Atlanta, Georgia – Reach Out and Read Georgia is thrilled to announce that Dr. Dipika Sharma will be taking on the important new role of Regional Director of Medical Engagement. Dr. Sharma joined the Reach Out and Read Georgia team in May 2019.
Dr. Sharma grew up with a teacher and a physician for parents who also wrote poetry and novels, so books have always been an integral part of her life. After completing medical school with Honors, Dr. Sharma trained in General Pediatrics in the United Kingdom, and also completed a Diploma in Tropical Medicine and Hygiene from Royal College of Physician. She discovered Reach Out and Read Georgia while enrolled in Pediatric Residency at Morehouse School of Medicine in Atlanta and has been actively involved with the organization’s mission to increase access to books and to impact health outcomes for Georgia’s families ever since.
Currently, Dr. Sharma serves as a Pediatric Hospitalist at Wellstar Kennestone Hospital in Atlanta and as a Clinical Assistant Professor of Pediatrics for Augusta University/Medical College of Georgia. She enjoys teaching medical students and residents as much as she enjoys taking care of patients. Her work is layered with engagement and positive impact. Dr. Sharma explained, “I am excited to join the team as Regional Director, Medical Engagement and I cannot wait to make positive change for families one children’s book at a time.”
In her spare time, you can find Dr. Sharma curled up with a book. She is ready to expand her leadership role, work collaboratively with partners, increase program fidelity, and to actively engage stakeholders across the state to improve the wellbeing of Georgia families. Reach Out and Read Georgia Executive Director, Amy Erickson, said, “Dr. Sharma will bring tremendous expertise and passion to this new role, and will truly help us deliver on our promise to treat physicians and patients as partners in our work.”
About Reach Out and Read Georgia
Reach Out and Read Georgia is an evidence-based nonprofit that partners with health care providers to prescribe books and encourage families to read together. By providing age-appropriate books to children at well-child visits from six months to five years of age, Reach Out and Read Georgia prepares children for school and encourages a lifelong love of reading. Children served by Reach Out and Read Georgia enter kindergarten with larger vocabularies, stronger language skills, and a three-month to six-month developmental edge. To learn more, visit www.reachoutandread.org/georgia or connect with Reach Out and Read Georgia on Facebook at www.facebook.com/ReachOutandReadGeorgia.