Dr. Nishtha Sareen: Healing with Heart, Leading with Vision
Some leaders chase titles. Others rewrite paradigms. For Dr. Nishtha Sareen, the heartbeat of her work lies not in accolades, but in advocacy, a tireless pursuit to revolutionize how women’s heart health is understood, treated, and prioritized across the world.
Born and raised in Udaipur, India’s city of lakes, Nishtha’s roots were rich with culture and discipline. Her father, a pediatrician, modeled compassionate care, while her mother, a school principal, wove academic excellence with deep-rooted Indian values. At home, the day began before dawn with training in classical music and dance, instilling an early sense of balance between rigor and grace. That blend would one day become the hallmark of her leadership.
It was at the tender age of six that Nishtha discovered her calling: healing. She graduated top in the State of Rajasthan with 11 gold medals from Rabindranath Tagore Medical College, training under some of the most esteemed minds in medicine. But her aspirations didn’t stop at the national border. Determined to bring change to the global stage, she moved to the U.S., where she completed her internal medicine and interventional cardiology training in New York, followed by a Master’s in Public Health from University of Nevada, Reno and Health Care Economics from Harvard University.
Nishtha fondly remembers her alone initial arrival in the US, miles away from her family; when some close family friends touched her with their kindness. Eternally grateful to family friends Girish Chawla Bhaiya and Swarna Bhabhi, who housed her in their home in Philadelphia. She also thanks Drs Nupur Gopal Gupta and Deepak Sukhwal Bhaiya for keeping her at home away from home.
Today, she stands as the Founder and Medical Director of the Women Heart Program for Ascension Health System first launched in Michigan and now expanded to Tennessee. Her pioneering work has led to the creation of 12 Women Heart Centers, each committed to delivering evidence-based, gender-specific care for cardiovascular conditions in women. Dr Sareen is grateful for the leadership support and mentorship at Ascension Health System.
“Heart disease is the number one killer of women more than all cancers combined,” she states. “Yet fewer women are diagnosed or treated correctly. This inequity has to change, and I’ve committed my life to being a part of that transformation.”
But for Nishtha, clinical innovation is only half the battle. The other half lies in empowering communities through accessible knowledge. To tackle the lack of credible, female-focused health information, she launched BIAyourself (“be yourself”) a digital movement and platform named after Bia, the Greek goddess of force and silent excellence. Through BIA, she edited one of the first books focused solely on heart disease in women, penned by U.S. physicians. Complemented by insightful podcasts and free public resources.
In her words, “BIA is about silent strength. The sacrifices women make every day often go unnoticed. We wanted to create a space where they could feel seen, heard, and empowered.”
What sets Nishtha apart is not only her clinical brilliance but her emotional depth. She credits her unwavering fearlessness to strong cultural grounding and rigorous training. “Real strength is not measured by how high you rise, but how quickly you rise again when life brings you down,” she reflects.
Balancing such an impactful career with a rich personal life takes intention and teamwork. She expresses heartfelt gratitude to her husband, Dr. Abhishek Ojha, for being her unwavering partner in both parenting and purpose. Their 6-year-old daughter Neysa is a grounding force. Despite unpredictable schedules, the family prioritizes time together whether through phone-free dinners or weekend cooking sessions of traditional Indian cuisine. “Personal life is teamwork too,” she says with a smile.
When she needs to recharge, Nishtha turns to high-intensity workouts, hot yoga, and dance. But it is in cooking with Neysa or escaping into the joy of family outings that she finds her most profound peace. A woman of both strategy and spirit, she blends resilience with gentleness, a rare combination in a world often demanding either/or.
Her leadership style mirrors her heart-centered philosophy. She doesn’t walk into institutions with preconceived solutions. Instead, she listens deeply and respectfully. “Every region has its own strengths and challenges. My role is to understand the cultural language of a place and then empower the team to rise with confidence and purpose,” she shares. Her approach is rooted in trust-building, resourceful strategy, and mutual accountability.
Her list of accolades is as expansive as her impact: Detroit Crain’s 40 under 40, Dbusiness 30 in their 30s, WJR’s Women Who Lead, Ascension’s Heart of Gold, and the prestigious Stevie International Women of the Year in Healthcare – Gold 2024. She’s been featured in Business Insider, CEO Weekly, and Forbes Swiss, and was named a “Top Influential Woman Leader in Healthcare 2025” by CIOLook. Most recently, she was nominated as a finalist for the SheInspires Awards UK 2025. She has been selected as the Health and Wellness Visionary of the Year – Health & Wellness, USA under the prestigious Fluxx Award 2025. Currently, Dr Sareen serves as President-elect for the American Heart Association, Middle Tennessee.
Yet for all the honors, her message remains rooted in humility and hope:
“I hope for a world where we can chase our dreams with kindness. Where hard work is balanced with compassion, and every woman has access to quality care because health is not a privilege, it is a right.”
Let this be a reminder: Power lies not just in revolutionizing medicine but in rehumanizing it. In Dr. Nishtha Sareen’s journey, we find the pulse of purpose, the rhythm of resilience, and a heart devoted to healing beyond borders.
Through BIAyourself, Dr. Sareen has created more than a platform, it’s a movement rooted in advocacy, education, and empowerment. The initiative is designed to address the silent suffering of women who often fall through the cracks of traditional healthcare systems. BIA offers not only medically reviewed information but also personal storytelling, bridging the emotional gap between patient and practitioner. By bringing together specialists from across disciplines and backgrounds, she has fostered a community where women are encouraged to speak up, ask questions, and advocate for their own health journeys. It is this unique blend of evidence-based guidance and human-centered storytelling that makes BIAyourself a truly transformative force in modern medicine.
