Dr Sharda (nee Sharma), MD, is a dynamic, equity informed healthcare leader, known for her engaging and thought-provoking presentation style and her ability to hold multiple truths with bravery and compassion.
She is the inaugural Associate Dean of Equity &Inclusion for the Faculty of Health Sciences at McMaster University. At the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario where she served as one of 11 Medical Advisors and EDI Lead, she was involved in physician education and remediation, quality improvement, OHP oversight, and led cross-organizational work to embed an EDI and anti-racist lens into complaints processes, provincial policy and education of committees and Council.
Dr Sharda is able to facilitate with skill and nuance complex one-on-one conversations as well as engage with large and small group dynamics. She has presented nationally and internationally in her field of expertise and has been described as a “gifted”, “insightful” and “excellent” facilitator, guiding groups through challenging and complex concepts and conversations.
Dr Sharda holds a Masters and Fellowship in Medical Education and was awarded the Currie Fellowship Award during her time at The Wilson Centre at the University of Toronto. Her scholarship is rooted in theories of power, hierarchy, anti-oppression and identity formation. She has published in several peer reviewed journals, as well as broader media, and has been called upon as an expert peer reviewer.
In 2022 she was awarded the Pauline Alakija trailblazer award, and in 2024 the Certificate of Merit Award from the Canadian Association for Medical Education, for her contributions to medical education in Canada. In 2025 she was awarded McMaster University’s Sibley Award.
She is an obstetric anesthesiologist and chaired the Canadian Anesthesia Society physician wellness committee from 2019 - 2023, where under her leadership, wellness and equity were built into national anesthesiology standards.
A trained narrative medicine facilitator and creative writing coach, Dr Sharda has deepened her facilitation experience via the Sustained Dialogue course, a framework that focuses on transforming relationships that create conflict and block change, in order to move to collective action. A graduate of the National Health Fellows program 2025, and a current Fellow in the Enterprise Canada Women In Media Fellowship, she continues to pursue discernment and reflexivity in her leadership.
She can also be found trying to avoid flying soccer balls that approach her unawares from the feet of her 9 and 12-year-old sons!
