Leadership

Dr. Naveena Yanamala, MS, PhD, is an Associate Professor of Medicine, Section Chief of Clinical Research & AI Innovation, and Director of Data Science and Machine Learning Research in the Division of Cardiology at Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School in New Brunswick, NJ. Additionally, she directs the Center for Innovation at RWJUH, serves as an Editorial Board Member for the American Society of Echocardiography (ASE), and holds roles as Associate Editor for Translational Systems Biology and In Silico Trials.

She has held several leadership positions in occupational safety and health research governance, including serving as a steering committee member of the Center for Occupational Robotics Research (CORR) within the Division of Safety Research. Additionally, she has acted as a liaison for the Emerging Technologies Interest Group (ETIG), focusing on the integration of machine learning and artificial intelligence across CDC/NIOSH. She was recently appointed as a Special Government Employee on the Patient Engagement Advisory Committee for the Center for Devices and Radiological Health (CDRH) at the US FDA. She also holds academic affiliations as an Associate Member of the Biomedical Engineering (BME) Graduate Program at Rutgers University and as an Adjunct Faculty member at Carnegie Mellon University.

With over 15 years of interdisciplinary research experience, Dr. Yanamala has authored more than 90 peer-reviewed articles at the intersection of biology, health, and computation. Her current research focuses on advancing science and healthcare through applied ML/AI methodologies, with an emphasis on developing AI-driven solutions. This includes algorithms that leverage wearables and point-of-care technologies to emulate diagnostic medical imaging, enhancing accessibility and reducing costs. She is also pioneering efforts to improve healthcare accessibility through robotics and other innovative medical technologies, ensuring that advanced diagnostic tools reach diverse and underserved patient populations. By harnessing data-driven innovations, her work bridges gaps in health equity and public health, transforming the landscape of preventive and precision medicine.

Some of her notable recognitions include winning the NIH NHLBI Big Data Analysis Challenge in 2020 and multiple Alice Hamilton Awards, which honor exceptional scientific contributions to occupational and environmental health. Additionally, she has received nominations for the prestigious Charles C. Shepard Science Award, the CDC’s highest recognition for excellence in science and research.

Rosy Thakkar is an international business executive, nonprofit leader, and community advocate dedicated to building partnerships that create meaningful impact across communities and cultures.

She serves as Vice President of Palace Tours, where she leads strategic partnerships, destination relations, and international business development for a global travel organization specializing in luxury rail journeys and cultural tourism experiences. Her work includes collaboration with international tourism stakeholders  to advance cultural exchange and global engagement.

Rosy is also the Founder and President of United For Impact, a nonprofit organization focused on public health, mental health awareness, youth leadership development, STEM education, and community engagement. In addition, she is the host and executive producer of the Significantly Invisible podcast, featuring conversations with physicians, researchers, policymakers, and community leaders on issues affecting families and communities.

A former Chairwoman of the Montgomery Township Republican Organization, Rosy has a longstanding commitment to civic engagement and public service. She is honored to serve on the SAATHI Board and support its mission of improving health outcomes, advancing education, and strengthening communities through collaboration and service.

Ranjita Sengupta, MD, FACC, FASNC, FASE, RPVI, is an attending physician at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Somerset and Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in New Brunswick. She is also an Associate Professor at Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School in New Brunswick. She is a board-certified cardiologist with expertise in advanced cardiovascular imaging. Dr. Sengupta practices cardiology with a special focus on the treatment of women with cardiovascular disease with a passion for preventive cardiology as a plant based cardiologist. She is Board Certified in Cardiovascular Disease, Nuclear Cardiology, Echocardiography, and Vascular Interpretation, and is licensed to practice medicine and cardiology in New Jersey. Dr. Sengupta has been featured in national publications and media for her work in cardiovascular care and has participated in numerous community programs to raise awareness of heart disease.

Upendra Chivukula was one of the founding members of SATHI while he was in the New Jersey assembly, serving as the inspiration and the catalyst behind the formation of the initiative. He is an electrical engineer by profession and served as an elected officer for 18 years—as a councilman, mayor, and assemblyman. Subsequently, he served as public utilities commissioner. Mr. Chivukula remains active with SATHI as an advisor and a mentor to medical students involved in community projects related to the local South Asian community.

Kitaw Dimisse is dean and professor of the School of Public Health at SUNY Downstate Medical Center. Dr. Demissie has a strong track record of NIH-funded research in the areas of social and biological determinants of perinatal, respiratory and cancer outcomes.Dr. Demissie has led courses at the national level and was a recipient of several excellence teaching awards and was a member of the Stuart D. Cook, MD Master Educator’s Guild. Dr. Demissie is a recognized investigator in molecular epidemiology, cancer disparities, cancer prevention and control and population sciences with a diverse funding portfolio, including NIH/NCI, the American Cancer Society, Susan G. Komen Foundation and others.

Sneha Jacob is an associate professor of medicine and serves as director of HIV clinical services at the Eric B. Chandler Health Center. She completed a primary care internal medicine program at Johns Hopkins University and an HIV clinical fellowship as well as a master of science in epidemiology at Columbia University. In 2013 she developed an infectious disease outreach project for SATHI (SATHI-IDO). In recognition of her work with SATHI, the US Office of Minority Health funded her proposal for SATHI-IDO to lead a health information campaign to increase HIV awareness among Asians in Central New Jersey.

Pravien Khanna is an interventional cardiologist practicing at RWJBarnabas Health and St. Peter’s University Hospital. Dr. Khanna received his medical and public health degrees from Columbia University. He completed his post-graduate residency in internal medicine and fellowship in dardiovascular disease from Yale University School of Medicine. He then received additional fellowship training in interventional cardiology from Weill Cornell Medical Center. Dr. Khanna specializes in cardiac and peripheral interventions. He has published in areas interventional cardiology, heart failure, and nuclear cardiology. His current research interest includes the prevention and management of coronary artery disease in South Asians.

Robert Like is emeritus professor of family medicine and community health at Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, and founder and CEO of JEDI Health Care and Education, LLC. A medical anthropologist by training, Dr. Like is renowned in the field of health disparity and inequity and delivery of culturally competent care at all levels. He provides technical assistance and consultation related to the delivery of patient- and family-centered, culturally responsive care to diverse populations by clinicians, health care organizations, and academic medical centers.

Shailja Mathur is an assistant professor and educator in the Rutgers Department of Family and Community Health Sciences. She has been in the field of dietetics for over two decades. She has provided leadership to nutrition education outreach projects on behalf of Rutgers Cooperative Extension at the national, state, and county level since 2001. She served as the division chair for the Social Marketing Division of the Society of Nutrition Education and Behavior for several years. On the national front, she served as the co-chair of the Association of SNAP Nutrition Education Administrators from 2013-2015. She teaches online leadership classes and serves on the advisory committee for the Sodexo Internship Program.

Varsha Singh is a neuroscience/stroke program manager, an expert neuroscience nurse practitioner, as well as a subject matter expert on stroke program accreditation/management. She has presented at local, national, and international nurse practitioner conferences and at the World Stroke Congress. She currently serves as part of the New Jersey Department of Health’s Stroke Care Advisory Panel, the communication subgroup of the International Council of Nurses NP/APN Network, education committee of American Neurovascular Clinicians, membership committee of the World Stroke Organization, is vice chair of Jonas Scholars Alumni Council, and is a Nurse Champion for Climate Change. She is “Community Stroke Educator” for the South Asian community.