Today we’d like to introduce you to Deepika Garg.
Hi Deepika, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstories.
Growing up in a small town in India, I always wanted to be a doctor and help people’s suffering. But it was not easy looking at the number of total positions available at medical schools in India. With my hard work, I got selected for one of the federally funded medical schools.
After completing my medical education in India, I wanted to pursue my dream to become a Reproductive Endocrinologist and Infertility (REI) specialist and help aspiring couples having difficulty conceiving. To fulfill this dream, I decided to come to the U.S., the center of cutting-edge research and most advanced technology pushing the envelope in this field.
As an International Medical Graduate (IMG), I was advised by many, including colleagues and mentors, that getting accepted into surgical specialties for IMGs is rare if not impossible. Early on, I started as a research assistant at Yale University, where I could work with some of the pioneers in the field of Obstetrics & Gynecology, and REI. This opened my perspective to the multitude of research opportunities and best practices in the field.
This was the first time in a true sense that I started appreciating the amount of value I can create for society through my work as a physician-scientist. Obstetrics & Gynecology residency is considered one of the most involved among all medical specialties. However, my prior exposure to research helped me stay motivated to work exceptionally long hours to not only fulfill my duties as a resident but also dedicate myself to research.
During my residency at Maimonides Medical Center (MMC) in Brooklyn New York, I did several research projects and published more than a half dozen papers and book chapters in reputed peer-reviewed journals. Because of my research work, I received Excellence in Research award at MMC, the Best Paper award at the 6th World Robotic Gynecology Congress, and the Outstanding Resident Paper award at New York Obstetrical Society.
This work helped me build a foundation to pursue my dream and I completed my REI fellowship at the University of Utah in 2021. After my fellowship, I joined as an assistant professor in Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Sciences at Yale School of Medicine.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
It was not an easy road. Coming from a developing country to obtain a spot at one of the most competitive residency programs (obstetrics and gynecology) in the US, I had to demonstrate why they should choose me over other exceptionally qualified applicants. As I mentioned previously, Obstetrics & Gynecology is a surgical specialty that is commonly considered to be “Not Friendly” for IMGs in terms of getting accepted. My training in India helped me to gain the confidence to not quit.
The biggest lesson that learned during this path is always to try and follow your dreams. If you don’t try, you would never know if you can achieve it or not. It’s “YOU” who has to start and finish it. You will have a lot of people for help but you have to take a lead and decide who to ask for help. There will be many disappointments but keep trying.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I am an Assistant Professor of Obstetrics, Gynecology & Reproductive Sciences at Yale School of Medicine (https://medicine.yale.edu/profile/deepika_garg/).
As an REI specialist, I help patients who have difficulty getting pregnant. I also help patients who want fertility preservation (including egg and embryo freezing), recurrent pregnancy loss, unexplained infertility, intrauterine insemination (IUI), in vitro fertilization (IVF), and minimally invasive gynecologic surgery.
I am a physician-scientist and have done research related to complex fertility problems such as Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) and fertility preservation in cancer patients. I have several publications related to PCOS including a few of them here:
(https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10815-017-1011-6, https://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s12958-016-0205-6,
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27174394/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26690206/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27795706/)
During my fellowship at the University of Utah, I worked on several research projects related to fertility among cancer patients (oncofertility). Oncofertility is an area of medicine that acts as a bridge between oncology and reproductive medicine and helps support cancer patients and survivors who want to have children in the future. Based on the American Cancer Society facts & figures 2016-2017, there were around 8 million female cancer survivors as of 2016 which are expected to rise to around 10.3 million in 2026.
Approximately 10% of these are women of reproductive age. Infertility or lack of ability to have their own children is a big concern to men and women of childbearing age. Improvement in the cancer treatments such as radiation and chemotherapy has less harmful side effects but they can impair the reproductive ability of patients. These cancer treatments such as radiotherapy and chemotherapy may damage immature eggs, affect the body’s hormonal balance, or injure the reproductive organs.
This can lead to early menopause in females. Male cancer survivors may also suffer due to damage to their sperms leading to azoospermia (lack of sperms) and inability to produce new sperms. We have shown that cancer survivors have lower live birth rates and more adverse pregnancy outcomes when comparing women with age-matched, healthy controls.
In my current research where we studied the uterus of cancer survivors, we found that the uterus is not significantly affected by chemotherapy exposure. I published many articles related to oncofertility (https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10815-020-01792-9, https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666334121001008, https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10815-019-01516-8,
For my research work at the University of Utah, I was awarded prestigious awards in the field including SRI President’s Presenter’s Award, Oncofertility Conference Abstract Award, and Fertility Preservation SIG Prize Paper. I also received the 2019 Corporate Member Council In-training Travel Grant from the American Society of Reproductive Medicine.
I have presented my work at various national and international conferences and have been invited as a guest speaker. The University of Utah acknowledged my work and published a press release https://healthcare.utah.edu/huntsmancancerinstitute/news/2021/12/new-research-highlights-impact-of-cancer-treatment-on-fertility-in-women.php
To increase awareness about female fertility, I was featured on a radio show Spotlight on Medicine/WGCH Radio “Female Infertility: What You Need to Know”. I am scheduled to do a free webinar on May 2nd related to this topic. My goal is to provide the best possible care to my patients and provide them with as much information so they feel empowered to make their fertility decisions.
In addition, teach the young generations. I enjoy teaching medical students, residents, and fellows. I teach all my patients about their own fertility and how the reproductive system works.
Through your publication, I would like to leverage this opportunity and educate the patients who are diagnosed with cancer and plan cancer treatment. If they are seeking to have children, they should talk to their doctor and make an appointment with a fertility specialist as soon as possible.
Various options are available for fertility preservation in patients undergoing fertility affecting cancer treatments. These techniques work best when they are done before cancer treatment starts.
What were you like growing up?
Growing up in India, I always was interested in medicine and specifically in women’s health. I like to travel and love nature. I have seen most of the national parks in and around Utah!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://medicine.yale.edu/profile/deepika_garg/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AFuZ8wksSEQ
Image Credits
Yale Medicine
