India

Shibu Vijayan is a medical doctor specializing in public health serving as Global Tuberculosis Technical Director at PATH. With experience in developing, deploying, evaluating, and scaling health service delivery platforms in collaboration with governments and partners, he has played a critical role in building partnerships for scaling tuberculosis projects in India. His work focuses on the adoption of digital technologies to transform the patient experience as they move through treatment by introducing artificial intelligence tools and digital adherence tools. He has led flagship tuberculosis projects worldwide for PATH and co-authored international guidelines with the Stop TB Partnership to promote private sector, digital tools and new diagnostic tools. In addition, Shibu represented PATH on the WHO Core Group on Private Public Mix (PPM) and the Stop TB-led Working Group on New Diagnostics, and published articles in peer-reviewed journals on PPM, diabetes, and TB and health systems. Shibu worked at all levels of the health system, from a primary health center to secondary and tertiary teaching hospitals, in health care delivery and in management of the national TB program. As a survivor of tuberculosis and a physician, he now wants to streamline the delivery of health services that is resilient to pandemics and improve the quality of services.

Jayashree S. has four years of experience coordinating and managing research in ophthalmology and coordinating ethics committee activities. She earned a bachelor’s degree in biotechnology from Periyar Maniammai University in Thanjavur, Tamil Nadu. During her work as a coordinator, she had the opportunity to interact with research participants and listen to their needs. The role as Ethics Committee Coordinator motivated her to protect the safety, rights, and welfare of research participants. Through these experiences, she developed strong skills in project coordination, training, planning, monitoring, and reporting. Her desire to protect the welfare of participants has led her to advocate for sustainability. Jayashree is committed to identifying areas where a sustainable approach to healthcare is needed and finding a reliable and innovative solution to meet that need without compromising patient safety.

Murugaraj G is a copywriter and a graduate of Anna University in Tamil Nadu with a master’s degree in Business Administration. He is responsible for the creation and dissemination of health education materials and management of official social media pages in his organization. He also works on translating articles from English to Tamil. He is interested in digital marketing and wants to explore its possibilities to reach patients with healthcare messages. He is also passionate about reading and writing about the environment and wildlife. As an avid reader, he is committed to teaching others the habit of reading. To this end, he has started a Tamil monthly online magazine that focuses on literature and the environment.

Dr. Parag Shah is an ophthalmologist and has been associated with Aravind Eye Hospital for more than two decades. He is instrumental in commencing Pediatric Retina and Ocular Oncology Service at Aravind. His interest and passion made Retinopathy of Prematurity (ROP) telescreening possible across five states and over thirty districts in South India. Through his efforts annually, six thousand babies undergo telescreening, preventing needless blindness among premature children. He is instrumental in developing good network channels among Government and Private NICU’s both in Urban and Rural areas. He is also part of the National ROP Task Force under National Program of Control of Blindness, Govt. of India, supported by The Queen Elizabeth Diamond Jubilee Trust. This task force is responsible for training and creating awareness of ROP among ophthalmologists, pediatricians and the general public. Under the USAID and SEVA funded program, he is testing low cost camera systems and artificial intelligence in ROP screening and diagnosis with his US collaborators (Casey Eye Institute, Portland and University of Illinois, Chicago). This emerging technology has a possibility of saving physician time and gives a more accurate diagnosis.

Ankur has an entrepreneurial mindset with a blend of corporate culture (Processes) and startup experience (Result-oriented). He is passionate about analytics and creativity, with an expertise in understanding and managing the integration of marketing, sales, operations, customer service and analytics in order to create effective, meaningful and result-oriented business strategies. As a communications specialist, Ankur takes utmost care in the finer points of both oral and written communication. He finds it incredibly fulfilling to build excellent, high performing teams–individually, we can’t always be at our best but when camaraderie persists, a team can go far. Good teamwork makes every journey better. Ankur also loves to pursue innovation. And while he enjoys connecting the dots across seemingly unrelated information, his MBA has also refined his pragmatic business knowledge to implement explorative growth ideas.

Host Organization: American India Foundation

Role at Host Organization: At American India Foundation, Ankur will be serving as the Executive Assistant Fellow to Chief Executive Officer. In this role, he will act as a key partner to the Chief Executive Officer, helping to brainstorm and identify solutions to challenges faced by the organization. He will develop relationship building skills while managing interactions with external volunteer bodies and board members, and also manage a variety of program design, resource mobilization, marketing, and communication projects across the US and India.

