TEAM MEMBERS

Dr M Bhaskara Rao is an eminent cardiologist and the President of HRIDAY. He is a Founding Board Member of HRIDAY and has been associated with the organization since its inception.Dr Rao is a Consultant Interventional Cardiologist at MGM SEVEN HILLS HOSPITAL a unit of MGM Health care pvt ltd Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh. He has a special interest in preventive cardiology and chronic disease prevention and control and has served as the site Principal Investigator of several Phase 2, 3, and 4 international clinical trials.

Prof. Monika Arora is a public health scientist working in the area of preventing and managing NCDs through health promotion and health advocacy. She is the Vice President (Research and Health Promotion) at the Public Health Foundation of India.
She is the Executive Director of HRIDAY (Health Related Information Dissemination Amongst Youth) an NGO working on NCD prevention and control, youth and patient engagement, and hosts the secretariat for Healthy India Alliance (India NCD Alliance). She was the President of NCD Alliance (2023-25), and Chairperson of South-East Asia NCD Alliance (2020-23).

Ms. Radhika Shrivastav is the Senior Director at HRIDAY working on addressing NCDs from a health and development perspective, particularly in the context of Goal 3.4 under the SDGs.
She leads the Secretariat of the Healthy India Alliance – HIA (India NCD Alliance) that fosters engagement of multi-sectoral CSOs to address NCDs through meaningful engagement of CSOs, People Living With NCDs (PLWNCDs), and young people.
She holds two Master’s degrees in Nutrition and Public Health.

Dr Raj Panda is a health system researcher who has evaluated diverse public health programs in nutrition, maternal- child health and chronic disease prevention. He has used implementation science frameworks for evaluating of online mentoring and digital health care in primary care. His work in designing and evaluating low-cost alternative care delivery platforms has produced evidence for broader coverage of services. He is widely published and has also edited and authored book chapters, manuals and education materials for health care providers and faculty of public health. He has over a decade long experience of designing, monitoring and evaluating service delivery models that are consistent with a universal health care approach. His work across multiple states has involved inter-programmatic collaborations, intersectoral interventions and advocacy with decision makers both at state and national level in India. He has been awarded many fellowships and currently advises many non-profit organization's on research, development and ethics

I am working as an Adjunct Faculty at the Public Health Foundation of India, New Delhi and presently working as an “External Collaborator” (Consultancy) to International Labour Office (ILO), Geneva, for different studies in India. I have worked as Associate and Additional Professor at the Public Health Foundation of India during 2010-2023 and served as faculty in other institutions in the past. I have a Master’s degree in Economics (Ranchi University, India) and D.Phil. in Public Health (Health Economics) from the University of Oxford. I was a Takemi Fellow at the Harvard School of Public Health during 2007-08. I have an experience of teaching and research of more than 25 years at different institutions in India. My core area of research includes health economics, healthcare financing and labour economics. In the past I served as Associate Editor, Indian Journal of Labour Economics (2000-2005); Member, Expert Committee on National Minimum Wage, Ministry of Labour and Employment, Government of India, during April 2018 to December 2019; Lead Consultant, Setting up Minimum Wages for the Republic of Maldives, Salary and Wages Advisory Board, Government of Maldives, August-December 2019; Member Sub-Committee on Out of Pocket Expenditure in India, National Health Account 2014; Member, State Health Account Technical Group, Government of Rajasthan; National Health System Resource Centre, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India; Senior Consultant, various research projects and policy discussion, V. V. Giri National Labour Institute (VVGNLI), 2009-2011. I have published three books and more than 100 research papers in different national and international journals.

Ms. Tina Rawal is a trained nutritionist and has a special interest in lifestyle-related Non-Communicable disease (NCD) and its associated risk factors research.
Her particular research interest lies in the field of diet and physical activity which are vital for the prevention and control of obesity and NCDs. An experience of more than 12 years in the field of nutrition and public health includes association with various research and programs focused on the prevention and management of NCDs and their associated behavioral risk factors related to diet, physical activity, tobacco, and alcohol. She has been associated with HRIDAY since 2008 and is involved in the designing and implementation of research studies focused on NCDs prevention and management, engaged in programs promoting health awareness and informed health activism among the youth at the National and international levels. She contributed as a member of the National Technical Working Group on developing the School Health Curriculum under the Ayushman Bharat, formed by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, and the Ministry of HRD, Government of India. Tina also served as a member of the Children Nutrition and Diabetes Working Group, under the Kids and Diabetes in School (KiDS) project, the International Diabetes Federation, and member of the Youth Advisory Group for the UN Asia-Pacific Report on Youth.

