Dr. Samin Sharma performs more angioplasties than any other cardiologist in New York. He has been recognized since 1995 by New York for his remarkable safety for both non-emergency cases and all cases of angioplasties.

Dr. Sharma grew up in a hot and dusty village in India where he spent most of his time studying, sometimes starting at 5 a.m.; he balanced the study hours with a little time for cricket and field hockey. His future specialization in interventional cardiology, which requires working with intricate devices, may have been foreshadowed by his childhood interest in taking apart and reassembling watches. Dr. Sharma was the top student in his medical school in Jaipur, India; completed his residency there; and migrated to New York. He came to the U.S. alone in 1982 with $500. After his arrival, he followed a path of hard work, calculated risks and, maybe, a bit of luck.

One acquaintance in Manhattan was an Indian merchant who suffered from headaches and incontinence. Other doctors told the merchant not to worry; Dr. Sharma suspected a brain tumor. Thanks to Dr. Sharma’s intervention, the tumor was caught in time. In return, the merchant gave Dr. Sharma a place to stay and a stipend while he studied for his state medical boards.

Dr. Sharma then took an unconventional approach to secure a fellowship under Dr. Valentin Fuster. Since Fuster was not hiring, Sharma offered to work for free for one year with the understanding that if Fuster was pleased with the first year, Sharma would have a fellowship the following year. It was a calculated risk that the self-confident physician from Jaipur knew would pay off; and it did.

Dr. Sharma is Co-Director of both the Zena and Michael A. Weiner Cardiovascular Institute and the Marie-Josee and Henry R. Kravis Center for Cardiovascular Health, and he is Director of Interventional Cardiology and the Cardiac Catheterization Lab.