Dr. Kaninika Verma is a pulmonary and intensive care physician at OSF Saint Francis Medical Center in Peoria. She cares for critically ill patients in intensive care units, treats individuals with sleep disorders, sees patients at the Illinois Lung and Critical Care Institute, and educates medical students and residents at the University of Illinois College of Medicine at Peoria.
As medical director of sleep medicine at the Illinois Lung and Critical Care Institute and St. Elizabeth in Ottawa, Dr. Verma leads numerous groups, committees and 6 Sigma projects demonstrating her commitment to exceptional services and management of sleep patients. She is currently developing an outpatient sleep testing program, which will be accredited by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, having previously established a home sleep apnea program, now in its final stages of accreditation, and a sleep lab in Ottawa. She also launched Sleep School, a cognitive behavior program for patients with insomnia, and works with local school districts to teach children better sleep habits. Her professional accomplishments include the publication of seven research studies and serving as lead contributor in six research grants.
Dedicated to empowering youth to stay away from tobacco products, Dr. Verma initiated and leads the OSF “Kick Butt” program and has created numerous presentations on the effects of smoking. A mentor through the Women in Medicine program, she helped develop the OSF Party for a Purpose cancer awareness event and is working with The Salvation Army to develop a community kitchen for the homeless. She also helped develop a rural community pulmonary clinic in India.
A volunteer and donor to Easter Seals, Heartline and Heart House, the United Way, Hindu Temple and The Salvation Army, Dr. Verma is married to Dr. Bhagat S. Aulakh, and the couple has two sons, Balram and Kapeesh. iBi
