Steering Committee & Core Team

Dr. Gupta is Director of the Division of Infectious Diseases at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. She is also Faculty Co-chair of the Gupta-Klinsky India Institute at Johns Hopkins University, and Professor of Infectious Diseases at the JH School of Medicine, with a joint appointment in International Health at the JH Bloomberg School of Public Health.

Sara Bennett, PhD, is an accomplished and respected figure in the field of health policy and systems research. As a Professor and Vice Chair in the International Health Department of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, she also serves as the Director of the Health Systems Program. Her areas of expertise include health workforce issues such as motivation and planning, health financing, and health markets in low- and middle-income countries. Dr. Bennett's research has had a significant impact on the development of the field, and she has made important contributions to institutional capacity development, health systems governance, and the use of evidence in policy and decision-making. Her career includes both academic and policy positions, including former Chair of Health Systems Global, editor of Health Policy and Planning, and Executive Director of the Alliance for Health Policy and Systems Research at the World Health Organization. Dr. Bennett's dedication to bridging the gap between academia and practice, as well as building institutional capacity for health research internationally, is evident in her strong commitment to making a real-world impact. She graduated with distinction from Oxford (MA), Cambridge (MPhil) and London School of Economics (PhD). Follow Dr. Bennett on Twitter @saracbennett for updates on her latest research and thoughts on health policy and systems.

Kunal Pal is the Executive Director of the Gupta-Klinsky India Institute at Johns Hopkins University. Previously, he spent eight years at the University of Chicago where he led the International Innovation Corps and the Applied Data Fellowship programs as Executive Director. During his tenure, he led strategy, growth, and operations for both programs, while overseeing project development and outcomes in India and the United States. Under his leadership, the International Innovation Corps grew to be the pre-eminent social impact fellowship program in India, with 250+ Fellows and alumni across 40+ projects with the Indian Government and social sector organizations. He co-founded the US-based Applied Data Fellowship in 2018, growing it to 200+ Fellows and 100+ partner organizations since launch. Previously, he founded and ran a technology-driven admissions consulting firm in India that linked prospective applicants to current students. He also worked in business development and events at a leading public relations firm in India, during which time he worked closely with C-Suite executives to create and execute partnerships and national campaigns. Kunal holds an MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business with concentrations in marketing management, managerial & organizational behavior, and strategic management. He also earned his BA (cum laude) in English from Franklin & Marshall College. He spent his formative years in Kolkata, India and later attended The Doon School in Dehradun.

Neetisha is Deputy Director for the Gupta-Klinsky India Institute at Johns Hopkins University, based out of New Delhi, India. She is responsible for developing strategy and managing operations for GKII, including external partnerships, internal liaisons, and program development. She brings her experience of working in public sector consulting and private sector operations management. As a Prime Minister’s Rural Development Fellow working for the Government of India, Neetisha has worked in various community development and citizen service delivery programs. She holds an MPA/ID degree from the Harvard Kennedy School, an MDP degree from Tata Institute of Social Sciences, and a Bachelor in Technology degree from IIT Kanpur.

Ritu Agarwal is the Wm. Polk Carey Distinguished Professor of Information Systems and Health at the Johns Hopkins Carey Business School.  She is also the founding co-director of the Center for Digital Health and Artificial Intelligence (CDHAI) Dr. Agarwal is an expert in the strategic use of information technology, digital transformation of healthcare, health analytics, and artificial intelligence applications in health.  Prior to joining the Carey School, she was a Distinguished University Professor and the Robert H. Smith Dean’s Chair of Information Systems at the Robert H. Smith School of Business, University of Maryland, College Park.  She was also the Founding Director of the Center for Health Information and Decision Systems (CHIDS) at the Smith School. As a scholar working at the intersection of social science, data science and technology, Dr. Agarwal’s research seeks to apply advanced digital technologies to healthcare practice and delivery, and to unravel the underlying behavioral, psychological, and social processes that enable and constrain successful healthcare interventions.  She has been a pioneer in research related to digital technologies and health among scholars in leading business schools, and has devoted her research efforts towards improving healthcare quality, promoting equity and access, and reducing costs.  She has published over 100 articles in leading business and healthcare journals such as Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Information Systems Research, MIS Quarterly, Management Science, Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association, and Health Affairs.

