Best Family Hikes at Acadia National Park

A member of the American Society of Anesthesiologists, Dr. Aarohi Ambardekar is a physician and anesthesiologist. A lover of the outdoors, Dr. Aarohi Ambardekar enjoys hiking with his family in national parks such as Acadia National Park.

Acadia is located in Mount Desert Island, Maine. Replete with long shorelines and picturesque park views, the national park makes for an amazing place to take a hike with your family. Here are some of the park’s most popular hiking trails: 

- Bar Harbor Shore Path. One of the most popular hikes in the park, it often has many groups of hikers spread out along the trail. This easy walk begins at the base of Bar Harbor Town Pier and stretches a half mile along the shore line, offering beautiful views of the Porcupine Islands. 

- Cadillac Summit. A paved path circling Acadia Park’s tallest mountain, this hiking trail has an elevation of 1,530 feet. The paved trail is easy to hike and offers scenic views of Frenchman Bay, Bar Harbor, and outlying islands. 

- Ship Harbor Nature Trail. This trail is located near Bass Harbor Head Lighthouse on the western side of Mount Desert. An easy hike, the trail features ocean views, rocky paths, forests, and plenty of bird activity.

Virtual Reality in the Treatment of Pain and Anxiety in Children

The holder of a doctor of osteopathic medicine from Touro University, Dr. Aarohi Ambardekar subsequently completed an anesthesia residency at SUNY Health Sciences Center in New York and, since 2005, has been a partner with Southern Maryland Anesthesia Associates. Supplementing more than a decade of experience, Dr. Aarohi Ambardekar holds membership with the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA).

ASA held its 2018 annual meeting from October 13 to 17 in San Francisco where, among other topics, participants had an opportunity to learn about the benefits of virtual reality as a means of alleviating pain and anxiety in children through a pair of presentations. The first was by University of Texas Southwestern Medical School professor Girish P. Joshi, MD, who outlined his study that involved 21 children, 10 of whom received virtual reality hypnosis (VRH) along with typical postoperative pain management following surgery. The other 11 did not receive VRH. 

Children who received VRH participated in one 20-minute session per day for the three days after surgery and had a substantially lower need for further treatment: 20 percent of children in the VRH group needed IV morphine compared to 62.5 percent in the other group. Moreover, only 37.5 percent of children in the VRH group needed anti-anxiety medication as opposed to 100 percent in the other group. The other study presented, authored by Stanford University clinical associate professor Thomas J. Caruso, MD, found similar results with a much larger sample size of more than 600 patients.

Hiking Trails at Acadia National Park

For more than 13 years, Dr. Aarohi Ambardekar has worked as a consultant anesthesiologist and physician at Southern Maryland Anesthesia Associates, LLC, in Lanham, Maryland. Outside of work, Dr. Aarohi Ambardekar enjoys mountain biking and hiking with his family at national parks such as Acadia National Park in Maine.

Hiking enthusiasts at Acadia National Park have no shortage of options, with park trails ranging from a few miles long to full-day hikes. The Beehive Loop Trail in Bar Harbor is one of the park’s most popular. The loop, measuring just under two miles off the larger Bowl Trail, provides a unique challenge for hikers willing to use iron rungs to climb up steep cliff faces. While the Beehive Loop is not recommended for small children or individuals with a fear of heights, the trail rewards those who reach the top with lovely views of Sand Beach, Frenchman Bay, and other natural wonders in the area.

At 2.2 miles, the Cadillac North Ridge Trail presents individuals with a moderately challenging hike consisting of open-air views of the surrounding park for the duration. This popular trail gets especially busy during summer months, and hikers are advised to take the Island Explorer shuttle from Bar Harbor rather than attempt to find nearby parking. Additional trails to consider at Acadia include Precipice Trail, the Gorham Mountain to Ocean Path Loop, and the Great Head Trail.

Quinton Dunbar Agrees to Contract Extension with Washington Redskins

Since 2005, Dr. Aarohi Ambardekar has served as a partner and consultant anesthesiologist with Southern Maryland Anesthesia Associates, LLC, in Lanham, Maryland. At the office, he maintains responsibility as a compliance officer as well as an Anesthesia EMR representative and OR efficiency committee member. Outside of work, Dr. Aarohi Ambardekar enjoys following NFL football and counts the Washington Redskins as his favorite team. 

Following a somewhat disappointing 2017 season that left the team with a 7-9 record, Washington Redskins fans can look forward to seeing key cornerback Quinton Dunbar on the field for at least the next three seasons. Dunbar, a third-year pro out of the University of Florida, signed a three-year contract extension with the team in early January 2018. 

Since joining the Redskins in 2015, the 6-foot-2 cornerback has played an integral role behind starting cornerback Bashaud Breeland. During the 2017 season, Dunbar pulled down a career-high 28 tackles in 15 games. Four of his 2017 appearances were in the starting role.

With Breeland likely heading into free agency during the 2018 offseason, Dunbar could have the chance to become the Redskins permanent starting cornerback. Although the team did not release the terms of his extension, the contract is worth a reported $10.5 million with a $3 million signing bonus.