Media Centre – ARMMAN – Helping Mothers and Children

Sanat Kumar

Director – Technology

Sanat Kumar has a Masters in Engineering with specialization in Computer and System Science from Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore. He also has a double Master’s in Data Science and Al Engineering from Simplilearn. He has expertise in startup entrepreneurship, program management, customer support management, vendor management, software development, setting up offshore development centers, managing global technology operations, pre-sales and solution architecture. He has worked with organizations like HCL Corporation, Wayne Dresser, Visa, Texas Workforce Commission, Texas Education Agency and Westinghouse.

Amrita Mahale

Director – Innovation

Amrita Mahale has over 12 years of experience in digital innovation, product management and strategy. She was previously the Head of Ideation & Incubation at the Wadhwani Institute for Artificial Intelligence, and has also worked at Google and the Boston Consulting Group. She studied Aerospace Engineering at IIT Bombay and Stanford University. At ARMMAN, Amrita is responsible for driving the solution vision and product roadmap for Kilkari and Mobile Academy 2.0 through an iterative, evidence-based, human-centered approach.

Kruti Dalal

Deputy Director – Resource Mobilization and Communication

Kruti Dalal is responsible for setting and implementing the strategy for fundraising and communication at ARMMAN. She has over 12 years of experience in the development sector and as a journalist for Bloomberg TV and Economic Times Now. She has completed her Masters in International Journalism from Cardiff University, UK.

MR. PARESH PARASNIS

TRUSTEE

Mr. Paresh Parasnis has over three decades of management experience with major strengths in strategy development, operations and project management and stakeholder engagement. He headed the Piramal Foundation till March 2021, where he was responsible for the Piramal Group’s philanthropic investments implemented through various initiatives. Prior to that, Mr. Parasnis served as Executive Director & COO with HDFC Standard Life Insurance, and worked in various capacities with HDFC Limited and with Hindustan Lever. Mr. Parasnis is on the board of nonprofits such as Shoshit Seva Sangh, Patna, Collective Good Foundation, Bangalore and Piramal Swasthya Management & Research Institute, besides serving as an Independent Director on the board of Kotak Mahindra Life Insurance Company Limited & Invesco Asset Management India Limited.

Dr. Chetan Purad

Director – Programs (Integrated High Risk Pregnancy Tracking and Management)

Dr. Chetan completed his MBBS from VIMS Bellary and Masters in Public Health from Annamalai University. He also has an MBA and PGDMCH. He has worked with WHO’s TB program, Swasthya Slate RMNCHA (Reproductive, Maternal, Newborn, Child and Adolescent Health) project and Columbia Global Centres on systems strengthening. Dr. Chetan has over two decades of experience in public health and RMNCHA domain. He has also authored several white papers and research articles on systems strengthening, health insurance, health economics, health care financing and technology.

MR. ASHISH SRIVASTAVA

CHAIRPERSON

Ashish has completed his B.Tech. from IIT (BHU) and Masters from IIIT (Bengaluru). He also holds a post-graduate certification in Economics from the University of London. Ashish is a passionate leader, strategist, and advisor for the use of technology in society. He has been actively creating solutions for last-mile social impact for many years in high-impact areas like health, child welfare, urban governance, and defence in partnership with government agencies. Ashish comes from a rich career in the IT industry spanning over three decades, managing large international businesses and leading several cutting-edge technology initiatives. He specializes in conceptualizing, developing, and deploying large and complex solutions. Ashish is presently working on child health and early child education with the Government of Karnataka and is a working committee member for the Data Strategy of Smart Cities Mission, Government of India. He set up and headed the Artificial Intelligence (AI) & Digital lab for CSTEP, a technology-and-policy think tank headquartered in Bengaluru, till recently. He is also part of an invited expert cohort to explore regulatory approaches towards AI and Machine Learning (ML) in healthcare.

DR. PRAJAKTA GHOLAP

ALTERNATE MEMBER SECRETARY

Prajakta is Manager – Monitoring and Evaluation at ARMMAN. She has a Bachelor’s degree in Dental surgery and has experience in patient management. After completing her Masters in Health Administration from Tata Institute of Social Sciences, she worked with NGOs like Saksham and Aditya Jyot Foundation. She has organised, supervised and monitored community based public health activities in urban slums and rural areas. Her work has focused on understanding the key aspects of information use mapping for data driven decision making at program level. Her expertise lies in designing and implementing comprehensive monitoring and data management systems for public health interventions.

