A Scholarly Visit to Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health: Reflections by Dr. Rohan Shah
Dr. Rohan Shah, a Narotam Sekhsaria Fellow at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health India Research Center recently visited the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health in Boston. His visit was part of the two-year Narotam Sekhsaria Fellowship’s academic exchange and mentorship component, designed to support early-stage investigators in public health in India. He is mentored by Professor Wafaie Fawzi, Richard Saltonstall Professor of Population Sciences, and Professor of Nutrition, Epidemiology, and Global Health, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, and works closely with Dr. Sachin Shinde and other collaborators.
Dr. Rohan on his scholarly visit
The visit provided a valuable opportunity to strengthen my ongoing research and, particularly, to engage with my mentors and collaborators in person. I had the opportunity to meet Professor Wafaie Fawzi and Dr. Sachin Shinde and discuss the progress of my fellowship research, including the systematic reviews on adolescent iron and folic acid supplementation programmes in India. The in-person discussions helped us review the progress of the work in greater depth, discuss the interpretation and synthesis of findings, refine manuscript development, and plan the next steps for publication and future research.
I also had the opportunity to meet Dr. K. Viswanath, Lee Kum Kee Professor of Health Communication, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Healthand share my reflections and perspectives on my fellowship journey and the work undertaken so far. His guidance and discussion around the way forward provided valuable perspectives for shaping the next phase of my research and future academic work.
An important part of the visit was the opportunity to engage with the academic activities at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. I attended lectures as part of the Nutrition Module, which provided valuable exposure to current perspectives in nutrition and public health. The sessions were particularly relevant to my research interests in adolescent nutrition and anaemia and helped me connect my ongoing research with broader discussions in global public health.
I also had the opportunity to interact with public health students, attend their project presentations, and participate in discussions around their research. Listening to their work and sharing feedback provided a valuable learning experience and offered an opportunity for academic exchange beyond my own research area. These interactions broadened my perspective on how public health research questions are developed and addressed across different settings and disciplines.
The visit also provided an opportunity to discuss future research proposals and collaborative research opportunities with my mentors and colleagues. These discussions helped identify potential directions for future work and provided a foundation for continued academic collaboration beyond the current fellowship.
Overall, the visit was academically enriching and professionally valuable. It strengthened my engagement with my mentors, provided opportunities for meaningful scientific exchange, and broadened my exposure to research and teaching at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. The experience will contribute not only to the completion and dissemination of my current fellowship research but also to my future work in nutrition, adolescent health, implementation research, and public health.
I am deeply grateful to the Narotam Sekhsaria Foundation for providing me with this fellowship and for supporting this valuable academic experience. I sincerely thank my mentors, Professor Wafaie Fawzi and Dr. Sachin Shinde, for their continued guidance and mentorship.
I would also like to express my special thanks to the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health India Research Center (Harvard IRC) team, particularly Dr. K. Viswanath, Dr. Bakshi, Dr. Khan, and Ms. Khushboo Agarwal, for their constant support throughout my fellowship journey and for their support in facilitating my visit to Boston.
I look forward to building on this experience, continuing these collaborations, and contributing to future research and academic initiatives.
Read more about the Narotam Sekhsaria Fellowship at Harvard Chan India Research Center
Read more about Dr. Rohan’s work
