Rate My Professor Sham Acharya

Associate Professor Sham Acharya serves as a Conjoint Professor in the School of Medicine and Public Health, College of Health, Medicine and Wellbeing, at the University of Newcastle. He holds the qualifications MBBS, FRCP (Edinburgh), and FRACP, obtained after training in India, England, and Scotland. Since moving to Newcastle in 2009, he has held key clinical positions including Director of Endocrinology and Diabetes at John Hunter Hospital, Director of Greater Newcastle Diabetes Services, and Clinical Lead for the Diabetes Alliance Program at Hunter New England Health, functioning as a senior staff specialist.

Acharya spearheaded the Diabetes Alliance Program implementation across the Hunter New England Local Health District, earning the NSW Premier's Award for Integrated Care in 2016 and Staff Member of the Year 2016 from Hunter New England Local Health District. This program enhances diabetes outcomes for thousands through specialist-general practitioner case conferencing and has integrated 115 out of 314 practices. His research centers on diabetes care models, including Diabetes Alliance Program Plus with case conferencing, medibus development, and modules on exercise, nutrition, and mental health. Additional foci include smart technologies like continuous glucose monitoring, smartwatches, and flash glucose monitoring, alongside trials on zinc, curcumin, and omega-3 fatty acids for glucose homeostasis and insulin resistance. With over 70 publications cited more than 1,600 times, key works encompass 'Spillover effects from a type 2 diabetes integrated model of care in 22,706 Australians: an open cohort stepped wedge trial' (2024), 'The effect of zinc supplementation on glucose homeostasis: a randomised double-blind placebo-controlled trial' (2022), and 'Curcumin and/or omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids supplementation reduces insulin resistance and blood lipids in individuals with high risk of type 2 diabetes: A randomised controlled trial' (2019).

He has conducted Diabetes Alliance master classes for over 1,900 regional attendees and founded a graduate certificate course in diabetes and endocrinology in India, training more than 100 physicians, contributing to local and international primary care education in diabetes.