Student Spotlight: Shashi Sarnaik
Meet Shashi Sarnaik
- Degree Program: PhD program
- Area of Interest: Women's, Sexual, and Reproductive Health
- Hometown: San Jose, California
- Previous Degree(s) Earned: MPH and MID (Masters in International Development) from the University of Pittsburgh
- Fun fact: I play the violin and played for the San Jose Symphony when I was in high school.
What sparked your interest in public health?
I've always been in interested in health, in part because of my exposure to the health care system (thanks to family who are medical professionals, my own health history, etc.), but my interest in public health, specifically, really stems from my time as an economics student at UCLA. In learning about development theory-related concepts and structural determinants of population-level outcomes, I began to understand health as more than just individuals and their clinical outcomes, which eventually set me on the path to further studies focused on public health, applying racial equity and justice lens to research, and beyond.
Why did you choose Bloomberg School of Public Health?
I think BSPH is home to incredibly innovative research and faculty and staff who are truly leaders in their field. BSPH also has a diverse scope of research and great culture around cross-disciplinary collaborations and mentorship. It felt like a place where I would be supported in pursuing my passions while developing my research skills.
What drew you to the Department of Population, Family and Reproductive Health for your PhD work?
Beyond the research interest/focus alignment, the faculty in this department are deeply committed to student welfare and success. Research within the department also has a great balance of diverse topics and areas of activity, so there are plenty of opportunities to develop our interests and skills.
What is your research focus? Why did you choose it?
Currently, my research interests are centered on South Asian experiences of sexual and reproductive health care. I am particularly interested in experiences of care amongst the diaspora and how their experiences may impact their care-seeking behavior (and preferences), self-image, and sexual and reproductive goals (and vice versa). I've also been involved in research spanning from collaborative population-level measure development work to assess sexual and reproductive well-being to smaller qualitative and quantitative assessments of contraceptive and abortion care experiences and care provision. My work and research interests are informed by a reproductive justice and human rights lens, as well as my own identity/background as a Desi and proud daughter of immigrants.
What do you hope to do or accomplish after graduation?
Regardless of whether I end up back in academia or at a private research organization, my goal is to work in partnership with diverse communities, center their voices and experiences, and translate research into effective, equitable policies and programming that truly ensure that communities, especially those of historically marginalized and minoritized identities, are thriving and able to achieve their unique sexual and reproductive goals.