Aditya is a neonatologist at Sinai Hospital, Baltimore, Maryland. He did his medical school from Dow Medical College, Karachi, Pakistan. He completed his pediatrics residency from Marshfield Clinic, Wisconsin and neonatal perinatal fellowship from Robertwood Johnson Medical school, Rutgers University, New Jersey. Aditya is involved with Health Foundation Nepal for more than 10 years. He also has public health background with Masters of Public Health from Johns Hopkins University, Maryland. His interest includes global child health and resident education. At his free time, he likes to play tennis, golf, practice meditation and listen to music.

Mr. Adhikari is the Deputy Executive Director at Health Foundation Nepal and a PhD candidate in health economics at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, US. He holds a Master of Public Health in health policy from Yale University. With nearly a decade of experience working for the Nepal government in roles ranging from physician assistant to senior public health officer, his current research focuses on healthcare disparities among underserved and minority populations, rural health, and the application of advanced data analysis tools in health services research.

Born and raised in Dang, Nepal, Shreedhar Paudel is a medical graduate from the Institute of Medicine, Kathmandu, Nepal. He is a public health professional trained in Global Health, a psychiatrist with specialization in community psychiatry and schizophrenia at Massachusetts General Hospital and an Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, Boston, USA. Dr. Paudel is the current President and one of the founders of Health Foundation Nepal, USA. His passion is in global mental health and has been a pioneer global health leader through Health Foundation Nepal and other organizations. He likes yoga, meditation, hiking and meeting family and friends. He lives with his wife, Pratima, and two children, Prisha and Prayush, near Boston, USA. 

Rajani Bharati is a public health professional and researcher with nearly two decades of experience spanning clinical and public health settings in the United States, Australia, and Nepal. Her work has focused on developing, implementing, evaluating, and disseminating programs aimed at improving population health, with a particular emphasis on maternal and child health and chronic diseases.

Dr. Bharati brings expertise in grant writing, epidemiological research, mixed-method studies, health policy analysis, and program and economic evaluation. She holds a Ph.D. in Community Health and Health Policy from the CUNY Graduate School of Public Health and Health Policy and an MPH in Epidemiology and Biostatistics from the University of Melbourne, Australia. Additionally, she is a registered nurse in New York State.

Bishal Belbase is a public health physician. He co-founded a non-profit initiative – Karma Health
– based in western Nepal where it supports two local governments in improving their primary
health care, including through deployment of professional community health workers. He lives
with his wife and their daughter in Maryland.

Dr. Dahal is an Assistant Professor of Psychiatry, with C-L and Geropsychiatry training. He runs the psychiatry consult service at Yale- New Haven Hospital where he also collaborates with Pulmonology in Cystic Fibrosis clinic. His global health interests are in psychiatric education, and in promotion of standardized collaborative care through evidence-based psychiatric interventions in Nepal.

https://medicine.yale.edu/profile/rabin-dahal

Sumesh Khanal, MD, FACP is an academic hospitalist and core faculty member at the Tower Health
– Phoenixville Hospital Internal Medicine Residency Program, as well as an Assistant Professor at
Drexel University College of Medicine. He earned his medical degree from Tribhuvan University
Institute of Medicine in Nepal and completed his Internal Medicine residency at Beaumont Health in
Michigan. With prior experience in rural healthcare in Nepal, Dr. Khanal is passionate about graduate
medical education, global health, and advancing the use of point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) in
clinical practice.

Jhabindra Ghimire is a board certified Medical Laboratory Scientist working in the Immunohematology Department of Cleveland Clinic Florida. He worked as Medical Laboratory Scientist at Shahid Gangalal National Heart Center, Nepal Medical College, and SAARC Tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS Center in Nepal before coming to the USA. He has completed Bachelor of Clinical Laboratory Science from Tribhuvan University, Institute of Medicine, Kathmandu, Nepal and MBA in Healthcare Management from Southern New Hampshire University, New Hampshire. Mr. Ghimire is a current treasurer and one of the co-founder of HFN. He is also a founding member and one of the board of directors of America Nepal Society for Medical Laboratory Sciences (ANSMLS). He is interested in laboratory management and healthcare informatics.  

Aditya is a neonatologist at Sinai Hospital, Baltimore, Maryland. He did his medical school from Dow Medical College, Karachi, Pakistan. He completed his pediatrics residency from Marshfield Clinic, Wisconsin and neonatal perinatal fellowship from Robertwood Johnson Medical school, Rutgers University, New Jersey. Aditya is involved with Health Foundation Nepal for more than 10 years. He also has public health background with Masters of Public Health from Johns Hopkins University, Maryland. His interest includes global child health and resident education. At his free time, he likes to play tennis, golf, practice meditation and listen to music.

Mr. Adhikari is the Deputy Executive Director at Health Foundation Nepal and a PhD candidate in health economics at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, US. He holds a Master of Public Health in health policy from Yale University. With nearly a decade of experience working for the Nepal government in roles ranging from physician assistant to senior public health officer, his current research focuses on healthcare disparities among underserved and minority populations, rural health, and the application of advanced data analysis tools in health services research.

