📷 Image: Wikimedia Commons / Ministry of Health and Family Welfare
Health
Dr. Kusum Sharma Honored with Women in Medicine Award for Extra‑Pulmonary TB Research
✍️ Amar Ujala · Punjab
🗓 10 Oct 2026, 08:46 PM
👁 12
Veteran researcher Dr. Kusum Sharma received the Women in Medicine Award for her two‑decade work tackling diagnostic challenges of extra‑pulmonary tuberculosis.
Dr. Kusum Sharma, a senior scientist at the Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGI), was presented with the Women in Medicine Award in recognition of her sustained contributions to the diagnosis of extra‑pulmonary tuberculosis (EPTB). The award, presented at a national ceremony, highlighted her efforts to address the complex clinical presentations of TB that affect organs beyond the lungs, such as the brain, eyes, abdomen and bones.
Over the past twenty years, Dr. Sharma has focused on developing and refining diagnostic protocols that improve detection of EPTB, a form of the disease that often evades standard pulmonary testing. Her work has enabled clinicians to identify the infection earlier, reducing morbidity associated with delayed treatment.
Colleagues praised her interdisciplinary approach, which combines microbiology, imaging and clinical expertise to overcome the diagnostic hurdles of EPTB. The award underscores the growing emphasis on specialized research in TB control, especially as India strives to meet its elimination targets.
The ceremony also served to spotlight the broader role of women scientists in India's healthcare landscape, encouraging greater participation and leadership in medical research.
Dr. Sharma’s recognition comes at a time when the nation is intensifying efforts against tuberculosis, reaffirming the importance of innovative research in combating both pulmonary and extra‑pulmonary forms of the disease.
Over the past twenty years, Dr. Sharma has focused on developing and refining diagnostic protocols that improve detection of EPTB, a form of the disease that often evades standard pulmonary testing. Her work has enabled clinicians to identify the infection earlier, reducing morbidity associated with delayed treatment.
Colleagues praised her interdisciplinary approach, which combines microbiology, imaging and clinical expertise to overcome the diagnostic hurdles of EPTB. The award underscores the growing emphasis on specialized research in TB control, especially as India strives to meet its elimination targets.
The ceremony also served to spotlight the broader role of women scientists in India's healthcare landscape, encouraging greater participation and leadership in medical research.
Dr. Sharma’s recognition comes at a time when the nation is intensifying efforts against tuberculosis, reaffirming the importance of innovative research in combating both pulmonary and extra‑pulmonary forms of the disease.