Ms. Shalini Bassi is a trained nutritionist and experienced public health researcher, involved in designing, implementing, management, and evaluation of setting-based, multi-component behavior change interventions for schools, colleges, marginalized communities, and workplaces on various health issues, primarily on prevention and control of Non-Communicable Disease (NCDs) risk factors.
She contributed to research studies and programmes focusing on adolescent health, tobacco control and cessation, promotion of healthy diet and physical activity, diabetes and CVD prevention and management, and obesity, among youth as well as adults. She serves on various Technical Working/Expert groups (formulated by the Ministry of Human Resource Development, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, and National Institute of Health and Family Welfare), and advisory groups (by World Heart Federation). She also serves as a Master Trainer for the National and State Resource Group on School Health Program under Ayushman Bharat organized by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and Ministry of HRD, Government of India.

Dr. Mansi Chopra is an experienced Public Health professional with a demonstrated history of working on non-communicable diseases and associated risk factors including diet, physical activity, lifestyle factors, tobacco, and alcohol; energy metabolism; RMNCH and health system strengthening.
She is skilled in quantitative and qualitative research methods, data management, monitoring and evaluation, project management, scientific writing, proposal development, fundraising, networking, and communication. She completed her doctoral studies (PhD) from All India Institute of Medical Sciences and Lady Irwin College, New Delhi, India.

Ms. Ritu has been working with HRIDAY since June 2022 and is responsible for looking after Finance and Accounts in HRIDAY. Prior to joining HRIDAY,
She worked with the Centre for Policy Research (CPR) and The International Centre for Alternative Dispute Resolution (ICADR). She has 25 years of experience in financial management, grants management, and statutory compliance. She holds ICWAI- Inter and has pursued her bachelor’s in commerce from Vivekanand College, Delhi University.

Dr. Saurabh Kumar Gupta is a dedicated public health professional with extensive experience in public health research. He completed his PhD from PGIMER, Chandigarh. His work primarily focuses on Non-Communicable diseases. He is proficient in both quantitative and qualitative research methods, data management, monitoring and evaluation, project management, scientific writing, and proposal development. He has published various manuscript in various national and international journal. He is proficient in STATA, SPSS and NVivo. His contributions to public health have been recognized with various awards, including the prestigious International travel fellowships and Young Scientist award from the Indian Council of Medical Research, New Delhi.

Dr. Priyobrat Rajkhowa is a global health researcher committed to shaping a healthier and more equitable future. With a doctorate from Manipal Academy of Higher Education, his work has advanced cancer prevention through vaccination, including pivotal contributions to HPV vaccination research. Building on this foundation, Dr. Rajkhowa has driven transformative efforts in tobacco endgame strategies through research and capacity strengthening in India. His current focus lies in addressing the complex and rising burden of non-communicable diseases, with particular emphasis on the intersections of multiple long-term conditions (MLTCs). Dedicated to empowering northeast India, tribal, and marginalized communities, Dr. Rajkhowa envisions leading high-impact research, catalyzing policy innovation, and fostering systems change to strengthen public health at scale.

Dr. Barsa Priyadarshini Rout has 1.5 years of experience across various domains such as Non-Communicable Diseases, Maternal and Child Health, and AIDS control and prevention. She holds a bachelor’s degree in dental surgery and a Master's in Public Health degree.
Her expertise lies in research methodologies, health system strengthening, and programme management. She is currently employed as Project Officer and works on various projects on awareness and prevention of NCDs and their risk factors. She is also involved in projects and activities of the Healthy India Alliance (HIA). She represented HRIDAY/HIA in many important International and national stakeholder workshops/conferences/webinars/meetings.

