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Hi, my name is Ruchita!

I am a PhD Candidate in Infectious Disease Epidemiology at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, motivated to study inequities in health at the global and domestic stage, using a combination of tools at the nexus of biology, math and social science, with the ultimate goal of influencing public health policy. Outside of academia I am dedicated to writing, music, media, and travel as ways to share, connect and grow, and am a committed mentor to students both in and out of the classroom. My ultimate goal in life is to be a lifelong creative, learner and explorer.

About Me

AB in Molecular Biology, Princeton University 

​Concentrations in Engineering Biology and Global Health and Health Policy

MPhil in Veterinary Sciences, University of Cambridge 

Trinity Mann Scholar

Cambridge Trust Scholar 

PhD Candidate in Infectious Disease Epidemiology, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health 

Dissertation Advisory Committee: Drs. Marc Lipsitch, William Hanage, Megan Murray and Curtis Huttenhower

I have a deep passion for making a positive impact, I am is driven by the values of integrity, collaboration, and excellence, with a commitment to uplifting communities and fostering growth. 

Fellowships and Awards

Excellence in Teaching

Awarded by the Department of Epidemiology at the Harvard. T.H. Chan School of Public Health for

excellence in teaching advanced coursework in causal inference

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Women and Public Policy Program Fellow 

Received $3000 to pursue gender focused policy work at the United Nations University, International

Institute for Global Health, from the Harvard Kennedy School Women and Public Policy Program.

Fulbright Research Scholar (India) ​

Awarded a Fulbright-Nehru Research Award to explore wastewater as a cost-effective tool for drug-resistance monitoring

Bok Center Media and Design Fellow ​

Selected as a Media and Design Fellow at Harvard University's Bok Center for Teaching and Learning, developing tools to improve public health instruction and communication through comedy, podcasting and media

My Portfolio

Welcome to my portfolio. Here you’ll find a selection of my work. Explore my projects to learn more about what I do.

Featured Work

See some of my work featured in media

Republicans Are Hazardous to Your Health

by Gregg Gonsalves

The Nation

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