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Shreya Salunke

Program Evaluation Intern, she/her/hers

Shreya Salunke is an MPH candidate in the Epidemiology Department with a certificate in Sexuality, Sexual and Reproductive Health at the Mailman School of Public Health. She received her bachelor’s degree in Dental Surgery at Sinhgad Dental College and Hospital,  
Pune, India. In Pune, she interned at the Institute of Health Management, Pachod (IHMP) that works with underprivileged adolescent girls and young married women to improve their sexual and reproductive health outcomes through health education and the involvement of Community Health Workers. She was able to work with the Community Health Workers to undertake a pilot testing of a ‘Safe Motherhood’ initiative by IHMP, and this served to ignite in her a passion for Maternal and Child health.  

After coming to Mailman, Shreya has been able to further her interests through the SSRH certificate and in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, she was a part of the Columbia arm of the Community Student Service Corps as a part of the Hero Meals Social media team which is working to provide meals to the frontline workers. She is currently working with a team of researchers at Columbia University Department of Pediatrics and Psychiatry studying the effect of COVID-19 on mother and newborn bonding. Her career and research interests include maternal and child health, sexual health, health promotion and health communication.