Dr. Rahul Sharma, an Indian American healthcare leader, has been elected chair of the New York State Board for Medicine, the state’s principal physician advisory body, after serving as vice chair for two years.
The board provides guidance to the New York State Board of Regents and the New York State Education Department on matters including physician licensure, medical education and training, professional standards, workforce needs, scope of practice and emerging issues affecting healthcare delivery.
Sharma is Barbara and Stephen Friedman Endowed Professor and Chair of the Department of Emergency Medicine at Weill Cornell Medicine and Emergency Physician-in-Chief at NewYork-Presbyterian–Weill Cornell Medical Center.
As Chair, he will help guide the Board’s priorities, advancing policies that support a strong and diverse physician workforce, promote high standards in medical education and licensure, ensure evidence-based scopes of practice, and address the regulatory implications of innovations such as artificial intelligence, virtual care and new healthcare technologies.
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“The practice of medicine is evolving at an unprecedented pace, and it is our responsibility to ensure that regulation keeps pace with innovation while remaining grounded in patient safety, professional excellence, rigorous medical education and public trust,” said Sharma. “I look forward to continuing this work with my colleagues to help shape the future of medicine in New York.”
Sharma is a nationally recognized physician leader in emergency medicine, healthcare innovation, virtual care, medical education and health-system transformation.
At Weill Cornell Medicine, he serves as Chair of the Department of Emergency Medicine, Emergency Physician-in-Chief at NewYork-Presbyterian–Weill Cornell Medical Center, and Founder and Executive Director of the Center for Virtual Care. He holds professorships in both Emergency Medicine and Population Health Sciences.
He also serves as Chief and Medical Director of NewYork-Presbyterian Emergency Medical Services, providing leadership in prehospital and emergency care across the NewYork-Presbyterian system.
His leadership extends to medical education, health-system strategy, healthcare innovation and public service, including service on the Weill Cornell Medicine Board of Fellows and Dean’s Leadership Council.
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Sharma has received numerous national honors for his leadership and contributions to healthcare, including the AAPL Roger Schenke Leadership Award, recognition by Modern Healthcare as one of the Top 25 Healthcare Innovators, and national and state recognition from the American College of Emergency Physicians and New York ACEP.
His academic and research work focuses on virtual care, healthcare delivery, artificial intelligence and the responsible integration of emerging technologies into clinical practice.
Sharma completed his MD/MBA in Health Management from Tufts University School of Medicine and completed his specialty training in emergency medicine at NYU Langone Medical Center/Bellevue Hospital, where he was selected as Chief Resident.