After completing my training in paediatrics from Mumbai, I worked in various clinical settings in India and abroad. As I worked in different hospitals- from Mumbai to Nashik, from United Kingdom to the Sultanate of Oman, from Car Nicobar to Jaipur, I got the opportunity to work with people from diverse backgrounds, nationalities, and cultures.
My interest in public health was sparked during our stay in Car Nicobar, a tiny island in the Bay of Bengal. While working in the district hospital, the high rates of malaria and hepatitis B among the Nicobarese population made me wonder what more I could do beyond providing clinical care. On this remote island, I began to understand that public health provides immense opportunities to target systemic issues and bring about change at a community level.
My break came soon after, when I was appointed by WHO to work at the national level, tasked with improving collaboration between the AIDS and TB control programs. The initial couple of years were a steep learning curve as I began my public health journey, but I have thoroughly enjoyed every moment of it since then and have never looked back.
