WomenLift Health has selected the inspiring leaders below to participate in the 2026 India Leadership Journey, a fully funded leadership initiative designed to support women through the challenges and opportunities of advancing to senior leadership positions in global and public health.
Cohort A
Aarthi Sundararajan
Assistant Professor, Institute of Science, Nirma University, Ahmedabad, Gujarat
Ankita Tiwari
State Consultant, National Health Mission, Chhattisgarh
Anusha Purushotham
Head - Health Systems and Policy, Remidio
Arohi Chauhan
PhD Fellow, South Asian Institute of Health Promotion, New Delhi and Maastricht University, Netherlands
Ayesha Nawaz
Programme Manager - Public Health, OLA Foundation
Divya Sharma
Technical expert, Siemens Healthineers
Geeta Chhibber
Public Health Consultant
Hafsa Ahmad
Scientist 'D', Office of the Principal Scientific Adviser to Govt. of India
Scientist E & Program Officer, Indian Council of Medical Research
Ifat Hamid
Gender, Public Health and Climate Change Specialist, Ark Foundation
Japleen Pasricha
Founder-CEO, Feminism in India (FII)
Kavita Ayyagari
Country Director, Girl Effect
Komal Kumari
Senior Program Manager, Piramal Foundation
Kunhi Lakshmi Josyula
Professor, PHFI Institute of Public Health Sciences Deemed to be University (formerly Indian Institute of Public Health, Hyderabad)
Lakshmi Krishnan
Specialist Scientist, Isaac Centre for Public Health (ICPH), Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bangalore
Mandeep Kaur
Assistant Professor, Govt. Medical College, Patiala, Punjab
Manisha Dutta
Project Lead, Samyak - Collective Good Foundation
Mythri Shankar
Doctor, Associate Professor of Nephrology, Institute of Nephro-Urology, Bengaluru
Neha Singhal
Associate Director, Grants Officer (Asia Pacific), Pfizer
Parul Sharma
Program Manager - Partnership & Inter Sectoral Convergence (UNFPA Program), Centre For Community Economics and Development Consultants Society (CECOEECON)
Rashmi Dhoundiyal
Senior Program Officer, Jhpiego
Shibumi Prem
State Head, Jhpiego
Shilpa Sadanand
Program Manager, The George Institute for Global Health
Shirisha Chilla
Program Officer, Maternal Health, Government sector
Sneha Joshi
Head of Research and Senior Scientist, Prashanti Cancer Care Mission's Centre for Translational Cancer Research
Suhela Kapoor
Senior Consultant, ICMR NIRDHDS
Surbhi Seth
Director-Health Facilities & Systems Strengthening, India Health Action Trust
Vandana Singh
Senior Deputy Director Maternal Health, University of Manitoba
Vasundhara Yalguresh Kulkarni
Scientific Officer, Centre for Cancer Epidemology, Tata Memorial Hospital
Cohort B
Ayushi Agrawal
Project Director - Urban Immunization, John Snow India
Bhawna Bakshi
National Program Manager, Jhpiego Corporation
Bobby Paul
Professor and Head, Dept. of Preventive and Social Medicine, All India Institute of Hygiene and Public Health
Debarati Mukherjee
Professor, Indian Institute of Public Health-Bengaluru, Public Health Foundation of India, Lead and Professor-in-Charge, PHFI-Centre for Developmental and Lifecourse Research
Jaspreet Kaur Kang
Principal, KD Institute of Physiotherapy
Jyoti Benawri
State Head, Jhpiego
Lalitha K
Professor, Community Medicine & Chairperson, Internal Complaint Committee, MS Ramaiah Medical College, Ramaiah University of Applied Sciences
Mini GK
Professor, Global Institute of Public Health, Ananthapuri Hospitals and Research Institute, Trivandrum
Monika Chauhan
National Program Manager- Health & Nutrition, PCI India
Mrudula Holkar
District Program Manager, National Health Mission, Pune District, Public Health Department, Govt of Maharashtra
Nidhi Roy Sharma
Market Access and Policy Advocacy, Biopharmaceutical Company
Nilangi Sardeshpande
Project Head, Kaleidoscope Project, Maharashtra, SAHAJ
Panchali Moitra
Academic Dean (Postgraduate Programs and Research), Sir Vithaldas Thackersey College of Home Science, SNDT Women's University, Mumbai
Piyusha Majumdar
Associate Professor, IIHMR University
Preeti Nigam
Planning Strategy and Management Officer, World Health Organization
Priyanka Jain
State Lead, IPE Global
Rafat Farzana
State Coordinator Adolescent Health & PC&PNDT, National Health Mission, Government of Jharkhand
Rema Sundar
Independent Consultant, Consultancy Support to different organisations including SilverGenie Pvt.Ltd., NATHEALTH, Yen's World Foundation
Richa Vashishtha
Senior Manager Programmes, Grand Challenges India-BIRAC
Rupa Mishra
Cancer Genetics Lead and Senior Scientist, Prashanti Cancer Care Mission's Centre for Translational Cancer Research
Sabine Kapasi
CEO and MD, Enira Consulting Pvt. Ltd. and Ropan Healthtech Pvt. Ltd
Shreeja Nair
Consultant - Partnerships, Girl Effect
Somdatta Karak
Head-Science Communications and Public Outreach, CSIR-Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology
Subhashree R
CEO, Ekam Foundation
Swati Bhardwaj
Senior Technical Advisor, Nutrition, Resolve to Save Lives
Swetha Kamireddy
Assistant General Manager, Biological E Ltd
Swetha Rajeshwari
Public Health Specialist Grade III, National Tuberculosis Insititute, Bengaluru
Tejaswi Balasundaram
Co-founder / Managing Trustee, Alilu
Vidushi Gupta
Head Clinical Science, Translational Health Science and Technology Institute
