DR. RUCHIKA VIJ | PHOTO BY LAURA PETRILLA

Dr. Ruchika Vij
OB/GYN, Allegheny Health Network

Dr. Ruchika Vij attributes her passion for women’s health care to her mother: “The OG feminist.” It’s a calling that translates into every aspect of her career, from working as a OB/GYN at Allegheny Health Network and with Planned Parenthood of Western Pennsylvania to taking care of underserved populations at a clinic on the North Shore to advocating for better women’s health care and education on topics from postpartum depression to abortion.

“There’s so much misinformation,” she says, “… that I want people to feel empowered to know what is the right information so that they can make the decisions that are the best for them.”

Mentoring the next generation of caregivers is important to Vij, who serves as the gynecology course director for Allegheny Health Network’s OB/GYN residency curriculum and last year mentored winners of the AHN Women’s Institute Resident Research Award.