MD/MPH student Nish Pandya Wins Prestigious Excellence in Public Health Award

Nishant (Nish) Pandya was recognized with the U.S. Public Health Service Excellence in Public Health Award! This award is given to medical students who have demonstrated passion & dedication to public health within the medical profession by helping to address public health issues in their communities. "An award like this is incredibly humbling. There are many students doing incredible work at Jefferson, in Philadelphia, and across the country. Being recognized for my work in public health motivates me to continue to expand upon my thesis and study public health challenges we face to today," explains Nish. 

“His commitment to children’s health is unmatched. He has taken advantage of every opportunity to use his newly acquired public health skills to address barriers to healthcare faced by families in need and promote parental engagement.” states MPH program director, Rosie Frasso, PhD, MSc, CPH.

Nish is excited that he matched at Yale, particularly for its emphasis on academic pediatrics which aligns well with his public health training. "Having a career based in clinical practice as well as academic resesearch has always been my goal and the current pandemic only affirms this for me. Direct patient care is at the heart of medicine" explains Nish. He hopes to continue to engage in public health-focused research in order to help improve the health of children through proper preventative efforts.

 “Nish’s compassion for the challenges that underprivileged patients face in the healthcare system and in the community is clearly a source of motivation for him," states Frasso.