Dr. Agarwal's research is aimed at improving maternal and newborn health in low-income settings through strengthening community health systems and leveraging innovative technological solutions. Over the last decade, she has developed methods for evaluating programs that employ digital tools such as mobile phones for health service delivery. She has also led a series of systematic Cochrane reviews that have been leveraged by the WHO to develop global guidelines on the use of digital tools to strengthen health services. She continues to work with bilateral and multilateral agencies to support development and implementation of routine health information systems. Specifically, her research is focused on- 1. The effectiveness of the use of digital devices by community health workers as decision-aids to improve delivery of primary health care services, especially for mothers and infants; 2. Using predictive analytics and machine learning algorithms based on routine monitoring data to enhance our understanding of quality of care, create safety nets to care for high-risk populations and improve effectiveness of reproductive health services; 3. Use of social media websites and data to understand health patterns and behaviors. Currently, she is working in collaboration with the Population Council, and colleagues at Pathfinder International (Uganda) and Zanmi Lasante (Haiti) to conduct a multi-country study using discrete choice experiments to understand incentive preferences of community health workers in Kenya, Bangladesh, Uganda and Haiti.

Uttara Bharath Kumar works on the research, design, implementation and evaluation of global interventions that address social, structural and behavioral barriers to positive health outcomes.  Since 1993, she has worked in health areas ranging from RNMCH, HIV/AIDs, TB and malaria to non-communicable diseases, including cancers and mental health.  Drawing from behavioral science, design thinking, entertainment-education and other SBC approaches, some of the programs she has led in Africa and Asia, have won prestigious awards. In addition to co-facilitating SBC capacity strengthening workshops and courses in 15 countries, she had led the annual South Asia Regional workshop on Leadership in Strategic Communication (LSC) since 2012. She has also been closely involved in founding and mentoring locally-governed SBC organizations in India and Zambia.

Dr. Bollinger is the Raj and Kamla Gupta Professor of Infectious Diseases at the Johns Hopkins University (JHU) School of Medicine, and he holds joint appointments in International Health at the Johns Hopkins (JH) Bloomberg School of Public Health, and in Community Public Health at the JH School of Nursing. He is the Founding Director of the JH Center for Clinical Global Health Education (now CCGHE-ID), Associate Director for Medicine of the JH Center for Global Health, and serves on the Advisory Team for the Johns Hopkins Precision Medicine Center of Excellence for COVID-19. He is board certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine in internal medicine and infectious diseases. 

I collaborate with the Center for Cancer Epidemiology at the Tata Memorial Cancer Hospital, Mumbai, in designing and analyzing genetic and epidemiologic studies across cancers of different sites. This collaboration has led to discovery of new genetic risk locus of gall bladder cancer (Mahatre et al., Lancet Oncology, 2017) and characterization of risk of breast and gallbladder cancers with respect to various lifestyle and reproductive factors. I am also in close contact with educators and researchers from a number of statistical and data science institutes in India including the Indian Statistical Institute (my alma mater) and the National Institute of Biomedical Genomics.

Rama Chellappa, a Bloomberg Distinguished Professor in electrical and computer engineering and biomedical engineering at Johns Hopkins University is a leading researcher in the area of artificial intelligence. His work in computer vision, pattern recognition, and machine learning have had a profound impact on areas including biometrics, smart cars, forensics, and 2D and 3D modeling of faces, objects, and terrain. His work in motion capturing and imaging shows promise for future use in health care and medicine.

As the Dean of Undergraduate Admissions at Johns Hopkins University, Ellen Chow provides strategic oversight for the recruitment and selection of first-year and transfer students to the Krieger School of Arts and Sciences and the Whiting School of Engineering. She also manages the communications, visitors center, and admissions counseling staff teams as a part of the broader Homewood Student Affairs division at Hopkins. Before coming to Hopkins, Ms. Chow worked for her undergraduate alma mater, the University of Pennsylvania, most recently serving as the Vice Dean of Strategic Planning for the Undergraduate Admissions Office. Prior to that, she managed operations staff among other key roles for Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management. Ms. Chow completed her bachelor of arts at the University of Pennsylvania and holds a masters degree in social service administration from the University of Chicago. 

