I am from the 1972 LHMC batch. Attended GALAMANIA the LHMCAANA annual event last year in Crystal City, believe me, I felt totally rejuvenated, years off of me, mentally as well as ‘organically’! Don’t you all share that experience with me? Amazing, isn’t it?

My journey, like many others, is filled with roadblocks and achievements but I savor, cherish and treasure, every bit of it.

I have traversed continents, countries cultures and career domains along the way, starting from Delhi, India to several parts of Canada, and then to the US, of course.

After graduating from LHMC and jr. residency in pediatrics, I practiced in Delhi, first as a general practitioner, and then as a maternal child health specialist at a maternity center, delivering babies, and providing family planning and immunization services. Along the way, I had two kids of my own as well. I got so much love from the families of patients I served that I could have easily spent my lifetime there, but life brought me and my husband to Canada.

At the University of Alberta in Canada, I pursued my master’s in medical epidemiology, and PhD with post-doc in biostatistics and psychometrics. At that point of time, we were four students under one roof in Edmonton, Canada. I was pursing post-graduate studies, my husband was in the residency program, radiation oncology, and the kids were in school. My next career move was to academia at Brown University, Rhode Island, USA. I was faculty at Women and Infants’ hospital, doing clinical research and teaching at Brown. The pressures of non-stop writing of grant applications and publishing research work drove me to pharmaceutical industry, where I learnt several new skills in drug development and pharmacovigilance in the fields of CNS, rheumatic diseases, genetic/metabolic disorders, oncology and immune-oncology products. I had the opportunity to work in large, mid- and small-size biotech and pharmaceutical companies with progressively increasing responsibilities. Developed a broad capacity for strategic leadership and effective participation in cross-functional interdisciplinary global teams. Through much of my career in pharma industry, I have been a direct line manager with a passion for coaching, training and developing scientists and physicians in oncology and drug safety, across geographies.

Last year, I started my own consultancy company in drug safety and pharmacovigilance, supporting clinical stage companies, engaged in drug development. I thank the Almighty to bestow me with the capacity to fun in all different domains of my career and remain passionate in what I do.