Dr. Ripudaman Minhas
Master of Public Health degree candidate
Honours Bachelors of Science in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (University of Toronto)
Doctor of Medicine (University of Toronto)
Canada & India
Child development and disability in the context of global health
What are your career goals?
To work to better understand and improve the determinants and barriers affecting long-term developmental outcomes in children in resource-poor settings
What sparked your interest in global health?
Clinical and volunteer experiences in low-resource settings where children with disabilities were unable to access education and many healthcare services, often leading to barriers to participation in their communities and fulfillment of their developmental potential
How do you see yourself making a difference in public health because of the Global Health Scholarship?
The Global Health Scholarship and my time at the JHSPH will equip me with the skills and knowledge I need to take steps in improving programmes and policy to better support early childhood education and the rehabilitation of children with disabilities in resource-poor settings.
Who inspires you and why?
Parents inspire my work every day. As a pediatrician, a researcher, a son, and now as a father, I have marvelled at the strength of the caregiver-child relationship and the lengths to which caregivers will go to ensure the best outcome for their child in realizing their potential. This is manifested in the short-term outcomes related to children with nutritional and infectious diseases, but, also in the caregivers' dedication to ensuring the fulfillment of their children's potential. It is a pleasure getting to support families in working toward this goal.