Dr. Somesh leads the Health Horizons Unit at Jhpiego’s Technical Leadership and Innovations office in Baltimore, US.  As Sr. Director for the Health Horizons team, he provides visionary guidance, and stewardship for advancing, designing and execute pioneering and innovative approaches and solutions for frontier priorities in Global health. This includes Technology & Advanced Analytics (AI/ML), Future Ready Health Systems, Women’s Cancers (Breast & Cervical), Life Course Immunization etc. He envisions creating value in the healthcare ecosystem with the ultimate goal of bringing healthcare closer to the users to consume healthcare when and where they want it. 

Anju Malhotra, PhD, connects research with practice to shape smart, scalable strategies for advancing gender equality in health, education, & opportunity in the global South. Her research interests are: Innovation in systemic reforms and measurement on gender equality, investment in adolescent girls' well-being and human capital, sexual and reproductive health--especially among adolescents, child marriage, women-friendly quality of services in maternal health and family planning, gender and the labor force in the health sector.

Dr. Mave has more than 18 years of experience in clinical practice, education, and research in infectious diseases. Is the co-director for the Center for Infectious Diseases in India. She directs all clinical research activities for the Indo-JHU program, which conducts phase I, II, and III clinical trials of therapeutic drug interventions for HIV and co-morbid infections, including TB and hepatitis, in adults (including pregnant women) and children in Pune, India. Her research interests includes antimicrobial resistance, comorbidities (including diabetes, HIV), and the use of novel tools (Hair PK, whole genome sequencing, host biomarkers) to study TB treatment outcomes.

Primary research interests include working with hard-to reach populations to understand the epidemiology, natural and treated history of HIV, hepatitis C virus (HCV) and HIV/HCV co-infection; Populations of interest include injection drug users and men who have sex with men as well as their sexual partners in both Baltimore and international settings, particularly India; Special interest in identifying and overcoming barriers to care and treatment of HIV and hepatitis C virus among such populations.

Dr. Chirag R. Parikh is a Professor of Medicine and the Director of the Division of Nephrology at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. Dr. Parikh was originally from India and attended medical school at Seth G.S. Medical College and KEM Hospital in Mumbai, India. He completed his fellowship in Nephrology and Hypertension and UNOS Transplant Certification at the University of Colorado. While completing his fellowship, he also earned a doctorate in Clinical Investigation. Dr. Parikh has been awarded several active NIH grants, published over 500 original articles, and been cited over 50,000 times in the literature. His research focuses on translating and validating novel biomarkers for the diagnosis and prognosis of acute kidney injury. At Johns Hopkins, Dr. Parikh also directs the Precision Medicine Center of Excellence for Kidney Diseases, which uses data science and machine learning approaches to enable transformative changes in clinical care and research studies that aim to personalize treatment for each patient. Dr. Parikh's influence extends beyond the borders of the United States. He has established fruitful collaborations with the APEX Nephrology Group in Mumbai and IIT Mumbai scientists, contributing to their kidney research programs, setting up a sample biorepository, and planning their annual kidney conference. His division at Johns Hopkins also hosts medical students, residents, and nephrology fellows from leading academic institutions in India, further strengthening the global network of nephrology professionals and making you part of this interconnected community.

Dr. Parikh leads the Global Institute for Vision Equity (GIVE), an initiative that partners with high volume, social-justice driven eye care systems across India to enable equity in eye care globally through development and translation of novel solutions addressing critical needs in ophthalmology and designed for the patients, care providers, and the context of care in under-resourced settings.

Nancy Reynolds is a Professor and Associate Dean of Global Affairs at the Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing; the Director of Center for Global Initiatives; Director, WHO Collaborating Centre for Nursing Information, Knowledge Management; and Co-Secretary General, Global Network of the WHO Collaborating Centers of Nursing and Midwifery. She is a member of the board of the Consortium of Universities for Global Health (CUGH). She is an NIH-funded researcher whose global health research in India has focused on development of interventions that use low-cost cellphone technology to bring health care services to vulnerable populations affected by HIV.

