COMING FULL CIRCLE

From patient to physician, Dr. Sunny Sharma leads a revolution rooted in empathy, prevention, and connection.

Some people move through life chasing their purpose. Others return home to find it standing exactly where they left it. For Sunny Sharma, MD, FACP, DipABLM, CMD, that moment came full circle when he walked through the very halls of St. Alexius Medical Center—not as a patient, but as a physician.

“It still blows my mind,” Dr. Sharma says. “Being born at St. Alexius and now practicing medicine here feels surreal and deeply personal.”

The journey from childhood dreams to white coat reality has been more than a professional milestone. “It’s a homecoming,” he observes.

That belief now guides Dr. Sharma’s care. In healthcare, often dominated by speed over substance, his presence in Barrington is a refreshing rebellion: a return to relationship-driven, intentional medicine, rooted in community and empathy.

Though he was raised in Bartlett, Dr. Sharma’s heart has long belonged to Barrington. “As a kid, I remember driving through the area with my parents, looking out at the trees and beautiful homes, and saying, ‘One day I’m going to be a doctor out here,’” he says. “There was something about the community that stuck with me.” That kid is now a father of two, a husband, and one of the area’s busiest primary care physicians. And yet, his priorities haven’t changed: presence over pressure, connection over convenience.

Dr. Sharma has always seen his patients as part of the very ecosystem that shaped him. “I see them as neighbors, as friends, as extensions of the community that raised me. And that sense of responsibility pushes me to show up differently, with more empathy, more time, and more intention.” But too often, the medical system treats people as numbers and not individuals to be known.

Then a personal crisis made that reality hit home. When Dr. Sharma was diagnosed with an acoustic neuroma, a rare brain tumor, everything changed.

“As physicians, we’re trained to take care of others, to stay composed, to lead through uncertainty,” he says. “But nothing truly prepares you for the moment when you become the patient.” In that moment, he wasn’t offering reassurance; he was the one in need of it.

“I was someone facing brain surgery, scared, uncertain, and trying to keep it all together while still being a dad, a husband, and a doctor,” he recalls. “And yet, there I was, trying to process what it meant to need the very kind of care I’d dedicated my life to providing.”

That experience left an imprint. “I felt the delays, the frustrations, the mental toll of not knowing what comes next,” Sharma remembers. “Now, when someone comes into my office with fear in their eyes or exhaustion in their body, I get it—not just clinically, but personally.”

He began to question the traditional model of care he was working within. “I was seeing patients in 10–15 minute bursts, running from room to room, trying to solve complex problems with a ticking clock over my shoulder. And all the while, patients were waiting months just to get in,” he says. “That’s not care. That’s a system—and I knew I couldn’t keep practicing that way.”

Enter Dr. Sharma’s concierge medicine through MDVIP. A bold pivot? Yes. But for Dr. Sharma, it was a return to his “why.” Concierge medicine is more than a business model—it’s a quiet revolution.

“It’s how we begin to heal the system,” he explains. “It allows doctors to slow down, care for a smaller panel of patients, and build meaningful relationships. For me, it’s been incredibly energizing, and I get to spend real time with each patient, focus on prevention, and be available when they need me.”

This model allows Dr. Sharma to have the space to deliver the kind of care he’s always wanted to give. “It lets me show up fully as a physician and as a human being,” he says. “That’s what I’ve always wanted medicine to feel like for both my patients and myself.”

And it’s not just about treating illness. It’s about preventing it. Dr. Sharma is board-certified in Lifestyle Medicine, a distinction that reflects his belief in addressing root causes through diet, movement, sleep, stress management, and connection. In short: he’s not just keeping patients alive—he’s helping them thrive.

And as for his hopes for Barrington? “I want to help shape a model of care here that prioritizes prevention, compassion, and connection. One where people don’t feel rushed through appointments or lost in the system, but instead feel seen, heard, and cared for.”

Dr. Sharma is rewriting the narrative—one that’s rooted in purpose, powered by empathy, and deeply connected to the soil where he took his first breath. And perhaps that’s the most revolutionary act of all: Coming home. And choosing to heal the very place that first gave you life.