2023 Leadership Journey Project: Gender Medicine: Addressing gender-based inequalities in pain perception in patients of chronic and autoimmune diseases
Pragya Acharya is an Additional Professor of Biochemistry at AIIMS New Delhi in addition to being a daughter, a sister, a wife, a mother of 2, a pet parent, a friend and colleague to both men and women, and a mentor to both male and female junior colleagues. She is a strong advocate for her female students who want to have a career and raise a family at the same time. The work environment in her laboratory is free, flexible, and driven by curiosity and a love for science.
Her experiences have made it clear to her that a true leader is one that enables others to do better beyond their own imaginations. An experience that stands out clearly in her memory is when, after meeting many seniors who were unable to support her in her career, she met a senior scientist, quite accidentally, who hardly knew her, and took a chance on working with her, providing resources, support and encouragement and who is now a long term collaborator in her scientific studies on liver fibrosis. This opened her eyes to the value of generosity in the workplace and she has also decided to be that senior/ friend who takes a chance and sincerely tries to support others.