Dr. Shekhawat is the Stephen F Raab and Mariellen Brickley-Raab Rising Professor of Ophthalmology at the Wilmer Eye Institute, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. He is a translational physician-scientist with dual expertise in ophthalmology and epidemiology. His clinical research focuses on development of imaging and genomic biomarkers of corneal infections, a major cause of blindness worldwide. He also co-leads a multidisciplinary team that leverages advances in telemedicine, artificial intelligence, and epidemiologic methods to develop novel approaches to expanding eye care delivery in the United States and globally. Dr. Shekhawat’s research has been recognized by awards and grants from the National Institutes of Health, National Academy of Medicine, American Academy of Ophthalmology, Research to Prevent Blindness, and the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology. His research has been featured in The New York Times, Time Magazine, and the U.S. News and World Report.

Anita Shet is a pediatrician and a public health specialist and director of the Johns Hopkins Maternal and Child Health India program that focuses on addressing health issues among women, infants and children, and strengthening public health capacity in India. Her interests span maternal and child nutrition, pediatric and adolescent HIV, dengue infections, social determinants of health, childhood immunization and vaccine-preventable diseases. Her practice areas include addressing pandemic-related disruptions of routine childhood vaccination and essential health services, and advocacy efforts to expand vaccine access in India and globally. At present, she also focuses on empowering disadvantaged children and youth to live with good health and dignity.

Dr. Solomon's work focuses on HIV, viral hepatitis and other infectious diseases across India. He currently has operations in almost 20 Indian states and partners with national and state governments as well as community-based organizations.

Joshua T. White is Professor of the Practice of International Affairs at Johns Hopkins SAIS, and serves as the inaugural director of the U.S.-ASEAN and U.S.-Pacific Institutes for Rising Leaders. He is also a Nonresident Fellow in the Foreign Policy program at The Brookings Institution. He previously served at the White House as Senior Advisor & Director for South Asian Affairs at the National Security Council, where he staffed the President and National Security Advisor on the full range of South Asia policy issues pertaining to India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, and the Indian subcontinent, and led efforts to integrate U.S. government policy planning across South and East Asia. Prior to joining the White House, Dr. White was a Senior Associate and Co-Director of the South Asia program at The Stimson Center and, previously, Senior Advisor for Asian and Pacific Security Affairs in the Office of the Secretary of Defense, a position he held in conjunction with an International Affairs Fellowship from the Council on Foreign Relations. While at the Pentagon he supported Deputy Secretary of Defense Ash Carter in advancing the U.S.-India Defense Technology and Trade Initiative, and advised on a broad set of defense issues related to the department’s rebalance to the Asia-Pacific. He graduated magna cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa from Williams College with a double major in history and mathematics, and received his PhD with distinction from Johns Hopkins SAIS.

Dr. David Peters, Dean of the Faculty of Health, York University, Toronto, is a founding member and former faculty co-chair of the Gupta-Klinsky India Institute at Johns Hopkins University. He studies how to strengthen health systems in low- and middle-income countries, particularly to better serve poor and vulnerable populations.

Dr. Santosham studies International Health; Epidemiologic studies of enteric infections; improved oral rehydration therapy; field testing of vaccines; h. influenzae tybe b; pneumococcal; neonatal health; Zinc supplementation; rotavirus.

Dr. Agarwala studies how vulnerable populations, particularly workers, assert their rights through social movements. Her research has examined a range of working populations (including informal workers and migrant workers), workers’ identities (including class, gender, and caste), and worker industries (including construction, tobacco manufacturing, garment manufacturing, trash collection, domestic work, and agricultural labor). 

