Motivation
Curiosity and learning fuel my fire.  Music and laughter energize my spirit.  Nature soothes my soul.  The ocean provides perspective.  The hope that something I say or do might help just one person in some way—that is what drives me.  

The best advice I have received
“Let it be a discovery.”   Those 5 words spoken by the painter Hank Virgona during our 5 minute encounter in his New York City atelier have redefined my entire outlook on life. (You can find that story HERE)

Career
When it comes to a career path, I don’t believe in rules. With a constantly evolving professional journey that spans from music and medicine to journalism and visual production, I do believe anything is possible.

BIO

Sapna Parikh, MD, MPH is an award-winning multimedia journalist working on both sides of the camera. She began her career as a television reporter for CBS New York and continued as a full-time health and fitness reporter for the FOX and ABC News stations in New York City.  

Sapna is the creator, producer, host, writer, and video editor of the live Commencement Preshow at Yankee Stadium, the research-focused "Brainiacs" video series, and the "Pop Quiz" trivia game show series. 

As the first-ever Assistant Director of Visual Storytelling for New York University and Director of Visual Storytelling for UC San Diego, Sapna leads end-to-end visual production, creating interactive multimedia stories for all digital and social media platforms.

In prior roles, Sapna served as an on-camera host and writer for Seeker by The Verge (fmrly. Discovery Digital Networks), a teaching assistant at the International Center of Photography, a photographer for Discover Outdoors, a freelance host of NYC Vibe for NYC Media, a freelance anchor for Sirius XM/FOX News Headlines 24/7, and lead singer and dancer for Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines.

ACCOLADES

As a journalist, Sapna's notable and Emmy-nominated reports include an exclusive interview with NASA astronauts during a training mission inside Aquarius, the only underwater laboratory in the world—located at the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean and accessible only by scuba diving. Her in-depth investigative reports after Hurricane Sandy revealed the devastating impact on New York City hospitals and patient care.

Sapna was the only television reporter invited to travel with First Lady Laura Bush on a public health mission to Haiti and Mexico City, visiting the first HIV clinic in the world and launching an international breast cancer partnership. 

She is the recipient of the National Harvard Book Award for Outstanding Achievement in Academics and the Arts, and two Humanitarian Awards for her reports on breast cancer and for serving as a role model to young women.

EDUCATION & TRAINING

Sapna earned a medical degree from Northeast Ohio Medical University and completed her internship in general surgery at the Mount Sinai Medical Center in Manhattan. She obtained a Master's of Public Health in community health education and health policy through Hunter College of New York City and focused her capstone project on the issue of childhood obesity.

As part of her field experience, Sapna worked with the New York City Health Department to implement nutrition and fitness programs in New York City public schools and served as a Wellness Facilitator for the "I Have a Dream Foundation," helping to educate teenagers on health and fitness.

She studied documentary photography and artistic video editing at the International Center of Photography, School of Visual Arts, and Maine Media Film School.

Sapna is a NOLS-Certified Wilderness First Responder and Advanced PADI Certified Scuba Diver. During her medical training, she traveled to Brazil, where the medical team lived on boats and provided care to remote villages along the shores of the Amazon River.