Associate Professor Shamasunder (Sham) Acharya

Why did you get into research?

While working with people with diabetes, I realised as a health care professional, we could certainly do more to reduce their suffering one way or the other. This primarily interested me to engage in systems improvement, different models of care and research & innovation.

What would be the ultimate goal for your research?

The ultimate goal for any researcher should be to reduce sufferings and improve lives. I am particularly interested in the overall health and wellbeing of people with diabetes through research and implementation of appropriate scientific evidence. 

Brief Profile / Biography

Following my medical graduation in India, I moved to UK and completed advanced training in internal medicine and Endocrinology. I migrated to Australia in 2009. I work as the Clinical Director and Senior Staff Specialist in Endocrinology and Diabetes at John Hunter Hospital, Hunter New England Health District.

I feel privileged to lead a fantastic, dedicated, and passionate diabetes team, which has championed NSW Health award-winning Integrated Care Diabetes Alliance across our district. The program has benefited around 150 General Practices and more than 20,000 people with diabetes either directly or indirectly through knowledge transfer.

Along with my colleagues in India, I developed and now voluntarily deliver a graduate certificate course for physicians in India in Diabetes and Endocrinology with the purpose of building a skilled workforce in India which is suffering from a silent Diabetes epidemic.

Future Focus

I would like to implement our Diabetes Alliance across the district, focus on rural and remote regions across our district and state eventually. I am also developing online Post Graduate Learning courses in Diabetes and Endocrinology including a Master’s program with University of Newcastle aimed at Australasian and Indian subcontinent health care workers.

Specialised/Technical Skills

Sham has vast experience in Internal Medicine and Endocrinology/Diabetes. He has been highly successful in innovation, redesign, and redevelopment in health care. He was awarded the title ‘Staff Member of the year’ 2016 at HNELHD.

Affiliations

  • Conjoint Associate Professor University of Newcastle
  • Australian Atlas of Health care variation, Chair of Diabetes chapter
  • American Diabetes Association, Australian Diabetes Association
  • Royal College of Physicians UK
  • Royal Australian College of physicians, Australia
  •  Endocrine Societies Australia, UK and America