Jehangeer Sunderji. (Photo/LinkedIn)

The Keck School community is mourning the death of Jehangeer Sunderji, MD, of Los Angeles. Sunderji died earlier this month while surfing in Ventura. He was 44.

According to a story in the Ventura County Star, Sunderji died “as a result of terminal drowning and atherosclerotic coronary artery disease.” Atherosclerosis is a buildup of plaques inside the arterial walls that can cause a slowing or blockage of blood flow. Dr. Christopher Young, the Ventura County chief medical examiner, explained that Sunderji “suffered from heart disease and had a cardiac event while he was out surfing” at San Buenaventura Beach, the VC Star story said. Lifeguards found him unresponsive in the water the afternoon of Jan. 2.

Sunderji attended KSOM for medical school, graduated in 2009 and subsequently pursued a residency in psychiatry. He was the founder, CEO and medical director of Mind Body Medicine in Santa Monica, a practice he started in 2011, according to his LinkedIn page. He earned an undergraduate degree in biological sciences from Stanford in 1998.

“This is a tragic loss for the Keck School and for the Los Angeles psychiatric community,” said Donna Elliott, MD, EdD, vice dean for medical education and chair of the Department of Medical Education at KSOM. “Jenangeer was a bright student, and to lose him at such a young age is very saddening. Our condolences go out to his family, his patients, and everyone who knew him.”

Sunderji worked as an investment banker for five years before starting at KSOM in 2005. After graduation, Sunderji worked as a physician at Glendale Adventist Medical Center and Providence Medical Institute, and was associate medical director at Partnership for Health Analytic Research.