Dr. Priyanka Verma is a public health professional with a Bachelor’s in Ayurvedic Medicine and Surgery and an MPH from ICMR, Bhubaneswar. With a strong foundation in clinical practice and public health research, she works at the intersection of patient care and health systems. Her work focuses on tuberculosis, non-communicable diseases, and chronic health conditions. She is experienced in research methodology, project management, and scientific writing, with publications in national and international journals. Proficient in STATA, SPSS, MAXQDA, and NVivo, she brings strong analytical and field-based expertise. Dr. Verma is also a UGC-NET JRF awardee, underscoring her academic excellence.

Dr Shishirendu Ghosal chose Public Health as his profession over 3 years of clinical practice in dentistry, when he joined the ICMR-RMRC, Bhubaneswar as a MPH scholar in 2019. He actively participated in serological survey for the SARS-CoV-19, evaluation of a state malaria elimination program and establishing a cohort in Peri-Urban setup and associated health issues during the last five years. Majority of his works are focused towards multimorbidity, oral health, tobacco consumption among the vulnerable populations and health issues related to One Health. His proficiency in scientific writing, data wrangling and analysis reflect from several publications, published in various international peer-reviewed journals as primary- and co-author. He has been a team-lead for two ICMR-funded projects, and experienced with several steps of a field based project, associated issues and their remedies. His primary researches were valued at several national and international public health conferences.

Virendra Singh Tanwar is a seasoned Public Health Professional with over 13 years of experience in program design, implementation, and management. His areas of expertise include RMNCH+A, HMIS, public health research, software and dashboard management, nutrition, migration, MLTCs, NCDs, adolescent health, gender equity, ICDS, and the enforcement of the PC & PNDT Act. He holds a Postgraduate Diploma in Hospital and Health Management from IIHMR, New Delhi, with a specialization in Public Health Management. Mr. Tanwar has previously worked as Senior Program Manager for Vedanta/HZL’s CSR project “Khushi” in Udaipur and as State Project Officer with NHM Gujarat, leading RMNCH+A and PC & PNDT initiatives. He also served as State Research Assistant with the Population Council of India, coordinating health research projects across Rajasthan. Currently, he is a Research Officer with the NIHR Global Health Research Centre on MLTCs, focusing on community engagement for better chronic disease management.

Naveen Kumar Pulicherla is a Public Health Professional with over three years of experience. His core interests include tobacco and alcohol control, infectious disease epidemiology, and chronic disease epidemiology. Skilled in both primary and secondary research, data analysis, and digital data collection tools, he earned his Master of Public Health from the Central University of Kerala and his Bachelor's in Nursing from Sri Venkateswara Institute of Medical Sciences University. Prior to joining HRIDAY, he served as Assistant Manager at Apollo Tele Health Services, designing and managing health programs, and as Surveillance Coordinator at Jhpiego Corporation, providing technical assistance to the Government of Maharashtra for the IDSP-IHIP program.

Mr. Anil Kumar is a professional with more than 15 years of experience in accountancy, finance management, taxation, and finance budgeting for large projects.
He has expertise working with diverse industries like NGOs and private organizations. Anil has strong knowledge of finance, accounting, and taxation. He is flexible, adaptable, and a quick learner. He holds a bachelor’s in commerce from the University of Delhi.

Ms. Neeru Chaudhary is a public health professional and the Communication Officer at HRIDAY. With a strong foundation in research, health promotion, and strategic communications, she brings diverse experience from both grassroots and global settings. At HRIDAY, she leads digital communication efforts, content development, and dissemination of health advocacy materials focused on non-communicable disease (NCD) prevention, youth engagement, and policy outreach.
Previously, she contributed to public health initiatives at Fortify Health, NITI Aayog, and international organizations such as the West African Institute of Public Health and Weill Cornell Medicine. Her work has spanned across social media strategy, data analysis, research writing, and stakeholder engagement.
She holds a Master of Public Health and is the founder of Public Health with Neeru Chaudhary, a YouTube channel dedicated to health education. Neeru is also a published author and passionate mentor, supporting public health graduates across India and beyond

A Public Health Dentist with an in-depth learning and experience in oral health and disease, dental outreach camps, conducting awareness programs on oral health, tobacco cessation counselling and awareness programs at various institutions and rendering skilled dental care at hospitals and satellite centres.
She is also experienced with scientific literature review, research methods, data management, project management, networking and communication.
She completed her master's in dental surgery from K D Dental College, Mathura, India.

