Before he became a urologist in Highland, Dr. Unni grew up on the north side of Chicago and attended St. Mary’s School and Andrean High School as a young man before attending Northwestern University for his undergraduate degree in economics. He later received his medical degree from Rush Medical College, where he graduated with honors and served as the president of the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society and the Student Government Association of Rush Medical College
What were your childhood summers like?
I am a third-generation urologist and grew up in Crown Point, Indiana near our family’s hospital and clinics. One summer after finishing my junior year at St. Mary’s School, I worked as an administrative assistant at Andrean High School with Fr. Mike Williams who directed Andrean’s theater program, band, math club, etc.
What were your interests as a child?
Growing up, I remember being interested in both math and English. I also enjoyed sports – especially soccer, basketball, tennis, ping pong, swimming, and ice skating – but was never a standout at any of them. It wasn’t until high school that I became passionate about my future career choice as a Urologist because of the opportunity to learn about health care with an emphasis on prostate cancer screening; something I found interesting given my family history of prostate cancer.
Which things from high school do you miss the most?
When I was in high school, I played baseball for four years and learned a lot about teamwork, how to lead, and how to follow in order to create an effective team. After high school, I went on to play at the Division 1 level with UCLA where I saw the best players in the country compete against each other while sharpening my own skills. The decision became even easier when one of my favorite players drafted me onto his team for summer ball so off we went up North!
What were some of your favorite classes at NMU?
I actually remember how much I loved my economics classes in the first couple of years! Economics is the backbone of the business, so taking a couple of those classes early on got me thinking about things in that way, which was helpful when it came time for me to start working full time. One class that comes to mind is a regional economics class where we had an in-depth understanding of economic trends in India and China and how they affect our society here in the United States.
I really loved psychology classes as well because we learned more about human behavior as it relates to different topics like family relations, criminality, addiction, and social work – just some examples.
How did you get involved with urology?
I was only 15 when I realized I wanted to go into medicine, but what kind? The desire for surgery always seemed too complicated or competitive with other students my age, so I figured the field of urology would offer the most satisfying work environment while also letting me have a family life as well.
I had some experience in these areas because both my grandfathers were urologists so it felt like a natural fit when I applied at Ohio State Medical Center as a student resident in 1991. The hospital gave me plenty of hands-on exposure and allowed me lots of autonomy as well, which were two things that were important in my search for a career path.
Do you have any future plans for growing your practice further?
As a urologist in highland, I know that more people today are understanding the important role medical care plays in their lives. I have dedicated my life to serving the population of all ages, with specific emphasis on understanding men’s health needs at each stage of life as a urologist specialist in highland so that I can provide competent, compassionate, and evidence-based care for them. My future plans include expanding my current urology practice by adding general surgery capabilities for males or females who require surgical procedures such as hysterectomies or prostate removal from diagnosis or cancer treatment.
