2 Indian-American Women Named White House Fellows

Washington:Two Indian-American women have been selected
for the prestigious White House Fellow programme that offers firsthand
experience of working at the highest levels of the US federal government.

Astrophysicist Anjali Tripathi from California and physician Tina R Shah from Chicago are among the 16 White House Fellows appointed from across the nation for the year 2016-17, officials said.

Shah is a Pulmonary and Critical Care physician-scientist
focused on transforming healthcare delivery for patients with chronic diseases.

She recently
completed her clinical fellowship at the University of Chicago (UC), where she
redesigned the care cycle for patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary
Disease (COPD), dramatically reducing hospital readmissions.

As the recipient of the inaugural UC Innovations Grant,
Shah also led an inter-professional research team to evaluate this value-based
care delivery programme.

Shah was a trustee for the Chicago Medical Society and
has held leadership positions in other medical societies to advocate for her
patients and for a sustainable medical workforce.

She received a BS and an MD from the Pennsylvania State
University/Jefferson Medical College accelerated six- year medical program and
MPH from Harvard.

Tripathi, an astrophysicist recently at Harvard
University, focuses on the formation and evolution of planets.

She has pioneered the characterisation of planet forming
environments and developed the first 3D simulations of planets evaporating due
to extreme atmospheric heating.

Tripathi has also been involved in modelling the Milky
Way and the search for dark matter. Previously, she has conducted particle
physics, seismology and engineering research at Fermilab, Caltech, MIT, and
NASA JPL, as part of the mission operations team for the Mars Rovers, Spirit
and Opportunity.

Her commitment to improving her community has been
recognised by Harvard, MIT, and the American Red Cross. Tripathi will receive
her Ph.D. in Astronomy from Harvard, where she earned an AM in Astronomy as an
NSF Graduate Research Fellow.

She received M.Phil in Astronomy from Cambridge
University as a Marshall Scholar and SB in Physics, with a minor in Applied
International Studies, from MIT.

The White House Fellows Program was created in 1964 by
President Lyndon B Johnson to give promising American leaders first hand,
high-level experience with the workings of the Federal government and to
increase their sense of participation in national affairs.

Selection as a White House Fellow is highly competitive
and based on a record of professional achievement, evidence of leadership
potential and a proven commitment to public service.

Each Fellow must possess the knowledge and skills
necessary to contribute meaningfully at senior levels of the Federal
government.

PTI