Dr. Sanjay Sharma: Phygital Podiatry Ecosystem For India
Dr. Sanjay Sharma
Founder
Dr. Sanjay Sharma completed his master’s in general surgery and pursued further studies in Podiatric Surgery in the US. He is an alumnus of the Indian Institute of Management Bangalore and the University of California, Berkeley. He has completed MDP programs in Health Management from IIM Ahmedabad and Hospital Administration from AIIMS, New Delhi.He has his certifications in Foot & Ankle Surgery from AOFAS and has been awarded the Fellowship in Podiatry by the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons Glasgow, and the Indian Podiatry Association. He is a member of the American Podiatric Medical Association and an Adjunct Faculty at the Manipal University of Higher Education and has contributed to several patents in Telemedicine, MedTech, Diabetic Foot, and Wound Care domains. He has been a speaker at various national and international conferences and offlate webinars and authored several research papers and articles published in peer-reviewed journals. He is an avid traveller, trekker, and theatre artist.
Dr. Sanjay Sharma engages in an exclusive interaction with the CEO Insight Magazine.
How would you define Footsecure as an organization and its current position in the healthcare industry?
Footsecure is the first-of-its-kind phygital podiatry solutions organization, providing comprehensive care for all Foot,
Ankle, and Nail ailments, including wound care, catering to people with Diabetic Foot conditions, sports injuries, arthritic patients, kids with foot deformities, geriatric population, and more. It supports hospitals in establishing and running podiatry departments. It’s presently developing an AI product for wound recognition and characterization and for developing custom Pedorthic, enabling offloading and corrections.
What is the motivation that fuels your daily routines?
Keeping people walking on their feet and living a life I love in a world that works for all are the motivations that fuel my daily routine.
Give a brief account of the podiatry solutions that you offer.
The offering ranges from basic medical pedicures to complex reconstruction surgeries of the foot and ankle. The solutions can be categorized into three buckets, Wound Care (Diabetic Foot Care), where Foot Secure, is known for its lowest rate of diabetes related amputations in comparison to the Indian average, Wellness in which Prevention and Management of Sports Injuries and Pregnancy related foot pain, and foot issues in the kids through Pedorthic solutions are taken care of, and therapies to treat minor ailments like an ingrowing toenail, plantar fasciitis, and more.
Tell us about the unique experiences AIIMS offers and what did you learn from the campus beyond academics.
I have completed my MDP program at AIIMS, New Delhi, and it gave an immense exposure to the nuances of Hospital Administration. Batch mates from various hospitals and specialties enrich our daily lives even today.
What are the latest challenges hindering people from making the right lifestyle choices?
I would say the need for instant gratification is the key challenge for people making the right lifestyle choice.
Tell us some of the toughest challenges you have encountered in your journey. How did you overcome them, and what did you learn from them?
For the population in India, the “podiatric surgeon” always sounds like a “pediatric surgeon”. This was the first barrier I had to cross to begin my career in India, where Podiatry as a specialty had to be established amongst healthcare professionals and the public. Large hospitals, in early 2012, were unwilling to establish a podiatry department, as they never saw a need. With the increasing prevalence of Diabetic Foot Conditions (every 20 seconds, a limb is amputated some where in the world due to diabetes), and high mortality post amputation (70
What is the motivation that fuels your daily routines?
Keeping people walking on their feet and living a life I love in a world that works for all are the motivations that fuel my daily routine.
Give a brief account of the podiatry solutions that you offer.
The offering ranges from basic medical pedicures to complex reconstruction surgeries of the foot and ankle. The solutions can be categorized into three buckets, Wound Care (Diabetic Foot Care), where Foot Secure, is known for its lowest rate of diabetes related amputations in comparison to the Indian average, Wellness in which Prevention and Management of Sports Injuries and Pregnancy related foot pain, and foot issues in the kids through Pedorthic solutions are taken care of, and therapies to treat minor ailments like an ingrowing toenail, plantar fasciitis, and more.
Tell us about the unique experiences AIIMS offers and what did you learn from the campus beyond academics.
I have completed my MDP program at AIIMS, New Delhi, and it gave an immense exposure to the nuances of Hospital Administration. Batch mates from various hospitals and specialties enrich our daily lives even today.
What are the latest challenges hindering people from making the right lifestyle choices?
I would say the need for instant gratification is the key challenge for people making the right lifestyle choice.
Tell us some of the toughest challenges you have encountered in your journey. How did you overcome them, and what did you learn from them?
