Project Rishi

Rashmi Tunuguntla is currently a fourth year undergraduate at UCLA, studying molecular biology. She researches Ataxia Telangiectasia, a neurodegenerative disease, at the MacDonald Research laboratory. After college, Rashmi will be pursuing a career in the medical field. Rashmi served as finance director last year and secretary briefly the year before. Currently, Rashmi serves as co-President. Her recent visit to Vadamanapakkam has inspired and motivated her to take an active role in this organization and hopes to evoke the same determination in others as well.

Anita Viswanath is currently a fourth year undergraduate UCLA, studying microbiology and public health. After college, Anita will be attending a master’s program in public health and then will be going to medical school. Last year, Anita served as co-director of clinical affairs. Her experience provided her with a full understanding of the village and the activities that occur there. The knowledge she gained has prepared her to serve as an informed co-President of Project RISHI this year. In addition, her visit to Vadamanapakkam the past two summers helped her learn how to transform the village into a more sustainable community. Anita is an extremely motivated student and inspires those around her to work just as hard.

Ben Ferguson is currently a 4th year Microbiology student at UCLA. While working with Project RISHI during its inaugural years, he gained a detailed understanding of the conditions in developing nations around the world and became interested in improving the quality of life for people in those countries. An active volunteer and consult for the group, Ben hopes to attend medical school after his undergraduate studies and then plans to pursue a career in primary care and international medicine. He enjoys reading, writing, the San Francisco Giants, and occasionally moonlights as an underwater photographer.

Anna Antoniou is currently a fourth year undergraduate at UCLA, studying Anthropology. She conducts enthnoarchaeological research at the Center for Everyday Lives of Families at UCLA. After college, Anna will be pursuing a graduate degree in Medical Anthropology. Anna served as director of clinical affairs last year. Currently, Anna serves as co-vice president. Her recent trip to India with Project RISHI spurred her interest in varying medical practices as they pertain to culture and hopes to provide unique solutions to the challenges faced within Vaddamannapakam.

Komal Wadhwani is a 4th year student at UCLA majoring in Physiological Science. She has been a part of Project RISHI for over 2 years and hopes to learn more about Public health and global health-care system via this organization. She currently volunteers at the Jules Stein Eye Institute and wants to pursue a career in the field of Ophthalmology. She likes adventure and enjoys traveling.

Pia Roy graduated from UCLA with a B.A. in Economics and a B.A. in Political Science. While at UCLA, she was involved with the Model United Nations group and pursued developmental economics in her classes, both of which spurred her interest in international development. Currently, she works as a financial analyst in the healthcare industry.

Aarthi is a fourth year Psychobiology major and a Political Science minor. She joined Project RISHI in her second year and has headed fundraising events for the group. She is grateful to Project RISHI for giving her the opportunity to visit the village of Vadamanapakkam and to learn about development projects aimed at improving rural India. Aarthi wants to pursue psychology in graduate school and continue contributing to RISHI.

Amit Rajaram is a 3rd year at UCLA majoring in Physiological Science. He joined Project RISHI as a sophomore and will be serving as Assistant health director for this year.

Navya Reddy is currently a 2nd year Biology student at UCLA. She is presently researching many aspects of Alzheimer’s disease with Dr. Daniel Silverman M.D., Ph.D. She had the wonderful opportunity of visiting Manappakkam this past summer; it was an eye-opening experience where she was first–handedly able to interact with the villagers in the clinic and survey their health care options. After graduating from UCLA, Navya would like to further pursue her interests by attending medical school. In the future, she aspires to utilize the lessons and skills acquired during her undergraduate and graduate years to assist individuals who desperately need medical aid in underdeveloped nations around the world. A few of her interests include swimming, reading, traveling, and tasting eclectic foods.

Anna Rambhatla is a 4th year undergraduate student studying Psychobiology. She hopes to attend medical school after completing her undergraduate studies. She currently works in Mattel’s Pediatric Allergy/Immunology lab researching Hyper IgE Syndrome, a rare autoimmune disease. She served as the Campus Groups Liaison for the past two years and is currently serving as the Social Chair. Her interest in global health was sparked after visiting Vadamanapakkam, especially after seeing the shocking disparities present in health care between Western and rural medicine. Anna’s recent visit to India changed a lot of her perspectives on global health issues and she hopes to one day be able to give back to communities that truly need attention the most.

Janaki is a third year undergraduate student at UCLA with a major in Political Science and minors in Global Studies and South Asian studies. She was drawn to RISHI because of her family roots to the area and also because she is a great believer in the betterment of the world through community service. It almost seems as though her world revolves around politics and international issues, she greatly appreciates the opportunity that RISHI provides her in pursuing her other passion. Along with RISHI, Janaki works as an officer for Model United Nations at UCLA and as a Political Science tutor for the Academic Advancement Program at UCLA among various other clubs and internships. After finishing her undergraduate degree, she aims to attend law school where she will study either international or constitutional law and her life long goal is to become an ambassador.