Pravin Krishna is the Chung Ju Yung Distinguished Professor of International Economics and Business at Johns Hopkins University, where he is jointly appointed in the School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) in Washington, DC and the Department of Economics in the Zanvyl Krieger School of Arts and Sciences (KSAS) in Baltimore. Professor Krishna is also Co-Chair of the Bernard L. Schwartz Globalization Initiative at Johns Hopkins SAIS and a Research Associate at the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER). Professor Krishna has previously been Professor of Economics at Brown University and has also held appointments at a number of other universities, including the University of Chicago, Columbia University, Princeton University, Stanford University and INSEAD. He has served as a consultant to the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund.

Dr. Prabhala's work on India focuses on banks, financial intermediaries, and corporate finance in India. His prior and ongoing research includes work on credit scoring and its adoption by Indian banks, bank runs, the use of robo-advisors for wealth management, lowering frictions in consumer credit search, retail lending under fairness criteria, the impact of regulations and government programs such as laws to strengthening creditor rights, priority sector lending programs to aid small businesses, and PMJDY, a large-scale financial inclusion program.

Sridevi Sarma, associate professor in the Department of Biomedical Engineering and vice dean for graduate education at the Whiting School of Engineering, develops computational, data-driven, and biological approaches to advance the knowledge and treatment of diseases of the nervous system including epilepsy, chronic pain, Parkinson’s disease, and insomnia. She also harnesses dynamical systems and control theory to understand how the brain governs complex behaviors, including motor control and decision making.

Dr. Wahl is an infectious disease epidemiologist with an interest in the changing epidemiology of vaccine-preventable respiratory diseases in children. He leads field studies and employs mathematical modeling to address critical questions related to vaccine program performance, optimization, and equity. He has also led several public health training and capacity development efforts with several partner organizations. He has been based in South Asia for more than a decade where he collaborates with researchers from leading institutions in the region.

Colter Billings is a Communications Specialist for Gupta-Klinsky India Institute at Johns Hopkins University and the Center for Infectious Diseases in India. He creates content and manages projects that amplify the mission and work of the GKII and CIDI. Generating and executing cross-platform communications plans, developing strategic messaging, tracking engagement and coordinating with other JHU communications teams are elements of that role.

Molly Bowen is the Senior Communications Manager at the Gupta-Klinsky India Institute at Johns Hopkins University, the Division of Infectious Diseases at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, and the Center for Infectious Diseases in India. She joined GKII at its founding in 2021. She develops communications strategy, sets goals, serves as managing editor, and oversees content development and production across platforms including website, social media, newsletter, videos, and reports. She has 20+ years of experience in infectious diseases communications.

In his role at Johns Hopkins, Jon Goldstein represents all divisions of the university in international fundraising and alumni relationship efforts. Prior to coming to this role in 2017, he spent 8 years at the Johns Hopkins Center for Talented Youth (CTY) as Deputy to the Director for CTY International, with responsibilities that included program management for CTY’s programs in Hong Kong, fundraising in the region, partnerships, and opening CTY’s office in Hong Kong in 2012. Before coming to Hopkins in 2009, he was a history teacher for 11 years at two independent schools in the US: Bryn Mawr School for Girls in Baltimore, and Loomis Chaffee School in Connecticut. Jon has BA and MA degrees from the Johns Hopkins Krieger School of Arts and Sciences.

Srishti Kapil is a communications and impact sector professional based in New Delhi, India. She previously led digital communications and strategy at Young Leaders for Active Citizenship (YLAC) and The Quantum Hub (TQH), two sister organisations advancing civic engagement and policy consulting in India. Her work spans program implementation, social media strategy, performance marketing, policy advocacy, and stakeholder engagement. She brings a data-driven lens to public engagement and has led several high-impact digital campaigns, working closely with academics, corporations, state actors, and civil society partners. Her experience also includes roles at Jawaharlal Nehru University, The Ideaz Factory, and Touchstone Partners, along with fellowships at Slam Out Loud, Impact Academy, and the Centre for AI Safety. Academically trained in English Literature (Sri Venkateswara College, University of Delhi) and Media and Cultural Studies (Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai), Srishti transitioned from corporate operations and advertising to the impact sector after discovering effective altruism. Guided by a deep commitment to evidence-based impact, she is passionate about using strategic communications to connect ideas, institutions, and individuals working to solve the world’s most pressing problems.

