Media Centre

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 2 nd international dignitary to be awarded the same, for contributions made to develop Urogynecology in Sri Lanka.

She is a TED Fellow 2020 and 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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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.

George John

Deputy Director – Human Resource and Administration

George John is Deputy Director – Human Resource and Administration at ARMMAN. George is a post graduate in HR from Mumbai. He has about 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.

Neha Madhiwalla

Head – Research

Neha Madhiwalla is the head of the Research Unit at ARMMAN. She 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.

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.

Swati Saxena

Director -Resource Mobilization, Communication & New Initiatives

Swati is responsible for the creation and execution of a resource mobilization and communication strategy for ARMMAN. She has an experience of over 15 years wearing various hats, including that of a resource mobilization and communication professional in the development sector, working on programmes by Population Services International, UNICEF, UNFPA, The Global Fund, Rotary’s Pulse Polio Committee and NACO. Prior to ARMMAN, she successfully founded an education startup in the ﬁeld of skill-building, working out of the Centre for Innovation Incubation and Entrepreneurship (CIIE) at IIM Ahmedabad.

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.

Ramesh Padmanabhan

Chief Executive Officer

Ramesh Padmanabhan is the Chief Executive Officer of ARMMAN. He has over 25 years of experience in the information technology and non-profit sectors. His earlier roles include Chief Technology Officer of Piramal Foundation and Managing Director & CEO of NSE.IT.

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.