Ashvita Vasireddy

Participating in the GW Maternal and Child Health Leadership Training Program was an incredibly valuable experience, especially as a non-MCH student looking to grow as a leader in public health. Although my academic concentration is in epidemiology, the program offered me a fresh and meaningful perspective- reminding me that leadership is not only about analysis and data, but about compassion, communication, and systems thinking. Through this program, I was able to explore leadership development through an MCH lens, which was particularly relevant to my work as a Quality Assurance Intern at a health clinic, where I helped monitor care metrics and develop quality improvement initiatives for a maternal and child health antibiotic stewardship program. The program helped me see the human stories behind the data and reminded me to center equity, empathy, and accessibility in all aspects of my work from designing workflows to creating health education materials. Being surrounded by thoughtful, driven peers and mentors pushed me to reflect deeply on how I show up as a leader, and how I can use my voice and training to advocate for better systems and outcomes for communities, even outside of traditional MCH pathways.