Siddharth Mohite is a Program Coordinator for the Gupta-Klinsky India Institute (GKII) at Johns Hopkins University, based in New Delhi, India. He supports the implementation of GKII’s flagship programs, events, delegation visits, and activities in India, with a particular focus on the Women in STEMM Fellowship and the Nexus Conference. Prior to joining GKII, Siddharth worked with the Election Commission of India as a Consultant, where he supported programs, outreach efforts, and policy interventions. He has experience in program management, stakeholder engagement and strategic initiatives. Siddharth holds a Bachelor's degree in Economics from Shri Ram College of Commerce, University of Delhi.

Ira Pundeer is a Communications Consultant for the Gupta-Klinsky India Institute at Johns Hopkins University. Based out of New Delhi, India, she’s responsible for enhancing the Institute’s brand visibility and implementing a communication strategy within India and the US. Prior to joining GKII, Ira has worked in communications, outreach, and brand management for private and inter-governmental organizations across the domains of global health, development finance, public-private sector engagement, and higher education. She was the India Communications Manager at Harvard’s Lakshmi Mittal and Family South Asia Institute, where she worked with faculty and scholars to develop compelling stories and multimedia about the Institute’s programs, research projects, and events. She holds a master’ degree in English Literature from Hindu College, Delhi University.

Beth Romanski is a transformative influence in professional education, known for her ability to turn visionary concepts into tangible learning opportunities. With a collaborative approach, she blends educational leadership, strategic planning, and relationship-building to drive innovation. Beth is a resilient leader of continuing education with over 20 years of experience in versatile roles; spearheading strategic educational operations, overseeing the development of portfolios 80+ online micro-credentials, leading new online degree and certificate programs, and forging strategic partnerships for higher education institutions. Her vision for delivering accessible, superior-quality learning experiences has elevated global learner engagement and significantly impacted learners worldwide. Beth's expertise in curriculum development, instructional design, data analysis & research, enrollment management, project management, event coordination, and marketing complement her commitment to promoting lifelong learning and student success in diverse settings. With a Master of Science in Higher Education Administration and Leadership and specialized training in Instructional Design, Beth actively contributes to numerous industry organizations in leadership roles. Beth is also a certified Health Coach and Workplace Wellness consultant, integrating her specialized knowledge to support the mission of the JHU Bloomberg School of Public Health and Department of International Health. In her appointment as the U.S.-based GKII Program Manager, Beth is dedicated to elevating the impact of JHU GKII’s educational and student engagement initiatives.

Meghashish Sharma is Program Manager for the Gupta-Klinsky India Institute at Johns Hopkins University, based out of New Delhi, India. He is an experienced professional with a dynamic background and expertise in the fields of global public health and development. Proficient in the areas of health economics and health systems strengthening, he has worked with various organisations including The World Bank, Jhpiego, Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, India. He is currently a fellow with the Health Systems Transformation Platform India, and is part of the second cohort of the Health Policy & Systems Research Fellowship. He has also served in various remote and hard to reach areas including Navrongo, UER, Ghana, (NHRC, Ghana Health Service) and Bolangir, Odisha, India. Apart from his MSc. in Global Health from Georgetown University (Class of ‘17), Meghashish received his bachelor’s degree in dentistry from Dr. NTR University of Health Sciences, Vijaywada in 2014

I am a budget Analyst for Johns Hopkins School of Public health. As a budget analyst my job is to ensure all financial transactions that are done within each ledger are properly accounted for along and meet the budget guidelines. Before working at Johns Hopkins, I worked as a teller in the banking industry for four years. While working as a teller I completed my bachelor’s degree in finance from University of Maryland Global Campus. During my education I learned how to analyze financial transactions as well as estimate the value of different financial securities using multiple methods.

April Wilson is an Administrative Coordinator for Gupta-Klinsky India Institute and International Vaccine Access Center at Johns Hopkins University. She offers support to the Executive Director, Senior Advisors, Faculty and Staff. She supports with organization, communication, planning and numerous other tasks within the institute. April has more than 10 years of experience in customer service and providing administrative support in other roles.