Twin sisters Drs. Srinidhi and Saikripa Radhakrishnan took the Physician’s Oath together. It was a solemn vow to devote their lives to caring for others.
But it was a different promise made more than 10 years earlier that changed their lives, and may have set them on a course to medical school and their new positions as hematologist oncologists at CommonSpirit St. Anthony cancer clinics in Lakewood and Westminster.
They were 12 or 13 years old and people around them were doing what people do with twins: labeling them. One had to be the smart one or the funny one or the serious one.
“We had a lot of fights when we were young because people would compare us. We ended up making a pact. Even if everyone else compares us, we have to be in each other’s corner. We have to support each other,” said Sri.
Amazingly, that vow held.
Through the teen years and undergraduate studies in chemical and biological engineering at University of Colorado Boulder. Through a year of working two states apart as professional engineers. Through the decision to become doctors at the University of Colorado School of Medicine. They were united and always supported one another. It didn’t always seem like a natural fit.
They have different strengths and weaknesses. Sri, the eldest by 15 minutes, says she has always been a responsible, type A kind of person. Sai says she is more laid back and a little sillier. Sri admires her sister’s strength and resilience. Sai praises her sister’s selflessness and patience. They say their learning styles are different, too.
“Sri is super booksmart. She can read lectures and she somehow understands things very quickly,” says Sai. “For me, I have to read things many times to understand the concept.”
Medical school graduation could have been the point where their paths diverged. Instead they applied for and were accepted into a “couples match” residency in internal medicine, then later to a hematology-oncology fellowship.
They were both interested in treating patients with cancer. It was personal for them. Their grandparents on one side had both died from cancer.
“Our grandparents lived with us and helped raise us. We considered them like our second parents,” said Sai.
The sisters say their grandfather, Mali, was a great influence on them, introducing them to science and math at a very young age.
“It was his dream to be a physician, but he grew up very poor in India, so he was unable to do that. I wish he could see us today. Even though he didn’t have any medical knowledge, he would love to hear us have a conversation,” said Sai, who used to talk to him about engineering concepts she was learning as an undergrad.
He left a powerful legacy: two daughters and two granddaughters who became physicians. And his cancer treatment left a lifelong impression on the twins, too.
They know that medicine doesn’t have the answers to all questions, but even so, a good provider can help ease a family’s burden and pain.
“We got to see what it was like for a family to go into a doctor’s office scared. And then we got to see on the back end a little bit of peace, trust, and faith. It felt like we were in good hands,” said Sai. “It is a blessing to be able to take away a little of someone else’s pain.”
The sisters are thrilled to be practicing medicine at St. Anthony’s locations in Lakewood and Westminster, so close to the home where they grew up in Broomfield and where their parents still live.
Today they enjoy different hobbies but share custody of two sibling golden doodles, Winnie and Tofu. Sri loves the outdoors and bikes to work. Sai likes to relax at home with her husband, Salvijus, and train her dog and Sri’s when it visits.
They look forward to a career helping Coloradans with cancer. They still work as a team, consulting one another about patient care.
“We really love working here and all the people we work with. We’re both so happy to be together doing our dream job, so close to our family,” said Sai.
“Nailed it,” added Sri. “I completely agree.”