Sana is a Water and Sanitation Expert and has 5 years of experience in the implementation of sanitation projects and programs. She has earned a Bachelor of Science in Zoology from the University of Calcutta in India and a Master’s degree in Environmental Studies from Nalanda International University, India. While working with the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs in the Government of India as a WASH ( Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene) and Knowledge Management Specialist for Swachh Bharat Mission(Urban), Clean India Mission, she helped draft national-level policies and guidelines, and aided capacity building of government officials in order to improve solid waste management and sanitation practices in 4200+ urban local bodies of India. In her previous assignment, Sana worked with Tata Trusts to advance the sanitation practices of the rural community in Bihar and promote the use of toilets along with the help of other development partners like UNICEF and the World Bank. Sana has also worked as a climate change volunteer on the issue of displacement of migrants due to climate change. Through these experiences, she developed excellent leadership qualities, strategic thinking skills, program management experience, stakeholder management, and implementation skills. Sana enjoys focusing on the topics of water, sanitation, hygiene, and solid waste management and has a passion for gender mainstreaming.

Host Organization: American Red Cross

Role at Host Organization: At American Red Cross, Sana will be serving as the Knowledge Management & Learning Fellow. Sana will be sitting with the Quality, Data and Learning team at ISD/ARC Headquarters and will be responsible for supporting the Knowledge Management and Learning efforts of the department. She will help facilitate access to, utilization of, and learning from existing data, evidence, and knowledge generated from past operations both within the American Red Cross and with the RCRC Movement Partners

Vaishali Joshi has four years of experience in the development sector, with a focus on social and environmental sustainability. She earned a Bachelor’s degree in Architecture from Maulana Azad National Institute of Technology in India and a Master’s degree in Development and Rural Innovation from Wageningen University & Research in the Netherlands. Vaishali is currently serving as a Banyan Impact Fellow with Yuwa Trust, where she is restructuring its Monitoring, Evaluation & Learning system across three programs for empowering adolescent girls and designing methods to externally share new data and stories of impact. After finishing her undergraduate degree, Vaishali worked in a non-profit trust that specializes in designing and building dignified housing for the urban and rural poor. She created a development plan for rehabilitating a village destroyed by a 100-year flood through a collective decision-making approach, making her realize the importance of dialogue between various stakeholders and the value of everyone’s contributions. She then served as a fellow at the Charles Correa Foundation in Goa, where she developed a system of unified signages for the historic downtown of Panaji. In initiating the signage plan, she realized the value of taking a multidisciplinary approach and how the application of that wide-reaching knowledge ultimately comes down to effective communication and organization. After finishing her Master’s degree, Vaishali worked on multiple European Union funded projects at the Erasmus School of Social and Behavioural Science, consulting on inclusive strategies for societal and environmental challenges. Through these experiences, she developed her skills in communication, project coordination, and implementation at multiple scales.

Simarjeet Nagpal has been actively engaged in the nonprofit sector for the last twelve years, and earned a Bachelor’s degree in Architecture from GGS Indraprastha University, New Delhi. As part of the 2020-21 cohort of the Banyan Impact Fellowship, Simar has been working on regenerative land use ecosystem design and development. Simar is investigating how native dense forests could rejuvenate rural communities by providing economic benefits in an equitable manner. Prior to the Fellowship, Simar served as the National President of the National Association of Students of Architecture, India, and was on the Executive Council for three years. During his stint at NASA India, the organisation overhauled its operations to achieve higher and more effective grassroots engagement, increasing its portfolio of activities and modes of delivery to suit architectural students’ varied aspirations and requirements across the nation. Simar formed a volunteer group called Better Bharat which soon formalised into Axes Charitable Trust with a vision of the welfare of the society. He coordinated all the trust’s programs for seven years, including plastic-free city drives, plantation drives, and a free computer education program for the underprivileged. Working extensively with these organisations, Simar has demonstrated experience in Project Design and Management. The nature of his engagement in these organisations helped him develop partnership building and team-leading skills. Simar is extremely passionate about sustainability and inculcates its tenets in his professional and personal life.

