October 27, 2014
2014 Outstanding Women in Business: Sarika Aggarwal, Chief Medical Officer, Fallon Health, Worcester
Dr. Aggarwal joined Fallon in 2012 as vice president of its NaviCare Clinical Programs. Previously, she was medical director in the Office of Clinical Integration at UMass Memorial Medical Care and an assistant professor of medicine at UMass Medical School. Currently, she is also an internist for UMass Memorial Medical Care, a consultant to the Massachusetts Board of Registration in Medicine and a volunteer at Shrewsbury India Medical Clinic.
Who is your most influential role model, and why?
My mother has been the 'force' in my life. She is a brilliant lady who is a homemaker by choice and is the most excellent judge of character that I have known. She has always helped me make choices and given me advice at difficult crossroads in my personal life and career. When I was a teenager I had very disfiguring acne. I remember my mother's words even today: “Sarika, you need to work at acquiring so much learning and knowledge and confidence that no one will notice what you look like. They will just be listening to what you say.” My mother continues to advise me even today and I continue to heed her.
What has helped you achieve success in your career?
I have always looked at my life and career as a continuous phase of opportunities to be seized and embraced wholeheartedly. Nothing is too big or too difficult to tackle. You just chip away at it … one step at a time. When I was a physician, I was looking at how we could improve the process and workflow in our practice. ... When I became medical director of the UMass Memorial system, I began working on the mammoth task of redesigning primary care. I moved to Fallon Health to tackle the health problems of the dually eligible population (of those) over 65. We continue to look at programs to provide (members) with cost-effective, high-quality care that is member-centric, where they have a role in shared decision making.
I am a person who does not do anything by halves. I treat every challenge as an opportunity to learn, to improve and then move on to the next one.
What's your primary motivator, or if there is one thing that makes you tick or ignites a passion within you, what is it?
I guess I am really passionate about learning new things. I am this person who finds it difficult to do a Powerpoint (presentation) because I get lost in the multiple articles as I do research. I love to read … almost anything: medical literature, biographies, fiction. ... I am back at school finishing my master's in health care management at Harvard University. ...
I am also very passionate about people. I am very interested in their lives, families and environment, how this affects their health and their capacity to endure physical and mental adversity, and I am committed to helping them.
What role(s) have you played in your organization's efforts to give back to the community? Also, how do you give back to the community?
The Fallon mission is to keep the communities healthy. Whether it is being a pioneer in the … under-65 years demonstration project, running programs for seniors … in Shrewsbury, or participating in the several programs in the community, I am proud to be part of the Fallon village that is giving back.
When the stress level gets too high, how do you ease the pressure?
I guess the best way I would describe it would be to compartmentalize. I give whatever I do the attention it needs and then do not think about it when I do another task. So when I am home on the weekends with family and friends I lock the work in one compartment. When I exercise, I let the music take over and when I am with patients, I leave the administrative hassles outside the door.
How have you tried to balance your career and your personal life?
I am blessed that I have had both with the support of my husband and a village of caregivers. ... When my children were young I worked part-time and was able to take a day off in the week for their activities. When they became teenagers, I staggered my hours so I was home earlier in the evenings. It was only when they started high school and driving (when) I began to pursue high-intensity administrative jobs.
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2014 Outstanding Women In Business Awards: Sarika Aggarwal, Fallon Health
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