“I strongly feel that the increasing urgency of the global climate situation and the need for access to safe and clean water necessitate innovative solutions and collaboration to ensure better health outcomes for communities."

As an undergraduate studying philosophy and psychology, Mrinalini Gupta was quickly drawn to the field of ethics, and in particular, environmental ethics. Studying the relationship between people and the environment, Mrinalini saw the critical need for ethical, motivated, and passionate public health professionals, and she grew determined to pursue a graduate degree in environmental health sciences and build a career in global public health.

Now earning her MPH degree at UM-Ann Arbor, Mrinalini is studying issues related to water and waterborne disease. With a strong sense of connection to her cultural roots in India, Mrinalini is especially passionate about working in Southeast Asia. She recently worked with the Center of Molecular Dynamics Nepal, a prominent nongovernmental institution dedicated to public health innovation and intervention research, to advance projects related to vaccine campaign assessment, zoonotic disease surveillance, antimicrobial resistance, and mapping of key populations. Mrinalini contributed to technical proposal writing, final report writing, and planning for national-scale projects funded by major international donors, including the World Health Organization, USAID, and ICARS.

After completing her master’s in public health, Mrinalini hopes to delve deeper into issues of microbial water contamination and control by pursuing a PhD. Mrinalini adds, “I strongly feel that the increasing urgency of the global climate situation and the need for access to safe and clean water necessitate innovative solutions and collaboration to ensure better health outcomes for communities. Now more than ever, environmental health professionals are needed who have the interdisciplinary training and ethical principles to be able to assess risk, design interventions, and implement programs efficiently and equitably.”

CEW+ celebrates Mrinalini’s drive to make a difference through effective public health interventions and proudly names her a Menakka and Essel Bailey Graduate Fellow.