Sai Sireesha Kavuri received her Bachelor’s degree in computer science from Krishna University, Andhra Pradesh and her Master’s degree in conflict management and development from Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi. She has been a Gandhi Fellow at the Piramal Foundation for Education Leadership and worked in a close conjunction with NITI AAYOG’s Aspirational District Transformation program in the Narmada district of Gujarat. As a Gandhi Fellow, she worked on capacity building of the Cluster Resource Coordinator, Block Resource Coordinator, communities and teachers in Narmada District. After her successful completion of the Gandhi Fellowship, she joined URMUL Trust as a consultant for the International Institute of Impact Evaluation (3IE) project in Bikaner, Rajasthan. In that role, she worked on monitoring and evaluation and communication for the 3IE project. She has also worked with artisans and conducted training sessions on pressing social issues like child marriage and gender discrimination in Rajasthan. Her motivation and dedication to work for the wellbeing of communities made her an American Indian Fellow. As an AIF fellow, she is placed at Lok Kala Sagar Sansthan and Folk Arts Rajasthan in Jaisalmer, Rajasthan, where she will be developing the curriculum for a Merasi school for Merasi students who are subjected to continuous caste-based discrimination. Her experience helped her to gain skills like facilitation, communication, and community engagement. As a student of peace and conflict studies, she is good at analyzing international affairs and understanding different cultures.

Prakriti Pandia is a psychotherapist and researcher. She has four years of experience working in NGOs and cooperates as a psychologist and trainer. She has expertise working with adolescents and young adults on diverse topics. She has been continuously working towards bridging the gap in accessing affordable mental health services and reducing its stigma. In the wake of Covid-19, she started an initiative named “Community Yarning” to provide free online group therapy to individuals struggling with various mental health concerns. She has a Master’s degree in Psychology (Psychosocial Clinical Studies) from Ambedkar University Delhi (AUD). She has multiple certifications in research from the University of Manchester, which she gained while working with Sangath on the Communication-Centered Parent-Mediated Treatment For Autism Spectrum disorder in South Asia (COMPASS) Project for a year. Prakriti underwent one year of training in Narrative Therapy from Dulwich Center, Australia. She has worked passionately on research projects on ‘Interplay of trauma in lives of survivors of Child Sexual Abuse, ‘1984 Anti-Sikh Riots survivors and processing of trauma’ and ‘Pre-and Post-retirement effects on Elderlies.’ She is currently working on Adverse Child Experience research focusing on Social-emotional learning and trauma-informed practices. Prakriti is a trauma-informed therapist and presently enrolled in “CIT program for Educators in South Asia.” Prakriti is currently working with Srijan Foundation on the “Empowering Girls and Ending Child Marriage” Project and conducting qualitative research “Dhuku Practice” in Jharkhand, India, as an American India Foundation Fellow.

Prakriti Chawla is a Social Designer, currently serving as an AIF Banyan Impact Fellow. She has spent most of her childhood on the campus of Muskaan, a world-renowned training institute for persons with intellectual disabilities (PwIDs) in India. Over the past four years, she has worked towards the inclusion of marginalized people in the mainstream workforce through multiple path-breaking projects through partnerships with governments and nonprofits. Prakriti completed her Master’s degree in Social Design from Dr. B. R. Ambedkar University in Delhi, where she led various projects on migration, disabilities, gender, self-advocacy, and education. She has a certification on disability livelihoods from EnAble India. She has had on-ground experience in the mainstream hospitality industry and has worked with Lemon Tree Hotels, one of the first companies to hire people with disabilities on a large scale. While there, she directly worked with the Head of Diversity & Inclusion to help develop inclusive policies for the national chain of hotels. Along with India’s Skill Council for Persons with Disability and Muskaan, she has also helped in the creation of a standardized curriculum on vocational training for PwIDs for national dissemination. In her most recent project with Muskaan, she conducted a research study on the experiences of family members of people with intellectual disabilities. As a continuous learner, Prakriti believes in expanding her horizons and therefore has learned basic sign language and is also a budding clay artist. Prakriti has been recognized as a Rising Star by Wedu Global.

Naina Yadav is a first-generation learner, the only one to migrate from a small village called Daudpur in Uttar Pradesh to a big city like New Delhi to pursue her dreams of working with young women like her. As a teenager, she participated in Naz Foundation’s sports and life skill program through her school, which eventually opened up her to newer experiences and perspectives. Her work at Naz has been varied, ranging from planning and conducting sessions on sexual health, reproductive rights, financial literacy, communication, and other soft skills to now understanding M&E, data, managing and coordinating it for the entire Young People’s Initiative Program of the Naz Foundation (India) Trust. She has experience working in the field with girls and boys and working in the office with data and M&E processes. She has an understanding of sport for development programs and she believes in it. She is an enthusiastic learner, a believer in using data to transform lives and impact them positively. She intends to grow and do meaningful work in the development sector, and is motivated to encourage others through her energy to keep learning and discovering newer ways to solve social and economic problems that exist around us.