Dr Vibha Gambhir Of Gambhir Cosmetic Medicine: Why We Need More Women Founders & Here Is What We Are Doing To Make That Happen
An Interview With Vanessa Ogle
Boost their confidence** — Women must believe in their abilities, I offer regular encouragement and remind women of their ability to succeed through dedication and hard work.
As a part of our series about “Why We Need More Women Founders”, I had the pleasure of interviewing Dr. Vibha Gambhir.
Vibha Gambhir, M.D. has extensive experience and specialized training in cosmetic procedures. She started her cosmetic medicine career in 2005 and is now a top 2 provider in the United States! Her focus is on listening to her patients and combining her extensive clinical experience to deliver unrivaled results in a kind and beautiful environment.
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Before we dig in, our readers would like to get to know you a bit more. Can you tell us a bit about your “backstory”? What led you to this particular career path?
Growing up, I was always curious, artistic, and was always about helping others. School did not come easy for me, I worked really hard. I graduated high school a year early, and then attended the University of Pennsylvania, where I pursued a degree in chemical engineering. This field really helped me develop my analytical and logical thinking.
Although I didn’t initially aspire to become a doctor, I wanted to make a meaningful impact on people’s lives. My father encouraged me to pursue medicine, so I went to medical school. Once I was in medical school I faced the challenge of choosing a specialty that would challenge me intellectually, help me to be creative, and let me express my artistic side. At first, I chose emergency medicine, which fulfilled two of my desires: intellectual challenge and creative problem-solving. During this time I missed the artistic side of what I was looking for.
I then moved into cosmetic medicine, where I discovered the ideal fusion of science, art, and human care. I was able to use my artistic abilities and improve the lives of others by transitioning. The field of cosmetic medicine has been immensely rewarding.
Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you began your career?
When I was working in emergency medicine, I always vicariously lived my interest in cosmetic medicine through my husband, who was also in the field. I would encourage him to seek out different training opportunities and try various cosmetic procedures on me. In fact, I was his first cosmetic patient! It started off as a bit of a selfish endeavor, but soon blossomed into something I wanted to do for others.
Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?
One of the funniest mistakes I made early on was injecting Botox on myself! While I had done Botox on thousands of patients, performing it on myself was an entirely different challenge. I was a true expert at treating patients in my exam chair, but you don’t get much practice doing the awkward angles it takes to do your own Botox. So I wasn’t as experienced doing the procedure on myself, and I ended up with a droopy eyelid! Thankfully, it never happened again, but it taught me a valuable lesson: being a true expert in any procedure is crucial when performing. It was good for me to learn how it feels when something goes wrong to always be reminded to be super cautious and empathetic.
None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?
Without a doubt, my spouse has played a crucial role in my accomplishments in cosmetic medicine. I might not have had the courage to leave emergency medicine without him. He saw my love for cosmetic medicine and always had confidence in me.
Is there a particular book that made a significant impact on you? Can you share a story or explain why it resonated with you so much?
The book *Emotional Intelligence 2.0* really spoke to me. It’s been helpful as I was transitioning from a provider to a leader. I’ve learned a lot about effective leadership from this book. It helped me understand how to encourage my staff to have the same positive enthusiasm for patient care and meticulous attention to detail. For me it was having a solid, cohesive team was essential to navigating an expanding practice, and this book has helped me put together one.
Do you have a favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Do you have a story about how that was relevant in your life or your work?
Treat people the way you want to be treated. This serves as our foundation in my practice. Whether an individual is a mother, sister, or someone else we care about very much, we treat them all as if they were people in our own family. What I found is that this method works well in both emergency medicine and, more recently, in cosmetic medicine.
How have you used your success to make the world a better place?
I’m blessed to oversee a sizable team and assist a large number of patients. After their procedures, a large number of our patients feel happier and more confident. It’s satisfying to know that we’re assisting people in developing a sense of harmony within themselves by making them feel like their outward look more closely reflects how they feel on the inside.