DR. MONTY KHAJANCHI

CLINICIAN

Monty obtained his Bachelor of Medicine & Surgery from Maharashtra University Health Sciences and a Diplomate of National Board (DNB) Surgery through the National Board of Examination (Master of Surgery). Since 2010, he has been affiliated with Seth G.S. Medical College and KEM Hospital as Assistant Professor, General Surgery. He is a member of their Institutional Ethics Board for Clinical trial in Bioavailability and Bioequivalence studies & Biomedical and Health Research.

DR. ASHA ACHUTHAN

BASIC MEDICAL SCIENTIST

Asha is a Post Graduate in Medicine from Calcutta University. She obtained her MPhil in Women’s Studies from Jadavpur University, Kolkata, focusing on third-world women and their lived experience of development. She has completed a PhD in Cultural Studies from the Centre for the Study of Culture and Society, Bangalore. She currently teaches at the Advanced Centre for Women’s Studies, Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS), Mumbai. She was recently a Charles Wallace Visiting Fellow at the King’s India Institute, London, UK, working on research related to the dai or midwife’s status in colonial contexts.

MS. UJWALA KADREKAR

LEGAL EXPERT

Ms. Ujwala is a Lawyer and has acquired a Masters in Social Work. Since 2007, she has engaged with many prestigious organisations in various capacities. She comes with a unique blend of expertise in law, research, M&E, and training. She has worked extensively on legal matters pertaining to domestic violence, sexual abuse, and legal provisions advocacy. She has served as a Gender Consultant with Maharashtra State Commission for Women, Senior Legal Consultant and Director (training) for the Lawyers Collective Women’s Rights Initiative, Consultant to United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), UN Women and Oxfam and as visiting faculty at College of Social Work Nirmala-Niketan and worked with Seeds of Awareness, Research Centre for Women Studies and TISS.

MS. AMITA JADHAV

COMMUNITY EXPERT

Amita has a Master’s degree in Social Work from SNDT University and a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Mumbai. She is a part-time fieldwork supervisor at the Department of Social Work at TISS, Mumbai. She is also associated with Manas Foundation, where she works with the tribal community in Karjat Tehsil of Raigad District, making tribal women aware of their rights and increasing their participation at various levels along with initiating actions for individual and collective change

MS. PRACHI AVALASKAR

COORDINATOR

Prachi is currently working as a Research Associate with ARMMAN. She has completed her Master of Science (M.Sc) in Health Sciences from Savitribai Phule Pune University. She has experience working with different non-profit organizations such as Center for Enquiry into Health and Allied Themes (CEHAT), Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS), MUSKAAN, Deenanath Mangeshkar Hospital and Research Center (Pune). She has experience working on issues like Violence against Women, Child Sexual Abuse, Tuberculosis and more. Her expertise lies in liasoning with different stakeholders, training, coordination of activities for program implementation and research.

DR. SUNITA BANDEWAR

CHAIRPERSON

Sunita obtained her Doctorate in Anthropology from the University of Pune, Post-doctoral fellowship from McLaughlin, and trained in Bioethics as part of her Master of Health Science (MHSc) degree from the University of Toronto, supported by an International Fellowship from the Fogarty International Centre, National Institutes of Health (NIH), USA. She is affiliated with the Health, Ethics, and Law Institute (HEaL Institute) for Training, Research and Advocacy at Forum for Medical Ethics Society (FMES), Mumbai, as Director and General Secretary (FMES) since 2015. She is part of the core editorial team of the Indian Journal of Medical Ethics (IJME). She is also the founding trustee of Vidhayak Trust, Pune (2015). She is associated with the civil society based national and regional level networks in the arena of health and civil rights.

DR. BHUVANESWARI SUNIL

MEMBER SECRETARY

Bhuvaneswari is Director – Research at ARMMAN. She has a Masters in Applied Econometrics and a Doctorate in Health Systems Management from School of Health System Studies, Tata Institute of Social Sciences (Mumbai). She has two decades of research experience working with various reputed academic institutions and civil society organisations in India. Her expertise lies in the dimensions of gender and intersectionality, sexual and reproductive health and rights.

