I often describe myself as a journalist & documentary filmmaker, who inadvertently wandered into public health, and found – much to my surprise – my life’s work. In 2010, I joined REACH, a Chennai-based non-profit organisation that has been working dedicatedly on tuberculosis since inception.
14 years later, I feel that I have evolved to become a determined and dogged public health professional. I’ve tried to acquire a robust technical understanding of TB and blend this with my strong grounding in humanities and the social sciences. I’ve learnt to channel (but not dismiss) my anger at injustice, misogyny and blatant discrimination within our health systems. At REACH, I’ve co-led and co-designed work on empowering TB-affected communities, adopting gender-responsive approaches to TB, working with the news media and highlighting relatively ignored aspects such as TB and Disability.
I completed my postgraduate diploma in Broadcast Journalism from the Asian College of Journalism in Chennai & subsequently a Masters in Development Studies & International Relations from the University of East Anglia, Norwich. On the personal front, I live in Chennai with my husband and 10-going-on-42 daughter, and our menagerie of dogs and cats.
