partners are faculty, foundation, or community physicians who are not employees, representatives, or agents of Stanford Health Care, Stanford Health Care Tri- Valley, or Stanford Medicine Partners. Stanford Health Care, Stanford Health Care Tri-Valley, and Stanford Medicine Partners do not exercise control over the care provided by such faculty, foundation, and community physicians and are not responsible for their actions.