MR. VIRUPAX N. RANNBENNUR

Virupax has a Postgraduate degree in Statistics from Karnataka University and Masters in Population Sciences from International Institute for Population Sciences (IIPS), Mumbai. He works as a Senior Technical Advisor SI at FHI 360/Epic Global that implements programs across 30 countries. He has more than 30 years of experience in public health, including program planning, developing strategic information systems, research studies and evaluation of community-based programs. He has worked with major international entities in public health such as International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF), Ford Foundation, United States Agency for International Development (USAID), Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF) and with other international, national and local donors.

DR. NILESH GAWDE

Nilesh is trained in Medicine and completed his MBBS and MD (Preventive and Social Medicine) from the University of Mumbai. He is currently affiliated with TISS (Mumbai) as Assistant Professor at the Centre for Public Health, School of Health Systems Studies. He is also a member of the Institutional Review Board at The Humsafar Trust, Mumbai. He has been part of several projects funded by The Global Fund to fight Aids, Tuberculosis and Malaria (GFATM), Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW), WHO, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Dr. Hanimi Reddy Modugu

Director – Research

Dr. Hanimi has experience in conducting research on education and empowerment of adolescent girls, neonatal & postnatal care of children and mothers, family planning & child nutrition, and has published close to 40 research papers and multiple technical briefs. He has designed studies using mixed method data collection techniques and handled secondary datasets like Census, National Family Health Survey (NFHS) & more. He has worked with organizations like International Center for Research on Women (ICRW), Save the Children, Palladium, PHFI and SEARCH-Gadchiroli. Hanimi holds a Doctoral degree in Demography from International Institute for Population Sciences (IIPS), Mumbai, and is a Post Graduate in Statistics from Andhra University.

Dr. Aparna Hegde

Urogynecologist, Researcher, Social Entrepreneur, Founder and Managing Trustee, ARMMAN

In addition to MD (ObGyn), DNB, FCPS (Gold Medal) and DGO, Dr. Hegde holds a master’s degree from Stanford University, and she was awarded the IUGA International Fellowship in Urogynecology and Pelvic Reconstructive Surgery which she completed in the prestigious Department of Urogynecology at Cleveland Clinic Florida, before returning to India. She is a member of the Editorial Board of International Urogynecology Journal. She is also a member of the International Urogynecology Committee on Prolapse and the 7th International Consultation on Continence, international committees of experts constituted to develop evidence-based guidelines in the field. She is also a Board Member of the FIUGA (the Foundation for International Urogynecological Assistance).

Dr. Hegde is an avid researcher with multiple research awards with a best paper award at the American Urogynecological Society Annual Meeting in 2013 and more than 75 publications and abstracts in peer- reviewed journals She is an internationally recognized pioneer in the field of 3D and 2D sonographic assessment of the pelvic floor and is invited as an expert to conduct workshops and round tables on her research work at the IUGA (International Urogynecology Association) and AUGS (American Urogynecology Society) annual meetings since the last five years and last year’s FIGO conference. Her protocols in 2D and 3D imaging of slings are being used in multiple US and Canadian Universities. She was recently awarded the highly prestigious NIH (National Institute of Health, US) grant for her field study on bladder health in adolescent girls. She was also be awarded the Fellowship of the Sri Lankan Menopause Society in 2019, the 2nd international dignitary to be awarded the same, for contributions made to develop Urogynecology in Sri Lanka.

She is a TED Fellow 2020 and Senior Ashoka Fellow 2020. She was awarded USAID ‘Social Entrepreneur’ award (2018), ‘Woman ChangeMaker’ award (Womanity Foundation, Geneva, 2017), Woman Icon Award in Asia by Nanyung University, Singapore (2016), ‘the Mother Teresa Social Leadership Fellowship in 2016, Digital Woman Entrepreneur Award in 2015, Top Social Innovator Award in 2014 and 2017, the ‘People’s Choice Award’ at Saving Lives at Birth event in Washington DC in 2011, among other awards. She has been featured as one of the five global women leaders in the Voice of America documentary, ‘A Single Step: Journeys of Women Leaders’ (2015).