Pavitra Viswanathan is a third year student at UCLA. A passionate community volunteer, Pavitra is specially drawn to the mission of Project RISHI because she has spent many family vacations in the very region that the group operates in. This year, Pavitra is excited to assume the role of Co-Director of Local Programs.

Margaret Wang is a fourth year at UCLA, majoring in Biology with a minor in Biomedical Research. She has worked with the underserved through the SF Homeless Services Coalition and UCLA Mobile Clinic. As Local Program Director for Project RISHI this year, she hopes to provide medical care to the medically indigent in L.A. as well as abroad. After graduation, she plans to attend medical school.

MaiThy Nguyen is currently a 3rd year Biochemistry student at UCLA. She was born in VietNam and came to the United States with her family in 1999. Currently she researches at The Jacobsen Lab and volunteers at the hospital. As the Secretary and Publicity chair for this year, she hopes to expand Project RISHI to students of different majors at UCLA. She enjoys hiking, exploring new places ofnature and reading a good book from time to time.

Rachna Mamidi is currently a third year undergraduate student studying Biochemistry at UCLA. She is an Alumni Scholar and a member of the Honors Program. She is conducting research in an orthopedic surgery laboratory concerning skin scarring at the MacDonald Research Laboratory. After receiving her undergraduate degree, Rachna plans on pursuing a medical career in the field of pediatrics. She served as the co-president of Project RISHI this past academic year and this year she is the Director of Donor Relations. She hopes to help secure significant funding to continue implementing projects that bring much needed healthcare to underprivileged communities in rural India. Her visit to the village of Vadamanapakkam has given her first hand experience at the conditions of rural healthcare and strengthens her will to continue making a difference.

Devika is currently a fourth-year undergraduate student at UCLA, majoring in physiological science. She works in a laboratory in the Department of Pediatrics and Molecular Genetics. She has been involved with Project Rishi since she was a freshman, and has visited the village of Vadamanapakkam. Her interests lie in Public Health and Social Welfare. After college, she hopes to pursue a research position before continuing on to medical school.

Ravi Menghani is a graduate of UCLA's 5-year joint MD/MBA program at the David Geffen School of Medicine and the Anderson School of Management at UCLA. He is the co-founder of two non-profit organizations, the Alumni Mentorship Program, and the UCLA College Bowl Club. He serves or has served as a leader in all of these organizations. Ravi has published research in the laboratory of Dr. Goldberg at the Jules Stein Eye Institute on Graves' ophthalmopathy. Ravi performed his undergraduate studies at UCLA and was a recipient of the Regents', Alumni, National Merit, and Distinguished Bruin Scholarships. Ravi graduated from UCLA with College Honors, Phi Beta Kappa, and was a recipient of the Chancellors' Service Award, Charles E. Young Humanitarian Awards, the Golden Key International Outstanding Alumni Award, and has been featured on CBS News. Ravi is pursuing career in ophthalmology and healthcare administration. In his spare time, Ravi enjoys spending time with his friends, family, volunteering at the Alumni Association, and doing medical work overseas. Currently, Ravi is an intern in internal medicine at St. Mary's Medical Center in Long Beach, and has a residency appointment in ophthalmology at the University of California, Irvine.

Grant Lee graduated from Stanford University in 2002 with a degree in Biology, and is one of the co-founders of Project RISHI. After graduating, he spent a year off in Korea on a Teaching Fulbright, and is a graduate of the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. Grant has served abroad in a number of different capacities, ranging from serving as an ESL teacher in Nicaragua, studying abroad at Oxford for a year, and working in medical clinics in Venezuela. Apart from school, Grant enjoys playing tennis and basketball, and going to church. Currently, he is an ophthalmology resident at the Doheny Eye Institute at the University of Southern California.

Daniel Choi is a third year medical student at UCLA. He graduated from the University of California Los Angeles, Magna Cum Laude in 2006 and is one of the co-founders of Project RISHI. In college he majored in human physiology and conducted research on the Nipah virus's envelope proteins in the department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics. Daniel is also actively involved in various other non profit organizations and currently conducts research at UCLA in Cancer biology. During his free time Daniel enjoys spending time with his friends and family.

