Interview with Sangeeta Sharma

Sangeeta Sharma.
I am a physician within the pharmaceutical industry and mum to a teenage son who is currently studying for his A levels. I was born in the UK of Indian parents and moved to Ireland when I was one, where I completed my schooling, degree and clinical jobs. I moved to the UK 21 years ago starting my career path in industry. I have an interest in history, specifically about medical history and the history of India. My library consists of books on the Mughals, the British Empire and the last rulers of the Punjab. I enjoy cooking especially Indian dishes but also vegetarian and vegan dishes from other regions of the world.

I started off my career in surgery with the aim of becoming a paediatric urologist. I was advised after my paediatric surgical rotation to take some time to do some lab-based research in urology which I did for two years. During this time, I was approached by a pharmaceutical company to become the investigator for their clinical trial in OAB (Over-Active Bladder) and interacted with the CRA (Clinical Research Associate). I developed an understanding of the clinical trial process as well as gained insight into the pharmaceutical industry. As my research role was coming to an end, I made a decision to look for roles within industry because of the types of roles available, the variety of therapy areas and the potential impact on a larger population of patients which interested me more than going back to surgery.

I joined FPM in 2009 to find out more about the role of the pharmaceutical physician, access education through faculty events as well as PMST which I completed in 2014. Although I had experience in clinical research and medical affairs, PMST provided me with additional information as well as knowledge and insights into other areas of the pharmaceutical industry such as regulatory and pharmacovigilance where I had limited experience. This was invaluable when I moved into my role as UK Medical Director where I required this additional knowledge. FPM is important to me as a resource of information about the industry in the UK, trends within industry, education and training and the opportunity to network. Through FPM I have been able to have my voice heard, provide input to the evolving PMST training and competencies, as well as becoming an examiner for the DPM and helping shape the journey for the next generation of pharmaceutical physicians.

I am in the UK as a result of the British Empire but I wonder what my life and journey would have been like without the Empire. The British Empire brought the English language and way of living to the South Asian continent. However, many would say this was at the cost of loss of indigenous life, loss of culture and language, loss of wealth, art, architecture, sculptures, scriptures and jewellery, much of which are now housed in private collections or museums within the UK. Many would also say the Empire fuelled religious intolerance in society through the “divide and rule” policy of the East India company and the British Raj. People within the Empire were seen as second-class citizens, uncivilised and ignorant, even in their own country. The Empire provided Great Britain with lands, people and resources to fuel their advancement and wealth at the cost of the local indigenous population. The end of the British Empire in the “India” 75 years ago created India and Pakistan which resulted in rioting, looting, mass migration and loss of life estimated to be two million, as well as lingering intergenerational trauma. We cannot change history but we should acknowledge it, learn from it and also teach the new generations of Empire and its lasting legacy, positive as well as negative. We should learn about the effects on the people who were subject to different empires and the resulting feelings of inferiority, colourism, religious intolerance and gender inequality and which have been passed down the generations and are still being felt.

I have been lucky to have some amazing bosses who have provided advice when I needed it and even when I was no longer working with them. Shout out to Dr Gurdyal Kalsi and Dr Asad Khan.

My favourite food is Punjabi Kadhi, which is made of yoghurt and gram flour and has gram flour dumplings, served with basmati rice and authentic mango pickle. It reminds me of summers in India with my grandmother.

1. BMA Racism in Medicine Survey Report (June 2022), <https://www.bma.org.uk/media/5746/bma-racism-in-medicine-survey-report-15-june-2022.pdf> [accessed August 2022] (pp.3, 28).

This interview was set up via the FPM EDI Forum.