MassLive recently asked readers to identify people who are leaders from the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) community throughout the state, working to make a difference in politics, education, business, the arts or another area of interest.
Profiles of these leaders will be published through AAPI Heritage Month in May. These are people our readers have identified as inspirational, who may be doing good acts for their communities. They are being recognized for their accomplishments, leadership and commitment to inspire change.
Sundeep ShuklaSebastian Restrepo
Sundeep Shukla
Age: 45
His community: Westfield
His story: Sundeep Shukla is an emergency room doctor, the head of Baystate Noble Hospital’s emergency department and the president of the medical staff at the Westfield hospital.
In this role, Shukla helps create processes that enhance patient safety, the hospital’s healthcare quality and the patient experience, he said. Through this work, he hopes to make Baystate Noble the hospital of choice for his community.
“I have a tremendous passion for health equity and learning. Being able to educate patients on their health and care for them means a lot to me. I believe that an educated community will make us all better, and we can facilitate making this community the place where everyone wants to live,” he wrote.
Shukla grew up in Missouri, but moved to the East Coast to train at Springfield’s Baystate Medical Center as a surgery resident, he said. After completing two years of a general surgery residency, some of his best friends were working in the emergency department and told him that their department might be a better fit for him.
Shukla then completed a three-year residency in emergency medicine and a two-year fellowship in emergency medicine administration, he said. During the fellowship, he also obtained a master’s degree in business from UMass Amherst’s Isenberg School of Management.
Eventually, Shukla became the associate medical director at Baystate Franklin Medical Center in Greenfield, he said. In March 2020, he became the chief of Baystate Noble’s emergency department. In his spare time, Shukla works as the team physician for the Springfield Thunderbirds hockey team.
“Healing patients is one of the most rewarding jobs in the world. It is a long journey to get to this point, but the hard work is worth it,” he wrote.
In his words: “Always be willing to do any job in your organization. That’s how you can build a trust in a team, and have everyone buy into the same vision. I started as a surgical orderly and cleaned rooms. I still help clean rooms and make beds to provide efficient and patient centered care.”
We’re always open to hearing about more inspiring people. If you’d like to suggest someone else who should be recognized, please fill out this form.
