Indian American Cancer Physician Kamal Menghrajani Among 15 White House Fellows of 2023
- Previously a faculty member at the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, she will work with the Cancer Moonshot and Health Outcomes at the Office of Science and Technology Policy.
Cancer physician Kamal Menghrajani is the lone Indian American among 15 “remarkably gifted, passionate, and accomplished” individuals chosen to the 2023-2024 class of White House Fellows. The young doctor is part of the “remarkably gifted, passionate, and accomplished group,” the White House said in a Sept. 20 announcement. “These Fellows bring experience from across the country and from a broad cross-section of professions, including from the private sector, local government, academia, non-profits, medicine, and the armed forces,” the announcement added.
Originally from New York, New York Menghrajani, who treats patients with leukemia, will work with the Cancer Moonshot and Health Outcomes teams at the Office of Science and Technology Policy in the Executive Office of the President, she said in a post on her LinkedIn profile. While on faculty at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, she conducted cancer research focused on early diagnosis and prevention, and has spearheaded health equity efforts for vulnerable populations in global contexts, including Nicaragua, Bolivia, and Uganda.
She is also a candidate for an MS in Biostatistics at Columbia’s Mailman School of Public Health. Her coursework has focused on “developing expertise in biostatistics, epidemiology, clinical trial development, and the use and implementation of machine learning / artificial intelligence algorithms in healthcare and medical research,” she posted on LinkedIn.
She has co-founded “startups to address unmet needs in cancer treatment and deploy AI for rapid cancer diagnosis,” the White House said. She helped grow the non-profit Nourish International, which engages student leaders as social entrepreneurs in international development work. “She is also passionate about using journalism as a tool for health education,” the White House added. Her prior medical and health policy journalism includes writing for the web and researching stories for the ABC News Health Unit and writing/producing /voicing stories for KQED, San Francisco’s affiliate for National Public Radio (NPR),’ according to her LinkedIn profile.
She completed her M.D. at the University of North Carolina and her M.S. in Biostatistics at Columbia University. She trained in medicine at the University of Michigan and as chief fellow at MSK and is the recipient of an ASCO Young Investigator Award and an NIH K12 Career Development Award.
Founded in 1964, the White House Fellows program offers exceptional young leaders first-hand experience working at the highest levels of the Federal government. Fellows spend a year working with senior White House Staff, Cabinet Secretaries, and other top-ranking administration officials and leave the Administration equipped to serve as better leaders in their communities. Fellowships are awarded on a non-partisan basis.