Dr. Sue Varma is a true multidimensional expert. She is a board-certified psychiatrist in NYC, where she has had a thriving practice for over two decades, and is a Clinical Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at New York University (NYU) Langone Health. She is a Distinguished Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association, the highest honor bestowed upon its members. Dr. Varma was the first medical director and attending psychiatrist of the World Trade Center Mental Health Program at NYU Langone, where she treated first responders and civilians impacted by 9/11, a role that garnered her a Mayoral Proclamation.

Dr. Varma is considered the nation's leading "go-to" psychiatrist and mental health expert. She is called upon for breaking news and evergreen topics across the networks—work that has earned her two Sharecare Emmy awards, including the inaugural Sharecare Emmy, and a total of 13 nominations. An informative and engaging presence, Dr. Varma can regularly be seen on multiple media outlets, including The Today Show, NBC News, MSNBC, CNN, CBS News, ABC News, NPR, PBS, Good Morning America, CBS This Morning, Nightly News, and Conde Nast. She provides insight into the impact of everything from mass shootings, poverty, suicide, and homelessness to trends in marriage and relationships, burnout, work-life balance, collective trauma, self-care, toxic positivity, men's mental health, optimism, self-compassion, loneliness, women's mental health, and parenting.

Dr. Varma’s acclaimed debut book, Practical Optimism: The Art, Science, and Practice of Exceptional Well-Being, is resonating with audiences everywhere (Penguin Random House, 2/2024) and is being translated into 11 languages worldwide. According to Publisher’s Weekly: “Studded with catchy pearls of wisdom (‘Our self-worth exists simply because we do’), this can-do guide uplifts.” The NY Times interviewed Dr. Varma on the best ways to improve energy, focus, and productivity, and included advice from the book on two days of their six-day Well challenge. She received the Ivan Goldberg Outstanding Service Award from the New York County Psychiatric Society for her pioneering work in educating the public about psychiatry and decreasing stigma through grassroots education.

Through scientific solutions and tangible takeaways, Dr. Varma engages, informs, motivates, and inspires audiences to make actionable changes. As a renowned keynote speaker, Dr. Varma is passionate about empowering people to take a holistic, 360-degree approach to wellness. Her 4 M's of mental health—movement, meaningful engagement, motivation, and mindfulness—have resonated with people across the globe. Dr. Varma isn't just interested in helping people go from a state of dysfunction to function, but rather in thriving in the zone of optimal functioning. As a cognitive behavioral therapist and couples counselor, Dr. Varma integrates nutrition, mindfulness, yoga, and exercise into her comprehensive mental, emotional, physical, and spiritual wellness approach. Two decades of Dr. Varma’s research and clinical experience are clearly and simply distilled for the reader, with humor, relatability, motivation, and inspiration in her book, Practical Optimism, along with numerous tangible pathways to boosting health, happiness, resilience, success, and longevity.

Dr. Varma has played an integral role in guiding the nation through the emotional ravages of the coronavirus pandemic, contributing on-air on topics of anti-racism and specials on women and frontline workers. Dr. Varma has also been at the forefront of mental health treatment for frontline workers via direct patient care. She has been the leading expert in corporate wellness, delivering keynote and virtual presentations and panel discussions on mental wellness to audiences ranging from journalists to healthcare professionals to seniors to C-Suite leaders throughout the world, across industries. Her talks for journalists and media personnel included CBS, NBC Universal (worldwide and on-demand for 50,000 employees), a VIP Roundtable for The Washington Post, Barron's, and Marketplace, and The NY Times, among others. She was awarded the Outstanding Public Sector Award (from the Indo-American Psychiatric Association, IAPA) for her work engaging audiences with scientific, credible, reassuring, optimistic, and hopeful messages, especially during unprecedented times.

As part of an international benefit for coronavirus relief sponsored by Global Citizen in conjunction with the World Health Organization, Lady Gaga, and the United Nations, Dr. Varma appeared in a prime-time special aired across networks, streaming, and globally alongside Michelle Obama, Laura Bush, Oprah, Elton John, Jennifer Lopez, Alicia Keys, John Legend, the Rolling Stones, and all three late-night show hosts. Her mental health tips were recognized among the “Top 7 Highlights,” and she was honored as one of the “Top Five Health Experts,” along with WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros and Bill and Melinda Gates.

In addition to participating in hundreds of interviews over the last 17 years, Dr. Varma has also been an on-air contributor for hour-long specials by Nightly News (Covid and families, school reopenings with Lester Holt), ABC World News Tonight, Dateline, 20/20, as well as numerous specials for NBC’s Today Show, including specials on mass shootings (addressing a nation in mourning), the state of women’s health (with Maria Shriver), longevity, climate grief, and pandemic parenting. She was part of a groundbreaking, one-month-long national campaign and a two-hour live, Stop the Stigma special with CBS This Morning, and was nominated for a Sharecare Emmy for this work. She was also part of a two-night, ABC primetime documentary special on the history of the Royal Family. Dr. Varma has been an on-air expert for 20 stories over two seasons of the National Geographic show Taboo. As a trusted voice on managing mental health and wellness, Dr. Varma is quoted several times a month in print outlets including HuffPost, WSJ Magazine, The New Yorker, Health, Shape, Women's Health Magazine, Oprah Magazine, New Beauty, The New York Times, The Washington Post, etc. Dr. Varma is a member of SAG-AFTRA.