Ranani Anirudhan matriculated at George Washington University in the fall of 2023. During her two years with the Center of Excellence, she worked as a GSA and served as president of the MCH Student Network, where she led social media and communications outreach, created website content, and planned student events. Her public health journey was shaped by her time with Teach for America, which gave her the opportunity to conduct hands-on community work and better understand the real world impacts of the social determinants of health.
While at GW, Ranjani got the opportunity to assist faculty on various research projects, preparing her for her own research. In her CE, she focused on the impact of discrimination and violence on mental health outcomes in South Asian college students in the United States. After designing and distributing a survey for data collection, she analyzed the data using SPSS and R. She had the opportunity to present her research at GW’s Annual Research Day, which proved to be a highlight of her GW experience because of how it brought the greater GWSPH community together.
What Drew You to MCH?
Throughout her undergraduate experience at the University of Texas at Austin, Ranjani realized her passion for providing access to care for vulnerable populations, leading to her desire to pursue an MPH in maternal and child health. She chose GW after getting to hear from students and faculty on “why GW is set apart,” and learning about all the benefits of going to school in DC, including the proximity to partner organizations that she was eager to work with. In addition to the location, she chose GW because of the Center of Excellence. She appreciated how the Center facilitates opportunities for students to gain hands-on experience, which she took advantage of in her practicum with the Title V internship program. She looks back on her time at GW and credits the Center for helping prepare her to take on that position, as well as other roles she has since earned.
Where are you currently working?
Ranjani is currently working as a research analyst at the Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission (MACPAC), a nonpartisan, data-driven agency that uses research to make evidence-based recommendations to Congress to improve Medicaid and CHIP programs. Her role involves reading literature reviews, stakeholder reviews, and federal policy scans, and publishing issue briefs for congressional staffers. She is currently working on two projects: providing advisement for CHIP reauthorization funding and ensuring quality care and safety for children in residential treatment facilities.
The Most Useful Skills from GW and the Center of Excellence
Ranjani highlighted her time as a Title V intern for the Nevada Department of Health and Human Services as one where she gained hands-on experience that developed skills that were relevant to the rest of her studies and her current role. As a Title V intern, Ranjani was responsible for creating infographics and interview guidelines for stakeholders, including state level organizations that were focused on improving MCH outcomes and measures. She cites that position as a “very good example of hands-on public health experience that I carry into this role.” She also remembers Planning and Implementing Health Promotion Programs and Program Evaluation as courses that translate particularly well to her current job. The projects she completed in those courses utilized in-class instruction and peer collaboration to prepare students for tasks involving implementation and evaluation, which are skills she uses in her current role.
Ranjani recommends that students looking for a job utilize in-person job fairs, as that is how she found MACPAC and her current position. She found LinkedIn to be a helpful tool in locating those fairs and following up with those who post about them. For those in their job search process, Ranjani said that “maximizing your network” and “reaching out to anyone you know” are two recommendations she would give. Even if your direct connection does not lead you to a job, “they might lead you to someone else helpful...You never know what will come of it.”
Share a professional win!
In December 2025, Ranjani’s culminating experience project, titled “Addressing an Overlooked Population: The Role of Discrimination and Violence in Depression Among South Asian Female College Students,” was published in The Journal of Public Health International. The open-access article can be read here.
What are you most passionate about?
Ranjani is extremely passionate about maternal mental health outcomes, including the issue of access to perinatal mental health care. In her work, she sees the consequences of states deciding to opt in or opt out of extending their postpartum Medicaid coverage past the six-week minimum. She emphasizes that six weeks is “not enough” and that the postpartum check-ins are “essential” healthcare. Despite seeing many states extend postpartum Medicaid coverage from six weeks to twelve months, she reiterates that “there’s still a lot of work to be done” in terms of how the care actually gets implemented, especially in rural and underserved populations.
CoE Shoutout
Ranjani would like to shout out the team she worked with at the CoE, including former GSA Katherine Cox, former GSA Alandrea Harris, mentor and CE advisor Dr. Nitasha Nagaraj, mentor and supervisor Jerry Franz, and mentor and supervisor Dr. Amita Vyas.