Many times, one comes across a life-changing experience, a moment of truth, opening the eyes to the harshest realities of life. Conversely, it ignites a fire in the belly that screams, “This needs to change, and I am going to be the advocate for it.” Such was once the reality of Nishtha Sareen, the Medical Director of the Women’s Heart Program, who became the voice for women dealing with chronic heart diseases and established a platform to drive a significant transformation in their lives.
An Interventional Cardiologist, Nishtha is known for her extensive professional and clinical experience in delivering high-quality, evidence-based care to patients suffering from complex and/or chronic heart conditions and diseases. Since completing her training, she has leveraged advanced expertise in interventional, echocardiographic, and nuclear cardiology. She is a highly detail-oriented, emotionally intelligent medical doctor and a passionate researcher, skilled at performing in-depth investigations to drive progress in healthcare innovation.
Leading a Significant Change
When Nishtha and her team launched the first Women’s Heart Program in Michigan, she felt deep ownership, akin to one’s first baby. For her, heart care in women was always personal. She would get comments from her colleagues, “Why do you want to do this?”, and she would think, “Why not? And if not me, then who?”
It takes listening to the story of one woman who has been dismissed for years to understand how severe the implications of ignoring women in society can be. Nishtha feels personally about every patient she sees, every single one of them. And hence, she wants to create an impact in their lives and be a beacon of hope.
Defeating Challenges on Your Own
Whenever Nishtha faces professional challenges, she reminds herself that she is her ultimate Saviour. In her field of work, she has quickly learnt that while guidance and mentorship are valuable, one must ultimately face the consequences alone and be their own guardian angel. So, she moves forward with confidence, preparation, and knowledge.
If there is a personal challenge, Nishtha can always rely on the advice of her family. Suggestions from her mother, father, husband, and mentors have often saved her from a lot of hassle. In addition to this, she is also very spiritual and she always finds an answer to her professional and personal problems in her prayers.
Turning a Moment of Realization into a Remarkable Reality
Nishtha distantly remembers that when she was in her early teens, one of her friends’ mother had chest pain from time to time. She was unable to cook at home because of the chest pain that she used to get. When she went to the physicians, they told her it was all in her head and nothing too serious. So at home, she started taking pain pills as needed and the next memory Nishtha has is of her funeral. Everybody was puzzled by how she suddenly expired one day.
Nishtha was intrigued and started to do a lot of online reading about the reasons for chest pain and how to diagnose them.
During her medical school training and cardiology fellowship, she was faced with the bitter truth that the personal experience she had was more common than it should be. What struck her even more was that not a lot of people were willing to talk about it, advocate for it, and make a difference. It was during those years that she realized that if she truly wanted to serve the community like her parents did, it would have to be for the mothers who desperately need an advocate. Hence, Nishtha decided to be their voice and bring a change in their lives.
An Ideal Symmetry of Work-Life Balance
As a medical director, Nishtha has to take on numerous duties, but she never forgets about her personal life, where she has to fulfil her role as a wife and mother. Hence, she practices a work-life balance, where she enjoys her family time. She fondly adds, “When we are home, we are home 100%. I typically get one hour on a weekday with my husband, Abhishek Ojha, and our 7-year-old daughter, Neysa, but I try to make the most of that time. We cook, we read, we talk about our day and always try to eat dinner together. I know most of her friends at school. It is the quality of time that we spend, and not so much the quantity. I also try to bring Neysa to work with me to show her what mom does so that she understands what my days look like without her.”
Additionally, there are times when Nishtha has to actively ensure that she disconnects herself from work. She reminds herself often that the only place where one is not replaceable is home. She loves music and dancing and is formally trained in both Bharatnatyam and Kathak. Even now, when she is stressed, she gravitates towards music and dance. Another source of comfort for her is spending time with her lovely daughter, Neysa.
