To call junior Hari Prabhakar "accomplished" would be the understatement of the century. A 20-year old Writing Seminars and public health double major, Prabhakar is single-handedly responsible for launching numerous health programs in India, and he kindly took time out of his hectic schedule to take part in an informal e-mail interview with me.
Prabhakar first became interested in helping parts of Southern India after learning about some of the problems present there. "Reading about the health status of medically undeserved populations in India, most notably the tribals, coupled with my frequent trips to India, made me interested in studying these healthcare issues further from a clinical, epidemiological and community-based perspective. A lack of government funding for tribal health coupled with misallocation of funds from the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has exacerbated these problems."
And what is it exactly that he has done? Well, to start with, he founded the Tribal India Health Foundation, which has collected $13,500 for research through numerous Johns Hopkins programs to provide health assistance to parts of India. As he puts it, "We support tribal health systems currently in South India, primarily non-governmental organizations, through a combination of research and development, including infusions of monetary and medical resources. Our primary goal is to serve as a capacity-building resource whereby tribal health systems may be better equipped to judge the health status of their target population and to implement clinical and community-based interventions in a methodical and economically feasible manner. We are currently focusing on researching and developing adequate clinical and community-based strategies for sickle cell disease among a tribal population in the South Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Another critical part of our work deals with proposals and presenting our work to the Tamil Nadu government in order to forge a strong public-private partnership for tribal healthcare delivery."
Prabhakar, at the urging of his advisers, applied for and was named one of USA Today's All-USA College Academic First Team, an honor that came with a trophy, some cash and his picture in USA Today. He has been recognized for his amazing dedication to changing the world, and he continues to make strides today.
Such a talented and driven person is rare to find, and Dr. James Goodyear, an adviser to Prabhakar, knows it. He says of Prabhakar, "I can say that after working with JHU undergrads for many years and seeing how talented and productive they are, I've now seen Hari raise the bar a couple of notches. His initiative and persistence regarding research and service are unparalleled. He has active working relationships with several professors on this campus and in East Baltimore ---- so much so that he is really their junior colleague, not just a junior."
Indeed, Prabhakar has big plans for his programs in the future. Currently, the largest project in which he and his organization are involved is, he states, "working with clinical staff in South India and the United States to initiate a comprehensive management system for sickle cell disease at a tribal hospital in South India." It is a project that "has played a key role in providing insights to the burden of sickle cell disease in the target area and management strategies that may suit the population best."
With his program, Prabhakar says, "We hope to serve as the model of sickle cell disease management for tribal populations throughout India, combining a clinical and community-based framework that is efficacious, economically feasible and culturally sensitive to the tribal population under examination."
