Dr Sandhya feels happy to be in the dentistry profession since she gets to be flexible and balance her personal and professional life.

Dr Sandhya Kapoor Punia is the Head of the Department of Conservative Dentistry & Endodontics at Darshan Dental College & Hospital where she has worked for twelve years now. She started as a Senior Lecturer and eventually got promoted to a Professor and is today heading one of the finest departments of Dentistry.

Born and brought up in Faridabad, Haryana, Sandhya belongs to a business family not having much inclination towards studies. However, her mom being well educated, wanted her daughters to stand on their own feet, do some professional education and inculcate a good character. Sandhya completed her schooling in Faridabad and did her BDS in Panchkula, Haryana. She then completed her MDS from Bangalore which introduced her to the world realities she was far from, till her undergraduate. She shares that accepting the real world with its challenges was a struggle, however, she learnt how to protect herself and learn something new every day in the process. Sandhya has been given the family value of respecting one another irrespective of the economic background or age.

For aspiring dentists, Sandhya shares that one should have the zeal for their subject and be clear about the basics without which one cannot practice in Dentistry. Knowing that medical students might face some financial constraints, she suggests students reach out to the banks. Sandhya advises the youth to take guidance from their seniors, teachers and parents and have confidence in themselves.

Discussing COVID, Sandhya shares that it was the best family time for her and especially for her son who has always wanted to be more with family members. However, she mentions that the pandemic had a few learnings to offer including modifying systems, taking better care of each other and staying connected.

If Sandhya could go back in a time machine, she would like to revisit her school days. However, she loves her present seeing her son growing up in front of her. If she could travel in the future, she would love to see her son become successful.

Sandhya likes to take care of her plants and do gardening as a source of recreation. She also likes to go for long drives, long walks and listen to some good music. Her success mantra lies in living and letting others live. She believes that however big the issues are, they can be solved by talking to one another rather than keeping things within oneself.