Growing up near Chicago, Divya Shroff, MD, FHM, credits her parents with instilling in her one of the key tenants of Hinduism – karma yoga … or altruistic service.
“Becoming a doctor has given me the platform to help change our community in a tangible way,” she explained of putting the concept into practice. “My dad was the quintessential servant leader,” she continued of her late father. “I think it’s with pride that I’m carrying on that component of him.”
Although Illinois was home base, the family moved to New Delhi, India when Shroff was in fourth and fifth grade for her father’s work. “My mom had the foresight to know we’d be in total culture shock. She brought reruns of The Brady Bunch,” she recalled with a grin.
After high school, she entered the six-year BA/MD program at the University of Missouri - Kansas City, followed by internship and residency at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. With residency completed, Shroff noted, “I was looking to move to D.C., and there was an opportunity at the V.A. At the time, they were one of the only institutions that had a full complement of electronic health records, both in the inpatient and outpatient setting.”
That early introduction to health informatics played a key role in her professional development. Starting as a hospitalist, Shroff rose to Associate Chief of Staff – Informatics during her seven years with the Veterans Health Administration. “To make any quality changes, you had to work with the IT department. I seemed to have a good knack of how to use the technology to make changes and could explain the medical part of it to IT,” she said of becoming the default liaison. “I was really privileged to get to do some innovative things early on,” she added.
Although technology became her wheelhouse, Shroff said the bigger bonus was it changed her viewpoint. “I think what the informatics background has taught me is to really think about solving problems differently,” she explained.
While at the Department of Veterans Affairs, she met Under Secretary for Health of the V.A. Jonathan B. Perlin, MD, PhD, MSHA, FACP, FACMI. “He challenged me to think about how I could impact medicine on a larger scale,” Shroff said. Eventually, he would also convince her to come to Nashville and join him at HCA. “Obviously, it was life-changing, but it was the best decision I ever made.”
After serving as the hospital company’s Chief Clinical Transformation Officer for several years, Shroff moved to her current role in December 2013. “I love being in the hospital where I can substantially guide how healthcare is being practiced across the campus in many specialties,” she said. “As CMO, I have the privilege of representing our medical staff in working collaboratively with our senior leadership team to ensure we are providing the best possible care and outcomes for our patients.”
She said everyone who enters the hospital has a story to tell. “It’s my expectation that they find a place where their voice is heard in a setting where care is delivered in a high quality, compassionate way that honors the legacy of Dr. Frist, Sr.”
Today’s healthcare landscape, however, is fraught with challenges pulling providers from their main task of patient care. Shroff said two of the biggest hurdles are how to prioritize time sensitive issues and to commit to an organizational “true north” that is nimble enough to adapt quickly to change.
Embracing change has been a personal theme, as well. Moving to Nashville set the stage for Shroff to meet Matthew Hargis, an entertainment industry executive with Republic Nashville. “He’s the perfect yin to my yang,” she said. Married just over two years, the couple embarked on another grand adventure with the birth of their daughter Janaki. “She has just learned how to blow kisses. It’s so sweet,” Shroff smiled.
One of her greatest challenges, shared by so many, is to strike the right work-life balance. “If I can figure that out, then I’m sure it will be a piece of cake to fulfill my other goals, which are to climb Kilimanjaro and Machu Picchu,” she said with a laugh.
