Our Team
Jyotsna Changrani, MD, MPH, Director
Jyotsna serves as Assistant Director for the diverse projects at the Center for Immigrant Health, and as the Director of the South Asian Health Initiative. Jyotsna fulfills various roles, including conducting research, education, and training. Additionally, Jyotsna has served as faculty for the Master of Public Health program at New York University. She has developed comprehensive training programs and curricula on cultural competence in healthcare and refugee health needs. With a strong personal interest and motivation in technology, she has developed a focus that emphasizes the use of information technology for creative public health applications, and to increase project effectiveness and efficiency. She is the Principal Investigator on an NIH/ NCI-funded project to develop culturally appropriate cancer information websites for immigrants. Jyotsna completed her medical training in India, where she worked extensively in community outreach and education projects, and received her M.P.H. from the Harvard School of Public Health.
Sapna Pandya, MPH, Coordinator
Ms. Pandya joined the Center for Immigrant Health as Coordinator of the South Asian Health Initiative in June 2004. She completed her Masters in Public Health with a concentration in Epidemiology/Biostatistics from George Washington University in 2001. Prior to joining NYUSOM, she worked on program management teams with Population Services International in Washington DC and in India. Sapna has also researched various dimensions of the HIV/AIDS epidemic in India, with special interest in the area of male sexual health (including risk factors for Men having Sex with Men) in Mumbai.
Congratulations to Sapna Pandya on her selection into the Coro 2007 Immigrant Civic Leadership Program!
Francesca Gany, MD, MS, Advisor
As the Founder and Director of the Center for Immigrant Health and a member of the faculty of the New York University School of Medicine, Francesca has an extensive background in research, curriculum development, education, and program and policy development as it relates to immigrant health. She has served as PI on a number of projects that have increased access to healthcare for New York's large immigrant population. Francesca teaches primary care, immigrant health, and health policy and medical economics at the School. She holds a B.S. in Biology from Yale University, and M.D. from Mt. Sinai School of Medicine, and an M.S. in Health Policy from the Wagner Graduate School of Public Service.
Throughout the year, students from high schools, colleges, medical schools, and graduate schools serve as invaluable additions to the SAHI team.