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MR. ANANT BHAGWATI

TRUSTEE

Mr. Anant Bhagwati has over 20 years of multi-sector experience leading large teams in organizations such as Bain, Accenture and HUL. Mr. Bhagwati is passionate about applying skills learnt in the consulting space to support NGOs, Funders and Coalitions with strategy formulation and implementation to solve social sector issues at scale with equity. He has a rich experience in working with NGOs at different stages of maturity to strengthen leadership, accelerate growth and build capabilities to enable them to achieve impact at scale. Mr. Bhagwati has an MBA from Indian Institute of Management (IIM), Ahmedabad and has led the Transformations team at Dasra.

DR. JANHAVI SANJAY RAUT

TRUSTEE

Dr. Janhavi Raut is the R&D Director, Beauty & Personal Care S&T at Unilever R&D India, having worked with Unilever R&D in different capacities since 1998. She has a PhD. and M.S. in Chemical Engineering from Pennsylvania State University, USA and completed her B. Tech. in Chemical Engineering from Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay. Dr. Raut has 21 publications to her credit and has filed over 26 patents of which 20 have been granted. She has been on the Editorial Advisory Board of Industrial and Engineering Chemistry Research – ACS and was a visiting professor at Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi.

George John

Director – Human Resource and Administration

George John is Director – Human Resource and Administration at ARMMAN. George is a post graduate in HR from Mumbai. He has over 14 years of work experience across Future Group, Tech Mahindra and various IT companies. He has worked as a consultant for startups, contributing in setting up processes and talent management. He loves to travel and enjoys sketching in his free time.

Shirley Varghese

Director – Finance & Accounts

Shirley Varghese is a Chartered Accountant and has completed her Executive MBA from Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Calcutta. She has over 16 years of experience in the field of Finance, Accounts, Planning and Analysis, and Decision Support. Prior to joining ARMMAN, Shirley was Head of Financial and Commercial for the Corporate Travel Division at SOTC Travel Ltd. She has also worked with ICICI Bank, ABN Amro and Royal Bank of Scotland and has supported multiple geographies such as UK, Europe and Asia in various finance-related roles.

MR. ARINDAM MUKHERJEE

TRUSTEE

Mr. Arindam Mukherjee has over 26 years of experience in leading, creating & growing businesses across sectors. He holds an Engineering Degree in Electronics & Communications from University of Mysore, India and has various executive leadership programs from Wharton, INSEAD and Management Centre Europe, Brussels. Mr. Mukherjee spent the majority of his working experience at Philips Healthcare (18+yrs), GE Healthcare and his last position was Vice President, Global Head for Cardiovascular. In 2014, he started up InnovHealth B.V. with special focus on Reverse engineering, Affordable Healthcare (for emerging countries) and commercialization of growth for new innovative companies.

DR. GEETA SANDEEP GHAG

TRUSTEE

Dr. Geeta Ghag is MBBS, MS – General Surgery and serves as Professor of General Surgery at Hindu Hruday Samrat Balasaheb Thackarey Medical College (HBTMC) and Dr. Rustom Narsi Cooper Municipal General Hospital in Mumbai.

MRS. SANDHYA RAJESH KANCHAN

TRUSTEE

Mrs. Sandhya Kanchan has over 24 years of experience in leading pharmaceutical establishments. Her areas of expertise include Regulatory Affairs and Analytical Method Development/ Validation. She has a Masters of Science degree in Chemistry.

DR. DAYASHANKAR R. MAURYA

TRUSTEE

Dr. Dayashankar Maurya has a PhD in Public Policy (Health Policy) from Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, National University of Singapore. He is trained as a physician, and has Masters degrees in Business Administration (Hospital and Healthcare management), and in Public Policy (Health and Social Policy) from the National University of Singapore. Currently he is Assistant Professor and Chairperson Healthcare Management program and International Relations at T. A. Pai Management Institute Manipal, one of the top 15 management institutes in India.