Sources of Influence
Nishtha’s father, Dr. Devendra Sareen, has been the greatest influence on her professional life. He taught her the art of medicine and community work. Alongside, her mother imbibed discipline in her by waking her up at 3 a.m. every day, practicing two hours of classical dance before the day was absorbed with academic work. These personal and professional learnings have shaped her into what she is today.
Moreover, Nishtha had the support and blessings of her mentors Dr. John Cotant, Dr. Shukri David, Dr. Samin Sharma, Dr. Ananthsubramanium Karthiheyan, Dr. Lawrence Sperling, Dr. Valentin Suma, and Dr. Alan Multz. Every single one of them played an integral role in shaping her career. She knows they always have her back.
Never Lose Your Originality
One of the things Nishtha has learnt from observing nature is that it is most beautiful when every single element maintains its individuality. Hence, whenever she tries to launch a women’s heart program, her greatest question is which components will create the most beautiful rhythm when they come together without compromising their distinction. It is like the beauty of a rainbow, every color maintains its personality, but together they create a magical work of art. Likewise, when the team functions, Nishth’s job is to make sure every single team member has the opportunity to perform at maximum capacity.
Driving High on Ambitions
Nishtha aspires to make this world a better place compared to how she found it. Professionally, this translates to ensuring there is equity in healthcare delivery. This sensitizes her to ensure healthcare is accessible, affordable, and reproducible for each one of us. The world that she has seen since her tender years lacks this attribute. This breaks her heart because she believes that women and men both deserve evidence-based care every single day. With her professional endeavors, she hopes to close those gaps. The change will not happen immediately, but definitely. Wouldn’t it be a dream to have WOMEN HEART CENTERs readily available everywhere — of the women, for the women, and by us all!
Delivering Quality, Not Quantity
Nishtha loves HIIT workouts. This means that she puts in high intensity work over short periods of time. What she has learnt from these physical workouts is that it is the quality that matters more than the quantity. Hence, she applies this principle multiple times in her professional life and the decisions she makes. She tries to encourage this in her team as well. She adds, “We try to keep our meetings short, to the point, and action-packed. Our focus is on delivering more over a short period. This also ends up being more resource-efficient and keeps the work environment vibrant.”
Profound Values
Nishtha’s greatest value is “service before self.” When she is at work, she prioritizes her patients’ interests before everything. Outside of the office, when she is a mother and a wife, this principle comes naturally. She thinks this value easily reflects in her life outside of the office because it comes from the bottom of her heart and was instilled in her during those early years of disciplined upbringing.
Icons of Inspiration in Nishtha’s Life
Nishtha’s parents and mentors have been the most significant influence on her personal and professional life. Her medical directorship provided her with an avenue to formulate protocols and processes that influence many lives at the same time. For that, she credits Dr. Shukri David. He appointed her to that role. She also wants to extend gratitude to the leadership at Ascension in Michigan, particularly Carol Schmidt, Dr. Doug Apple, Thomas Klein, and Dr. Michael Wiemann. Heartfelt thanks to Dr. Edward Fry and Dr. Richard Fogel from the national Ascension office for their unwavering support.
More recently, Nishtha has been very grateful for the vision and support of the leadership at Ascension Tennessee. Special thanks to Fahad Tahir, Dr. Evelio Rodriguez, Dr. Brian Wilcox, Dr. Jagasia, Robyn Morrissey, and Harrison Kiser. She wants to extend special gratitude to Dr. Samin Sharma, Dr. Laurence Sperling, Dr. John Cotant, and Dr. Alan Multz for always having her back. With the immense support and guidance from her loved ones, friends, colleagues, and mentors, she feels very fortunate and blessed.
Nishtha’s Ode on Her Success
Nishtha believes that the journey is as important as the destination. She states, “In my career, success to me is when we have performed better than ourselves. Hence, while we try to accomplish our targets and our goals, having a great team in place that works efficiently every day is equally important.” On the personal front, she could consider herself successful if her daughter Neysa evolves into a strong woman who knows how to advocate for herself and her peers.
