The Team 

   I am a medical teacher and physician working in the Department of Medicine at Christian Medical College, Vellore. I took up general medicine as a clinical discipline that can handle the entire spectrum of medical illness and care for the sick person as a whole. My work as a teacher has been to try to demonstrate this to my students. I have tried to expose medical students to primary care, family medicine, and healthcare situations in remote locations. I have also worked to support doctors working in primary and secondary care through distance education. 

   It is my belief that the role of education is not only to teach students to treat sickness and prevent disease but also to address the determinants that cause ill health. We should work towards systems that address hierarchy and disparities in health. Inspiring a new generation of students with these ideas is what has drawn me to the RSP and Travel Fellowship. You can call me Anand and contact me at zachariah@cmcvellore.ac.in

I grew up feeling inspired by the stories of Albert Schweitzer and Mahatma Gandhi. After graduating from the Government Medical College of Alleppey in 1983, I chose to practice in Gandhigram. It was 5 years later, after completing my own version of the Travel Fellowship, visiting remote areas all over India, that I found Sittilingi, helped build Tribal Health Initiative, and started my journey with the people of the valley. Here, I am fondly known as G. 

If you'd like to write to me, you can do so at regilalitha@gmail.com

After graduating, I knew that I didn't want to be the eleventh doctor in a place where there were already 10 doctors, I wanted to be the first doctor where there were none. While being a gynecologist in Gandhigram, I witnessed the bottomless abyss, the lines of the sick poor were unending. Journeying forward, in 1993, I moved to Sittilingi and helped build the foundation of the Tribal Hospital. The valley has been my home for over 30 years. Here, I am fondly known as Tha. 

If you'd like to reach me write to regilalitha@gmail.com

  I graduated from Ramiah Medical College in Bangalore, and traveled and worked in different parts of rural India being a confused young doctor, meeting like minded friends and mentors. I did MPH and did my PG in Rural Surgery at Christian Fellowship Hospital, Oddanchatram, after which I came back to Sittlingi to continue in Tribal Health Initiative alongside Prema, my wife, after her MSc Nursing at CMC Vellore, to pursue our shared dream of working with the community. Now we've been living here for over 10 years with our two daughters.

 You can write to me on mravi13@gmail.com

  My academic journey took me to St. John's, Bangalore that led me to do my rural bond program with THI. I embarked on a travel hiatus soon after my bond. Now, I'm back in Sittilingi, diving into the world of social obstetrics professionally. At the same time, I'm crafting my life in a remote tribal village, amidst the lush plants I nurture and the refreshing streams that keep me company!

If you'd like to reach me, here's my email  pravinsingarayar@gmail.com

  I decided to take a detour post - MBBS. Instead of rushing into the world of specialized medicine, I started a journey that led me to Sittilingi and volunteered in tribal communities, and remote corners of India. 

 This decision was initially about escaping post-graduation, but it ended up giving meaning to my role as a doctor and myself as a human.

Write to me at shobiashok@gmail.com

  I completed my Bachelor's in Mass Media from St. Xavier's College, Mumbai. Post which I worked with Basic Healthcare Services in Rajasthan, and I have been working with THI in Sittilingi. I am now figuring out my role as a professional in the working world. 

 I enjoy exchanging ideas and even more, listening to stories. I also like a good cup of coffee with my conversations.

For starters, you can reach me at vaniadsouzaa@gmail.com