Fellow Spotlight: Ruchi Sharma, MD
Ruchi Sharma, MD, took a unique path to gastroenterology. Before ever touching a scope, she completed surgical training in India, a prelim year in general surgery and internal medicine residency at the Cleveland Clinic, and then worked as a hospitalist. Now in her final month of GI Fellowship at University of Iowa Health Care, Sharma reflects on how our program helped her find her footing in a specialty she loves.
Sharma originally moved to Iowa City when her husband matched into a cardiology fellowship here. While raising two young children, she took a position as a hospitalist at the university with a one-week-on, one-week-off schedule. This gave her time to explore a future in GI, a specialty that kept arising as a natural fit given her surgical background.
On her weeks off, Sharma dedicated two hours each morning to building a CV for GI fellowship applications. Her efforts progressed naturally when a colleague encouraged her to connect with Kyle E. Brown, MD, MSc, professor in gastroenterology and hepatology, whom Sharma now affectionately calls “my Albus Dumbledore.”
Why Iowa?
Three years later, Sharma has published a review article, some case reports, and two meta-analyses. Just as Brown guided her research experience, Sharma found these same opportunities for growth in the clinic.
“There are some programs where you don’t touch a scope during your first year. But during my first rotation, I was guided through an endoscopy. I literally held a scope on my first day. This program is so supportive in helping you grow procedurally.”
For GI fellows interested in any specialty area—from inflammatory bowel disease to transplant hepatology—Sharma notes that Iowa offers advanced mentorship. This breadth of expertise has helped her find direction at every stage.
Sharma herself named several physicians in Iowa’s Gastroenterology division who have helped set her up for success. She credits Fellowship Program Director Rami El Abiad, MD, for his enthusiastic teaching; Avraham Levin, MD, for his diligence in teaching endoscopic skills; and Division Director David Elliot, MD, PhD, who guided Sharma through her first scopes. She stresses that every faculty member has taught her something along the way—and for each of them, a list too expansive to detail, she feels deep gratitude.
What’s next?
Sharma is interviewing around Atlanta, where her husband has already secured a position as an interventional cardiologist at Georgia Heart Institute. No matter where she goes next, she says the confidence and experience she gained in our program has prepared her to excel.
“At Iowa, you get the bread-and-butter cases, but we also get many complex referral cases. You get exposed to the whole breadth and depth of GI, all while being given independence and structured support.”
But what really made the experience for Sharma was the people—for pushing her professionally and serving as an overall positive presence. This support is the springboard into her next steps, she said.
“My tribe here has been amazing. You have the most supportive, accomplished, and skilled people in this department. I will not be staying here, but if I were, the people would be the biggest draw.”
