SUNDERJI, Jehangeer
December 27, 1976 - January 2, 2021
Dr. Jehangeer Sunderji, age 44, a beloved Santa Monica-based psychiatrist, passed away on Saturday, January 2, 2021 doing what he loved most, surfing at C Street in Ventura.
Jehangeer was born in the Bronx and grew up in Syracuse, NY and St. Louis, MO. After graduating from Stanford University in 1998 with two degrees, he moved to Los Angeles to work as an investment banker at Wasserstein Perella & Co. He wanted to heal people and in 2002, he took a leap of faith and left finance to apply to medical school. During the interim, he exchanged his Porsche Boxster for a beat-up truck, surfed, worked as barista at Peet’s Coffee, and took creative writing and painting classes. He was awarded a scholarship to attend Keck School of Medicine at USC and graduated in 2009.
He believed in kindergarten rules: be nice and treat everybody the same. As a doctor, he was known for his compassion and sharp sense of humor. He lived honestly by his own internal compass and bristled at any rules that defied common sense. He became a legend during his internship at Glendale Adventist when he wrote a patient a prescription for a grilled cheese sandwich.
In 2011, Jehangeer opened his own solo practice, Mind Body Medicine, to provide individualized, empathetic, integrative humanistic care informed by cutting-edge research in Neuroscience and Psychology. He built an in-progress research model linking genetic mutations to behavior and medication efficacy. During psychotherapy he empowered his patients to become self-sufficient in resolving their mental health issues so that they could live their lives to their fullest potential. He was a healer who put people first and integrated his many diverse interests into his practice. Art, Yoga, Eastern Medicine, Somatic healing, Humor, and the surfer’s state of “flow” all influenced his pioneering approach to whole-person care. Known as Dr. J to patients and friends alike, he had a nerf basketball hoop in his office and often wore a Kobe Bryant Lakers tee under his button-down. His personal motto was “never drop the ball.” His patients loved him and his colleagues respected him.
He prioritized his own work-life balance, self-care, and the pursuit of happiness and fun. He will be remembered and loved forever as a man of extraordinary brilliance, integrity, and unrivaled compassion by all who knew him. Above all, he would want everyone to remember to have fun.
Jehangeer is survived by his parents, Shiraz and Gulzar Sunderji; his sister, Fara Sunderji, brother-in-law, Phil Steindler, nephew, Taj Sunderji Steindler; the entire extended Sunderji family; his mentors, Bill and Geraldine Flaxman; and his soulmate, Ivy Pruss and their goldendoodle, Zooey. We will hold a memorial celebration of his life when it is safe to get together. For details, please email drjmemorial@ gmail.com.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Jimmy Miller Foundation.