Piya Sorcar | |
|---|---|
 Sorcar at Stanford University in 2015 | |
| Born | 1977 (age 46–47) |
| Nationality | American |
| Alma mater | University of Colorado (BA, BS, BS) Stanford University (MA, PhD) |
| Occupation(s) | Founder & CEO, TeachAids Lecturer, Stanford University |
| Spouse | Shuman Ghosemajumder |
| Parent(s) | Manick Sorcar, Shikha Sorcar |
Piya Sorcar (born 1977) is an American social entrepreneur and researcher.[1] She is the founder and CEO of TeachAids, and a lecturer at Stanford University.[2][3]
Sorcar was born in Colorado, the eldest daughter of artist and engineer Manick Sorcar and Shikha Sorcar, and the granddaughter of the pre-eminent magician P. C. Sorcar and Basanti Devi.[4] As a child actor, she was nominated for a regional Emmy Award for her performance in the short film Deepa & Rupa: A Fairy Tale from India, directed by her father,[5][6] which went on to win at the Chicago International Film Festival.[7]
She began the development of TeachAids at Stanford University, where it was the focus of her doctoral research.[8] In 2009, she founded it as a nonprofit partnered with the university,[9] working with a team of interdisciplinary experts for five years. Her research efforts developed a new approach to large-scale public HIV education which overcame taboos to vastly improve learning and usage rates.
The approach Sorcar created included combining 2D cartoon images (balancing clarity with comfort), a research-based translation and back-translation process, mnemonic devices, and voices of regionally-specific cultural icons, among other inventions.[10]
She has led TeachAids to produce many versions of its interactive HIV prevention software,[11] which are now used in more than 80 countries.[3][12] Her work has included directing Bollywood actors Amitabh Bachchan, Shabana Azmi, Shruti Haasan, and Nagarjuna.[13][14]
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In 2018, she led the creation of a second TeachAids initiative for concussion education called CrashCourse, using a new pedagogical approach based on virtual reality,[15] and supported by Steve Young, Dick Gould, Jim Plunkett, Katie Ledecky, and other prominent sports figures.[16] The initiative partnered with 23 United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee Sports Governing Bodies.[17] Demonstrating high efficacy levels through research conducted at Harvard University and Stanford, CrashCourse was used globally, particularly in Canada, Great Britain, and the United States.[18]
In 2011, MIT Technology Review named Sorcar to their TR35 list of the top 35 most innovative people in the world under 35.[1] In 2012, she and TeachAids were named one of twelve global laureates of The Tech Awards.[19] In 2022, she received the Public Service Award from the Association of Academic Physiatrists, joining past winners such as Christopher Reeve.[20]
