v-INSPIRE Intern, FHTS
Having completed a BS in Medical Sociology from the Rural Unit of Health and Social Affairs, Christian Medical College, Vellore, and being awarded a general proficiency award for all three years, I further progressed to develop a career in epidemiology and implementation research. I got an opportunity to be a part of WHO’s a course on Implementation Research which focused on Diseases of Poverty. This further made me curious about the natural history and progression of diseases. To cater to my curiosity and enhance my skills in finer aspects of epidemiology, I also finished a post-graduate diploma focused on Epidemiology from the Indian Institute of Public Health, Delhi.
I am highly interested and motivated to work towards tribal health with my major focus on Sickle Cell Disease. To establish better networks, I have also collaborated with Sickle Cell Disease Coalition, Washington DC to understand how approaches to cater to sickle cell disease are different there. I am also curious to understand health equity and how health policy reforms are done, the epidemiology of various communicable and neglected
tropical diseases, regional health indicator improvement, and the epidemiological transition the world is going through. I am also working on understanding humanitarian crises as an aftermath of natural calamity, environmental degradation, war and conflict, poverty, and the generational cycle of gender inequality and its effect on QoL. My journey in public health is an attempt to contribute to Sustainable Development Goal 3 at an individualistic level.
Highest Education: BS Medical Sociology - Tamil Nadu Dr M G R Medical University
Date of Joining: May 17, 2022
I have long been interested in the field of preventive medicine focusing primarily on vulnerable populations. I believe as I progress further into my career, I would gather more understanding about nuances of implementation science and health accessibility gaps, policy reforms, creating resilient communities and actors for health promotion and epidemiology of tropical diseases and hemoglobinopathies viz. Sickle Cell Disease in the Indian sub-context.
In the next one year, I would like to continue to work with mission groups. I have long aspired to work with MSF in conflicted countries and would like to understand how communities re-build themselves, how humanitarian crises have their fourfold effect and where exactly can a public health professional pitch in so as to minimize the adverse outcomes in these conflicted settings. During this while, I would also like to work towards effective and affordable care, especially for marginalized groups. While previously working at CMC, Vellore, I was fortunate to witness a prospective cohort study that addressed the burden of cervical cancer among women in the reproductive age group through assistive technology and community service. This motivated me to carry out this idea on its guiding principles in a setting where there is poor health accessibility. In a long term, I see myself working initially for grassroots while slowly progressing towards more precise implementational research. I would also like to progress my academics with a parallel DrPH. I strongly believe that learning skills to match the current needs infield is always important hence I also aspire to get hands-on lab-based learning on an anode-cathode mechanism to develop a cost-effective gel electrophoresis technology that is a diagnostic tool to ascertain sickle cell disease, this might be difficult in its pursuit but always possible.
I would also like to expand my cognition towards various aspects that are of socio-economic dynamics, nutrition dynamics, and geospatial mapping in terms of SCD disease. SCD is a rarely worked upon area that affects certain groups which are marginalized and is usually overseen when our nation plans for health programs. The beneficiaries of state policy are often forgotten creating a generational divide between those who can access care and those who cannot. I aspire to contribute my learning and skills working for varied aspects of Sustainable Development Goals #3.
I interned with FHTS at its Dehradun SMAART Lab for two months. I was driven with a motive to learn more about data and how evidence is generated that creates a solution for the community. At FHTS, I saw that work in transition where evidence is constantly generated keeping the beneficiaries at its center. From data handling to analyzing and understanding policies, the overall experience was enriching.