Ayushe Sharma is the Program Coordinator for the UAB Woman to Woman Program. She was born and raised in Huntsville, Alabama. She graduated summa cum laude with Honors from the University of Alabama at Birmingham with a B.S. in Neuroscience and a B.A. in Philosophy of Science, with Honors in Psychology. Ayushe’s co-curricular activities have largely centered on science education initiatives and clinical research, with the bulk of her recent research initiatives concentrating on how fitness and nutrition support cancer survivorship. Ayushe is working for this program during a leave of absence from her graduate studies.

As Program Coordinator, Ayushe is responsible for managing all aspects of Woman to Woman at UAB, from mentor recruitment, training and supervision, to managing incoming patient referrals, as well as fiscal and administrative oversight. She matches the mentors with demographically appropriate women undergoing treatment, and serves as liaison between mentor and patient. Once staff refer patients and mentors, Ayushe conducts informal interviews to determine interest in and appropriateness of the Program. Ayushe trains all volunteers before they are matched with patients, and provides on-going education and support through regularly scheduled mentor meetings.

In her spare time, Ayushe enjoys long-distance trekking and hiking, Kundalini yoga, vintage video games, sewing, and cartooning (much to the chagrin of family and friends who have been her subjects). Ayushe also leads a local Birmingham self-help group called “The Happiness Project,” in which participants use positive psychology and mindfulness exercises to complete goals that enhance their personal and professional lives. Her yearning to join the Woman to Woman Program is guided by her own personal experiences with gynecologic cancer, and the fact that this position pulls skills from all her areas of study.