For the population in India, the “podiatric surgeon” always sounds like a “pediatric surgeon”. This was the first barrier I had to cross to begin my career in India, where Podiatry as a specialty had to be established amongst healthcare professionals and the public. Large hospitals, in early 2012, were unwilling to establish a podiatry department, as they never saw a need. With the increasing prevalence of Diabetic Foot Conditions (every 20 seconds, a limb is amputated some where in the world due to diabetes), and high mortality post amputation (70
percent mortality in 5 years, which is higher than mortality due to Cancer).
Now that healthcare professionals understand what podiatry is they equated it to Diabetic FootCare, not as comprehensive foot and ankle care. Podiatry, a branch of medicine dealing with comprehensive foot and ankle branch conditions, is yet to be established in India.
The role of gait, posture, and footwear is not considered seriously while treating diabetic foot conditions, sports injuries, or other minor ailments of the foot and ankle this challenge exists even today.
Foot Secure, was born because of the above mentioned challenges. The purpose was to enable people to get access to comprehensive foot and ankle care and wound care, including custom pedorthics and rehabilitation.
What advice would you give to the upcoming healthcare industry leaders?
“Passion precedes success”, if one pursues their passion, success will knock on the doors.
Dr. Sanjay Sharma, Founder, Foot Secure
Dr.Sanjay Sharma MS, FDFM, FFPM (RCPS Glasgow), MPEFB(IIMB), PhD(Ay)has over 18 years of experience in providing healthcare. He is the Founder of APTA Footsecure, Co-founder of Yostra Labs, and has also invested in futuristic healthcare companies like People health and Mediknit. He is the Vice President of the Telemedicine Society of India, Karnataka Chapter, and Secretary of the Indian Podiatry Association, Karnataka Chapter. In addition, Dr. Sanjay Sharma is a Start-up Mentor at NSRCEL-IIMB, Stanford Seed, Artilabs, and Gincelerator. He is one of the few Podiatric Surgeons practicing in India, and his main work is in Diabetic Foot Care and Wound Management. He is trained extensively in Foot Orthosis and offloading custom footwear. He has also trained more than 700 doctors in Diabetic Wound Management.
•Hobbies: Hiking & Trekking
•Favourite Cuisine: South India
•Favourite Book: Asura – Tale of the Vanquished
•Favourite Travel Destination: Europe
•Awards & Recognition:
•Rising Star in the Times - Healthcare Achievers Awards in December 2019.
•Part of the Neurosynaptic Team, winning the Technology Pioneer Award from World Economic
Now that healthcare professionals understand what podiatry is they equated it to Diabetic FootCare, not as comprehensive foot and ankle care. Podiatry, a branch of medicine dealing with comprehensive foot and ankle branch conditions, is yet to be established in India.
The role of gait, posture, and footwear is not considered seriously while treating diabetic foot conditions, sports injuries, or other minor ailments of the foot and ankle this challenge exists even today.
Foot Secure, was born because of the above mentioned challenges. The purpose was to enable people to get access to comprehensive foot and ankle care and wound care, including custom pedorthics and rehabilitation.
What advice would you give to the upcoming healthcare industry leaders?
“Passion precedes success”, if one pursues their passion, success will knock on the doors.
Dr. Sanjay Sharma, Founder, Foot Secure
Dr.Sanjay Sharma MS, FDFM, FFPM (RCPS Glasgow), MPEFB(IIMB), PhD(Ay)has over 18 years of experience in providing healthcare. He is the Founder of APTA Footsecure, Co-founder of Yostra Labs, and has also invested in futuristic healthcare companies like People health and Mediknit. He is the Vice President of the Telemedicine Society of India, Karnataka Chapter, and Secretary of the Indian Podiatry Association, Karnataka Chapter. In addition, Dr. Sanjay Sharma is a Start-up Mentor at NSRCEL-IIMB, Stanford Seed, Artilabs, and Gincelerator. He is one of the few Podiatric Surgeons practicing in India, and his main work is in Diabetic Foot Care and Wound Management. He is trained extensively in Foot Orthosis and offloading custom footwear. He has also trained more than 700 doctors in Diabetic Wound Management.
•Hobbies: Hiking & Trekking
•Favourite Cuisine: South India
•Favourite Book: Asura – Tale of the Vanquished
•Favourite Travel Destination: Europe
•Awards & Recognition:
•Rising Star in the Times - Healthcare Achievers Awards in December 2019.
•Part of the Neurosynaptic Team, winning the Technology Pioneer Award from World Economic