MRS. CHANDA NEERAJ KATHURIA

TRUSTEE

Mrs. Chanda Kathuria retired as the Vice Principal of R.A. Podar College of Commerce & Economics after an impactful teaching career of 37 years. She has also been a visiting faculty at Welingkar Institute of Management. She is currently a Director in an IT company in Mumbai. She has completed her Masters in Commerce and a Diploma in Higher Education from the University of Mumbai. She also has an MBA in International Business from the Institute of Chartered Financial Analysts of India (ICFAI).

DR. SRIKRISHNA SOLGUDU RAMACHANDRA

TRUSTEE

Dr. Srikrishna has an MD in Community Medicine from St. John’s Medical College, Bengaluru and an MPH in International Health and Development from Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, New Orleans, USA. Dr. Srikrishna has over 16 years of experience working in the area of Public Health practice, research and academics.

MR. SRINIVAAS V. SIRIGERI

TRUSTEE

Mr. Srinivaas V. Sirigeri (SVS) is an established self-made entrepreneur, spiritual seeker and a passionate promoter of health. He provided the initial financial support to ARMMAN in 2009 and has been on the Board of Trustees since then. SVS has a keen interest in working for various social and philanthropic causes. His family has also founded the Devasiri Seva Trust to support higher education of financially-weak meritorious students from Indian villages.

Malika Malhotra

Senior Consultant – Content

Malika has a Master’s degree in International Educational Administration & Policy Analysis from Stanford University, California, USA. She specialises in research and policy analysis and creating knowledge sharing solutions for various stakeholders and has previously worked with BBC Media Action, India as the Project Director for National Scale-up of mHealth Services (Kilkari and Mobile Academy).

Dr. Bhuvaneswari Sunil

Director – Research

Dr. Bhuvaneswari Sunil has two decades of experience in public health. She has a Ph.D. in Health Systems Management from Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai and an M.Sc. in Econometrics from Pondicherry University. She is an expert in the area of gender and sexuality and has contributed to multiple research projects with reputed academic institutions such as IIT Madras and many national and international civil society organizations. In the last decade she has been engaged in varied research projects advocating for sexual and reproductive health and rights of marginalised women. She enjoys watching sci-fi television series.

Neha Madhiwalla

Director – Research

Neha Madhiwalla has a Masters in Social Work and has been involved in public health research for over 20 years. Her areas of expertise include maternal and child health, health systems, medical education and training and bioethics. She has worked in Centre for Enquiry in Health and Allied Themes (CEHAT) and Centre for Studies in Ethics and Rights, both affiliated to the Anusandhan Trust, between 1987 and 2013. She worked as Research Scientist at the Ramalingaswami Centre for Equity and Social Determinants of Health, Bangalore in 2016 and 2017. She is also a member of the editorial board of the Indian Journal of Medical Ethics as well as the managing trustee of Chehak Trust, an organisation which has been involved in developing community based models for education, life-skills and disability rehabilitation.

Ramesh Padmanabhan

Chief Executive Officer

Ramesh Padmanabhan is the CEO of ARMMAN. Ramesh was Chief Technology Officer (CTO) at Piramal Foundation prior to joining ARMMAN, leading technology initiatives across primary education, primary healthcare and safe drinking water. Prior to joining the Piramal Foundation in 2016, Ramesh was the CEO of NSE.IT, a technology subsidiary of the National Stock Exchange of India, for seven years. At NSE.IT, Ramesh was pivotal in transforming the company from a captive to a global technology organization. Ramesh has been the Chief Operating Officer (COO) of MphasiS, a technology services company. At MphasiS, Ramesh played key roles in product delivery, platform development, integration of companies and human capital management. Ramesh has done his post-graduation in software technology from the National Center for Software Technology, Mumbai.

Suresh Chaudhary

Senior Consultant – IT

Suresh Chaudhary is in charge of technology at ARMMAN. He has 27 years of experience in process design, application design, development and implementation. His earlier profiles included Cathay Pacific Airlines Hong Kong and as General manager (IT) for Skypak group of companies. He has a Masters Degree in Computer Management and is a PRINCE 2 practitioner.

Kohinoor Mitra

Chief Financial Officer

Kohinoor Mitra is the Chief Financial Officer at ARMMAN. He has 30 years of experience in diverse industries. Prior to joining ARMMAN, he was the All India Commercial Head of MEP Division at Sterling & Wilson Pvt Ltd. He has also worked with Alstom Projects India, MB Petroleum Services and Blue Star Ltd. Kohinoor is a Chartered Accountant and holds graduate degrees in Law and Commerce.