Ok, thank you for that. Let’s now jump to the primary focus of our interview. According to this EY report, only about 20 percent of funded companies have women founders. This reflects great historical progress, but it also shows that more work still has to be done to empower women to create companies. In your opinion and experience what is currently holding back women from founding companies?
I think there are specific pressures placed on women, maybe related to raising children and continuing to participate in society. There might be fewer female role models in positions of leadership. These are some of the things that may have led to women being underrepresented in entrepreneurship.
Can you share with our readers what you are doing to help empower women to become founders?
I make an effort to connect with women and motivate them to make personal investments. I am mindful of how challenging it can be to find the time and means necessary to reach your full potential. But when women invest in themselves, it creates an impact that leads to success in both personal and professional aspects of their lives.
This might be intuitive to you but I think it will be helpful to spell this out. Can you share a few reasons why more women should become founders?
More female founders would provide the business world with much-needed female perspectives. The next generation of female entrepreneurs would also be inspired by seeing more women in leadership positions.
Can you please share 5 things that can be done or should be done to help empower more women to become founders?
- Boost their confidence** — Women must believe in their abilities, I offer regular encouragement and remind women of their ability to succeed through dedication and hard work.
- Offer hope** — Show women the opportunities that are available to them. I share success stories and create an environment that fosters long-term vision and hope.
- Give them freedom** — I encourage autonomy and give women the freedom to make decisions that align with their leadership style and values.
- Promote creativity and passion** — These are prerequisites for entrepreneurship. Celebrate individuality and help women discover their unique leadership style.
- Encourage women to invest in themselves** — Investing in their own growth leads to long-term success. Motivate women to make self-investments- Encourage women to invest in their personal and professional growth to unlock their full potential. It is essential that we promote a culture of women supporting women in entrepreneurship in order to empower women to realize their full potential.
You are a person of great influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good for the greatest number of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger.
I would encourage women to pursue education and their passions wholeheartedly. When women invest in themselves as much as they do in their families and loved ones, it leads to remarkable outcomes.
We are very blessed that some very prominent names in Business, VC funding, Sports, and Entertainment read this column. Is there a person in the world, or in the US with whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she might just see this if we tag them.
Oprah Winfrey. And her rise from modest beginnings to prominence as one of the world’s most influential individuals is truly inspirational. She serves as an example of how extraordinary success can result from devotion, self-belief, and a commitment to helping others.
How can our readers further follow your work online?
@gambhircosmetic on Instagram and TikTok
@GambhirCosmeticMedicine on Facebook and YouTube
Thank you for these fantastic insights. We greatly appreciate the time you spent on this.
About The Interviewer: Vanessa Ogle is a mom, entrepreneur, inventor, writer, and singer/songwriter. Vanessa’s talent in building world-class leadership teams focused on diversity, a culture of service, and innovation through inclusion allowed her to be one of the most acclaimed Latina CEO’s in the last 30 years. She collaborated with the world’s leading technology and content companies such as Netflix, Amazon, HBO, and Broadcom to bring innovative solutions to travelers and hotels around the world. Vanessa is the lead inventor on 120+ U.S. Patents. Accolades include: FAST 100, Entrepreneur 360 Best Companies, Inc. 500 and then another six times on the Inc. 5000. Vanessa was personally honored with Inc. 100 Female Founder’s Award, Ernst and Young’s Entrepreneur of the Year Award, and Enterprising Women of the Year among others. Vanessa now spends her time sharing stories to inspire and give hope through articles, speaking engagements and music. In her spare time she writes and plays music in the Amazon best selling new band HigherHill, teaches surfing clinics, trains dogs, and cheers on her children. Please connect with Vanessa here on linkedin and subscribe to her newsletter Unplugged as well as follow her on Substack, Instagram, Facebook, and X and of course on her website VanessaOgle.
Dr Vibha Gambhir Of Gambhir Cosmetic Medicine: Why We Need More Women Founders & Here Is What We… was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.