In this episode, amongst others, we discuss how she got involved in supporting malaria and NTD programs. Malaria and NTD programs play a vital role in global health by addressing illnesses that predominantly affect the world's most vulnerable and marginalised populations. By targeting these diseases, Ministries of Health can alleviate the burden on healthcare systems, improve productivity, and advance socio-economic development. Moreover, these efforts contribute to achieving international health goals, such as the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) set forth by the United Nations.
Deepa says:
'When I was doing my masters and learning about the world's biggest problems in global health … the thing that really stuck with me is that malaria entities kill almost a million people around the world every year. Think about the number, a million people, and all these deaths are preventable. We can do something about it. And so, I mean, for me, it was like a no-brainer. It's like, I want to be there. I wanna be involved. I wanna be able to do my part. '
We also speak about the importance of doing internships and how they can help you in your career:
'… The first internship that I did after I finished my undergraduate. And I think there are two things that I got from this internship. The first was exposure. I learned about how someone with a background in statistics or mathematics can apply this skill set… And this exposure was really inspiring to me and also made me realize there's a lot of things out in the world that I don't know…And then the other thing that I didn't really appreciate before was the value of cross-functional teams and diversity in solving problems… people with different educational backgrounds and training can all still be working towards solving a similar problem… So when you have a certain problem that you're working on, having the perspective of people that have different training, I think that being inclusive of this diversity is more likely to take you to success, to get a problem that is going to be relevant.'
Deepa took a break to focus on full-time parenting. Sometimes, this can be seen as a challenge, being away from work. Whilst Deepa found it one of the hardest decisions she ever made, it gave her valuable insights:
'It came with a lot of mixed feelings. When I decided to leave the workplace, actually I was what many people would say at the peak of my career… [the break] gave me the opportunity to really reflect and learn about myself and my career and my life choices and how I was spending my time and so on… I think having that break just really gave me time to reflect on spending your time on what matters. And I think I'm now very actively trying to apply that in the work that I do professionally.'
Enjoy this episode with a lot of valuable professional and personal insights; I definitely enjoyed making it and learned a lot!