The Voice of Emerging World Leaders at BU School of Public Health
I come from India, shaped by a culture and education system where success is often defined by individual achievement. Growing up, I learned that leadership meant standing out, taking charge, working independently and proving your capability through personal effort. Being a strong, self-reliant leader was seen as the ultimate goal. When I moved to the […]
Leading up my first semester as a DrPH student at the Boston University School of Public Health, I was jittery with excitement and nerves. I looked forward to diving back into the school routine, eager for a change from the doldrums of the 9-5 lifestyle. I planned my commuting route from Providence to Boston and […]
As Director of Planning and Health Financing in the Ministry of Health Rwanda, I thought I had reached the top of my career path, in my comfort zone with all the respect and praises around me. But I was uncomfortable. I had a purpose: to ensure that the population has access to high-quality care without […]
In late fall 2024, I came across a Nature Careers article titled “I had three children during my PhD: here’s what I learnt.” I had never met the author, but reading it felt like talking to a friend who finally saw me for who I was in that moment - a mom, a student, and […]
As a global health practitioner, I am champion of community-led, locally driven, research and programming. My doctoral dissertation challenges this notion, as I complete research in a new context as an outsider. Prior to September 2025, I had never visited Zambia. Naturally, as I write this reflection, I recall my very first trip to Africa […]
Reflecting on my 1.5 years in the Doctor of Public Health (DrPH) program, I realize it did more than develop my critical thinking about programs, policies, and leadership. It also taught me to approach life as a project, balancing scope, time, and budget. I learned this the hard way, mostly through survival. I survived managing […]
My palms were sweaty. My heart was racing so fast it felt like it might outrun me. My throat was dry, and I kept rehearsing and re-rehearsing my opening line, as if saying it one more time would make the fear disappear. That’s what happens to me every time I am asked to speak in […]
This year has brought challenges for me and for many others in public health. Toward the end of the Summer, I learned that the Training Grant from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), which had been the funding source supporting my education and research, would be ending due to the nationwide budget cuts […]