Kumar Madhu Sudan

Project Director – Kilkari and Mobile Academy

Kumar Madhu Sudan manages Kilkari and Mobile Academy projects with ARMMAN. He has 25 years of experience in the development sector during which he has worked with CARE Inc. Intrahealth International, CARE India and BBC Media Action. During the last 6 years he has played pivotal roles in implementing mhealth projects in India across several states.

Usha Varma

Head – Finance Department

Usha Varma heads the Finance Department at ARMMAN. She holds a post graduate diploma in finance management (PGDFM) from Mumbai University and has completed the Intermediate stage of the Chartered Accountancy course from Institute of Chartered Accountants of India. She is a commerce graduate, specialising in accounts & audit, from SNDT University. Usha brings in more than 25 years of work experience with specialisation in FCRA compliances, budget preparation, financial reports, MIS, HR and financial policies, auditing and finalisation of accounts. Usha has an LLM in Personal Law and Law of Crime from Mumbai University. She loves to keep herself updated by reading up on books and the latest news in the field of law and accounts.

Dr. Rajnish Gourh

Director – Operations & Monitoring

Dr. Rajnish Gourh is Director – Operations & Monitoring at ARMMAN. He has a master’s degree in Public Health as well as Business Management(Health & Hospital), and has worked with Impact India Foundation, for Lifeline Express, SEARCH Gadchiroli and other esteemed organisations. He is a member of the Lancet Commission on Global Surgery and Ethics Committee of Indian Dental Association. He is a visiting faculty at Tata Institute of Social Sciences and DY Patil University. He loves traveling and reading history and socioeconomic development books.

Geetanjali Jha Chakraborty

Advisor

Geetanjali is an Advisor at ARMMAN. She has a Masters in Social Work and an LLM in Human Rights and Criminal Law. She started her career as an HR professional with National Thermal Power Corporation but made a shift to non-profits more than a decade ago. She has served in leadership roles at CHILDLINE India Foundation, Concern India Foundation, and Secure Giving and has been involved with ARMMAN in various capacities since 2014. She is also on the Executive Board of FMCH (the Foundation for Mother and Child Health) and Apnalaya.

Carlyle Pereira

Chief Program Officer

Carlyle Pereira is the Chief Program Officer at ARMMAN. He has completed his Bachelor In Social Work from Nitmala Niketan, and Masters in Medical and Psychiatric Social Work from Tata Institute of Social Sciences. He was introduced to the development sector as a volunteer at the age of 16 and has been associated with the sector for over two decades. He is passionate about technology and has worked with the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment & Ministry of Women and Child Development Govt. of India and their respective counterparts in the Maldives and Egypt implementing telecom solutions for social development. He has been part of DP (Development Plan) Advisory Committee – Health for Mumbai City. His interests include evolutionary biology and astronomy.

mMitra won the People’s Choice Award at the ‘Saving Lives at Birth’ event held by USAID in Washington DC in 2011.

Dr. Aparna Hegde was awarded the WomenChangeMakers (WCM) Fellowship for the year 2017 by Geneva-based The Womanity Foundation.

Dr. Aparna Hegde, founder of ARMMAN, was featured as one of the five global women leaders in the voice of America documentary, ‘A Single Step: Journeys of Women Leaders’ in 2015.

The paper titled ‘Impact of mHealth Initiatives on Utilization of Antenatal Care Services in Rural Maharashtra, India’ by S. Joshi, A. Hegde, N. Patil was published in the Indian Journal of Maternal and Child Health, Volume 17(2), 2015.

The Arogya Sakhi Home–Based Antenatal and Infancy Care programme won the runner’s up position in the 6th mBillionth Award in 2015.

mMitra won the silver award for Best Use of Mobile for ‘Social & Economic Development’ at the India Digital Awards 2017 hosted by Internet & Mobile Association of India (IAMAI).

mMitra was awarded the Public Health Initiative of the year 2017 at the India Health and Wellness Summit and Awards for leading a public health campaign with measurable impact.