Aswin Sekar graduated from UCLA in 2007 with a degree in Molecular, Cell and Developmental Biology. Along with the other members of the Board, Aswin was responsible for putting together the team of undergraduate students, and he has led the group as President for two and a half years since its inception. In February 2007, he was recognized in USA Today as an Honorable Mention in the All-USA College Academic Team for his work with Project RISHI. He is now working to create chapters of Project RISHI at other universities. Aswin is a Research Associate in the Neurogenomics Division of the Translational Genomics Research Institute in Phoenix, Arizona, where he is studying autism and bipolar disorder. He is a huge fan of the NBA and is a South Indian classical musician.

Dr. Eri Srivatsan had his early education in Ranipet, Tamil Nadu, India. He received his Master's degree from the University of Madras, India and Ph.D. in Biochemistry from the premier Institute in India, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore. After post doctoral years at University Of California, Irvine, he joined USC School of Medicine as an Assistant Professor. Presently, he is a Professor of Surgery at UCLA. His laboratory works on two different research projects, one on the identification genetic markers for the early detection of cervical cancer development and the other on gene therapy in head and neck cancer. He is a member of a number scientific organizations including the American Association for the Advancement of Science and the American Association of Cancer Research. He is also an active member of a number of Indian organizations, Hindu temple society of Southern California, South Indian Music Academy and Chinmaya Mission of Southern California. He has devoted time and money to complete the first phase of project Rishi and hopes to successfully complete phase two of the project in the coming year.

Dr. Marilene B. Wang is an Associate Professor in the UCLA Division of Head and Neck Surgery. Following her graduation from Loma Linda University School of Medicine at the top of her class, she went on to complete her residency training in head and neck surgery at UCLA. She was recruited to the faculty at UCLA in the Division of Head and Neck Surgery upon completion of her residency. She maintains a busy private practice at the UCLA Medical Plaza, with an emphasis on nasal and sinus disease. She also conducts head and neck surgery specialty clinics at the UCLA Arthur Ashe Student Health Center. Dr. Wang is Chief of the Head and Neck Surgery Section for the VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System. At the VA Medical Center she is responsible for supervising head and neck surgery residents, ranging from their first through sixth years of training. The Head and Neck Surgery Section runs a busy service at the VA, with over 5,000 outpatient visits annually and nearly 4000 operations a year.

James Paul Watson, M.D. joined the UCLA Division of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery in 1995 as Assistant Professor and Resident Education Coordinator, after completing his microsurgery fellowship at UCLA. His role in our program is to work with Dr. Shaw to coordinate the residents' education conferences, workshops, and anatomy dissections. Dr. Watson is Associate Director of the Plastic Surgery Service at the West Los Angeles (Wadsworth) VA Medical Center and assists Dr. Miller in overseeing the residents' activities there. Dr. Watson's educational duties include directing the Endoscopic Training Laboratory and the Microsurgical Training Laboratory. His clinical responsibilities include directing the Lymphedema Clinic and teaching residents in microsurgery and lasers. Since February 1, 2000, Dr. Watson was appointed as the Chief of Plastic Surgery at the Harbor-UCLA Medical Center.

Dr. Anthony Aldave is an Assistant Professor of Ophthalmology at the Jules Stein Eye Institute (JSEI), David Geffen School of Medicine, UCLA. He joined the JSEI faculty in July 2002 as a full-time member of the Cornea and Refractive Surgery Services. In addition to his busy clinical and surgical practices, Dr. Aldave directs the Cornea Genetics Laboratory and the Cornea and Refractive Surgery Fellowship Program. Dr. Aldave earned his M.D. degree from the University of Texas Medical Branch, and completed his residency training at Wills Eye Hospital, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA. Dr. Aldave also completed a two-year fellowship in Cornea, Refractive Surgery and Uveitis at the University of California, San Francisco/Francis I. Proctor Foundation. Dr. Aldave's laboratory research focuses on the molecular genetics of the corneal dystrophies, a group of inherited disorders that affect corneal clarity and constitute one of the primary indications for corneal transplantation.

Dr. Suraj P. Bhat is an Associate Professor of Ophthalmology at the Brain Research Institute (BRI), UCLA.

Raji Srinivasan MSN RN, Clinical Director manages the 38 bed Medical Surgical unit at Verdugo Hills hospital. As a clinical Director, she is responsible for daily operations, budgeting and supervising nursing staff to provide quality care in the medical surgical unit. Raji graduated with Masters Degree in physics from University of Madras, India. She was teaching Physics to senior students in India and changed her profession to be a Nurse Leader in the United States. She continues her passion towards teaching by giving lectures to nursing staff at the Verdugo Hills Hospital. She travelled recently to India and spoke about "Differences in Nursing in the United States and in India" to nurses at Baby Memorial hospital, Kerala, India. Her vision is to start Nursing school in India and provide a curriculum which will look at delivering patient care in holistic way.