Dr. Pooja Sharma

My journey in healthcare began in India, where I practiced as a doctor for 3 years after completing my medical degree. When COVID hit, it really made me question my practice and I realized I needed to do more than just clinical work. I wanted to be more available to people who are underserved, because I believe that while the rich can get good healthcare anywhere in the world, what about the other people? That drove me towards public health. I came to the United States and earned my Master's in Public Health from NYU, graduating in 2024. For the past 2 years, I have been serving as Assistant Director of Quality Management at Health and Hospitals in Harlem, where I work on performance improvement and quality metrics to help us serve the bigger population. I am passionate about making healthcare accessible to those who need it most. Currently, I am preparing for surgical residency with plans for the 2028 match, while continuing to contribute to the field through research. I have been publishing papers with citations under my name and am in the process of publishing 7 papers by the end of the year. I am also developing a pilot performance improvement project for our cardiology department focused on improving follow-up post-discharge appointments, which we hope to implement system-wide. My work is guided by the belief that healthcare should be a right for everyone, not a privilege for the few.