Janhavi Mallaiah
Janhavi Mallaiah, MD, MA, MPH, EdD, Program Director at the Institute for Training Outreach and Community Health (InTOuCH) within the Columbia Center for Community Health, holds a medical degree from the Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences in India, a Master’s in Public Health from the University of North Texas Health Science Center, and a Doctor of Education from Teachers College, Columbia University.
Her expertise lies in primary healthcare, community program planning and evaluation, capacity building for frontline health workers, community-based participatory research, and instrument design and validation. Before relocating to the United States, she had extensive public health practice experience in India. During this time, she spearheaded various initiatives, such as establishing primary healthcare clinics, recruiting and training frontline health workers in fundamental health and hygiene practices, and implementing community-based interventions.
Following her residency at the Comprehensive Rural Health Project (CRHP) in Jamkhed, India, where she was first introduced to frontline health workers, she recognized their value to the future of healthcare and wanted to be a part of it. She has since trained over 500 frontline health workers in India and the United States, and she is inspired to train more.
Beyond her professional pursuits, Janhavi is a trained Indian Classical music singer. During her leisure time, she explores New York City, learns new meditation techniques, and stays abreast of updates from the James Webb telescope.