Dr. Kajal Taluja is a Public Health professional with experience of working in Tuberculosis for 2 years. She holds a master's degree in public health from All India Institute of Medical sciences, Jodhpur. Kajal believes in evidence based public health practice along with research.

Mr. Shabbir Khan has more than 18 years of experience at HRIDAY. He assists in the preparation of logistics, organizing meetings, workshops, conferences, etc.
He also manages general administrative needs under the project activities and maintain other office work in a systematic manner. He has a experience of survey administration in varied settings, expertise in data collection, data entry, data cleaning, and coding. He maintains excellent relation with schools, colleges, local people, community leaders, slum communities (JJ cluster and Resettlement) and local NGO’s.

Dhirendra Yadav is a dedicated field-based research professional with hands-on experience in implementing community health and development projects across UP and Delhi NCR. He holds an Master Of art's (Political science) Currently serving as Project Technical Support-I at HRIDAY, New Delhi, he is involved in the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) project ANANT MUSKAAN focused on school-based oral health education. His responsibilities include field monitoring, training coordination, data collection, and other tasks Dhirendra’s prior engagements over 5 years reflect a strong background in social mobilization, public health research, and community engagement. He has worked with leading organizations, Institution on projects related to non-communicable diseases, latent TB, lymphatic filariasis elimination, and large-scale economic surveys. His core strengths lie in data collection and Management stakeholder coordination and participatory planning.

She has recently embarked on a new professional chapter with HRIDAY, where she is actively involved in managing field-related coordination activities and overseeing data collection processes. Her role also includes responsibilities in data entry, cleaning, and validation. She holds a Bachelor's degree in Geography and a Master's degree in Rural Development & Management. Her technical expertise spans data visualization, GIS mapping and analysis, SQL, POWERBI as well as data analysis and reporting. Currently, she is employed as a Project Technical Support – I on the ANANT MUSKAAN project — a multi-site implementation research study focused on promoting primary school-based tooth brushing and oral health education across India, supported by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR).

Dr. Manasi V. Shelgaonkar is a dedicated public health professional and dental surgeon with a Master’s in Public Health and a Bachelor of Dental Surgery from Pravara Institute of Medical Sciences. She has actively contributed to healthcare delivery in some of the most remote tribal regions of Maharashtra addressing the burden of Infectious diseases, Maternal and Child Health, Non-communicable diseases. She is proficient in research methodology, program management and data analysis. Dr Shelgaonkar has received COVID dentist warrior award from the Maharashtra State Dental Council for her contributions during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Dr. Manasi V. Shelgaonkar is a dedicated public health professional and dental surgeon with a Master’s in Public Health and a Bachelor of Dental Surgery from Pravara Institute of Medical Sciences. She has actively contributed to healthcare delivery in some of the most remote tribal regions of Maharashtra addressing the burden of Infectious diseases, Maternal and Child Health, Non-communicable diseases. She is proficient in research methodology, program management and data analysis. Dr Shelgaonkar has received COVID dentist warrior award from the Maharashtra State Dental Council for her contributions during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Aarchi Arora is an emerging public health professional with post-graduation in Food & Nutrition specialization in Public Health Nutrition, from Lady Irwin College, Delhi University with a robust foundation in community-based research, nutritional assessment. Currently engaged as Project Technical Support – I at HRIDAY. Her work aligns closely with national health priorities through evidence-based research, strategic communication and community health empowerment. She possesses hands-on experience in anthropometric measurements, dietary recall methods, along with proficiency in tools like SPSS, Epicollect5, & DietCal. She has previously interned at AIIMS, NCEAR-A, contributing to anemia control programs and nutrition education. Her experience spans across clinical and field research, including dietary assessments, and nutritional counseling for vulnerable populations. She blends technical expertise with a deep understanding of socio-behavioral health dynamics. Her interests lie in research translation, program monitoring & evaluation that promote sustainable, community-led health solutions.