Ranju Sarkar
Unraveling the Mysteries of the Mind
Ranju Sarkar KLHT’00 became fascinated with the complex structure of the brain in Grade 5, when a special class examined how it influences behavior. Sarkar was enthralled, and her curiosity about the brain propelled her toward a psychology degree from Barnard, a medical degree from the Trinity School of Medicine, and a career that fused research and service.
Her early research, in prestigious labs including Weill Cornell Medicine and Columbia University, focused on the developing brain. She managed a National Institute on Drug Abuse study of adolescent addiction and later served as a medical advisor to Kaplan Test Prep, helping students master licensing exams.
“So much development happens in the early years,” said Sarkar, adding that her career path has deepened her appreciation for her KLHT experience. “It’s pretty amazing to see the through line, the thread that runs through from your early education all the way through your adulthood.”
In 2015, Sarkar joined Bronx-based Essen Health Care, where her fluency in Spanish, honed at KLHT, was an asset that helped her connect on a deeper level with the patients she served and the clinical staff she supervised. When the COVID-19 pandemic began, Sarkar spearheaded the practice’s shift to telehealth, leveraging emerging technologies to ensure continuity of care.
As the pandemic sparked fear across the globe, Sarkar sought new ways to contribute to public health. She left Essen to become a senior clinical researcher at NYU Langone. She collected and analyzed data from Pfizer-sponsored clinical trials, focusing on the COVID-19 vaccine’s ability to provoke an immune response, its tolerability, and its efficacy. Her work provided critical insights into the vaccine's performance, supporting its development and approval while informing public health strategies.
“COVID-19 was a call to arms for me,” said Sarkar, who considers her work at NYU Langone some of the most important work she has conducted and a source of great personal pride.
Though Sarkar was fascinated by the brain and its development, she initially gravitated much more to the humanities. She is proud to be an accomplished woman in the field of science, and has deep appreciation for the women who taught, coached, and mentored her at King.
“KLHT helps nurture you, fosters a love of learning, and gives you a breadth of experience,” Sarkar said, “and then you are let out into the big wide world, and you know that you can do anything you put your mind to.”
Although studying the brain informed her career path, to this day she relies heavily on the math she learned under the guidance of teachers Eileen Baker and Bill Wallace.
“They cared so much about their students and made math fun, which is no easy task,” she said. “That helped me hone the quantitative skills that I use daily and play a key role in both the clinical research and the medical education research I conduct now.”
Her work on the vaccine and her appreciation for learning led Sarkar to return to an academic environment, this time as a teacher.
“I love education,” she said. “I’ve always been so empowered by it and so grateful for it. I decided this is now a season in my life where I’d like to be a part of that.”
In 2022, she became director of medical education at Gather-ed, an online training center where she teaches the next generation of clinicians. Her role combines several of her interests and appeals to her on an academic, scientific, and intellectual level.
“In my mind, no job is more important or vital than teaching,” Sarkar said. “The reason I think that is because of KLHT. I had such amazing teachers.”
The holistic approach to the whole child, whole person, and whole patient are important concepts for Sarkar, both personally and professionally. In her current role, she creates a safe space for learning, and she ensures that clinicians are taught the value of the social, emotional, and cultural aspects of treating patients, including support for caregivers.
She strives to create an atmosphere similar to the one she experienced at KLHT.
“There is something very special about that sense of security, safety, and support that comes from the right environment,” she said. “It makes you feel like anything is possible.”