Jhabindra Ghimire is a board certified Medical Laboratory Scientist working in the Immunohematology Department of Cleveland Clinic Florida. He worked as Medical Laboratory Scientist at Shahid Gangalal National Heart Center, Nepal Medical College, and SAARC Tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS Center in Nepal before coming to the USA. He has completed Bachelor of Clinical Laboratory Science from Tribhuvan University, Institute of Medicine, Kathmandu, Nepal and MBA in Healthcare Management from Southern New Hampshire University, New Hampshire. Mr. Ghimire is a current treasurer and one of the co-founder of HFN. He is also a founding member and one of the board of directors of America Nepal Society for Medical Laboratory Sciences (ANSMLS). He is interested in laboratory management and healthcare informatics.  

Sumesh Khanal, MD, FACP is an academic hospitalist and core faculty member at the Tower Health
– Phoenixville Hospital Internal Medicine Residency Program, as well as an Assistant Professor at
Drexel University College of Medicine. He earned his medical degree from Tribhuvan University
Institute of Medicine in Nepal and completed his Internal Medicine residency at Beaumont Health in
Michigan. With prior experience in rural healthcare in Nepal, Dr. Khanal is passionate about graduate
medical education, global health, and advancing the use of point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) in
clinical practice.

Bishal Belbase is a public health physician. He co-founded a non-profit initiative – Karma Health
– based in western Nepal where it supports two local governments in improving their primary
health care, including through deployment of professional community health workers. He lives
with his wife and their daughter in Maryland.

Saori Gurung is a recent undergraduate from UC Berkeley where she studied Pre-Health and Gender and Women studies. Being originally from Nepal where health disparities profound, she hopes to address the nuances of racial, gender and systemic disparities in healthcare.

Through research, advocacy, and collaborative partnership, Saori purses a culture in medicine that is intersectional, intentional, and equitable.

Rajani Bharati is a public health professional and researcher with nearly two decades of experience spanning clinical and public health settings in the United States, Australia, and Nepal. Her work has focused on developing, implementing, evaluating, and disseminating programs aimed at improving population health, with a particular emphasis on maternal and child health and chronic diseases.

Dr. Bharati brings expertise in grant writing, epidemiological research, mixed-method studies, health policy analysis, and program and economic evaluation. She holds a Ph.D. in Community Health and Health Policy from the CUNY Graduate School of Public Health and Health Policy and an MPH in Epidemiology and Biostatistics from the University of Melbourne, Australia. Additionally, she is a registered nurse in New York State.

Pritika is a public health professional and a Doctor of Public Health (DrPH) candidate at UC Berkeley, with a decade of expertise in global health research, clinical trials, and health systems strengthening. She has led four large-scale clinical trials on cardiovascular drugs, managing protocol development, regulatory compliance, and multi-site coordination to improve evidence-based interventions. As a WHO Research Fellow for South-East Asia, she worked with the Public Health Foundation of India on health policy and systems research, focusing on strengthening healthcare delivery models. Also, she supervised National Tuberculosis Survey, overseeing data collection and epidemiological assessments covering over 50,000 individuals across 99 clusters, ensuring high-quality surveillance and policy-driven program implementation.

Beyond public health, Pritika is passionate about poetry and dance. She loves poetry as a creative expression to explore themes of health, humanity, and resilience. Dance, for her, is another form of storytelling-a way to express movement and emotion beyond words

Dr. Dahal is an Assistant Professor of Psychiatry, with C-L and Geropsychiatry training. He runs the psychiatry consult service at Yale- New Haven Hospital where he also collaborates with Pulmonology in Cystic Fibrosis clinic. His global health interests are in psychiatric education, and in promotion of standardized collaborative care through evidence-based psychiatric interventions in Nepal.

https://medicine.yale.edu/profile/rabin-dahal

Mr. Basel has been working as a University lecturer in Epidemiology at Maharajgunj Medical Campus, Institute of Medicine since 2011. He is passionate on academia and overall public health development in Nepal and elsewhere. Currently he is also attached with Tampere University, Finland as a Doctoral Researcher particularly in the field of Maternal Mental Health. Mr. Basel has published several papers in the public health domain both in national and international journals. His areas of research interest are in the field of maternal mental health, non-communicable diseases, nutrition and infectious diseases. He was awarded with Nuffic scholarship for pursuing MSc Epidemiology from Erasmus University, the Netherlands and also have received fellowship from HFN for following PhD coursework at Tampere University.

Mr Basel’s passion fits with HFN’s vision for an overall and holistic development and improvement of the community health of the marginalized/deprived population by addressing the social determinants of health.

Dr. Sapkota is a senior and specialist cardiothoracic surgeon, associate professor and social worker. He is working as a residency senior surgeon in Manmohan Cardiothoracic Vascular and Transplant Center, (TU, Institute of Medicine). Apart from leading the technical and clinical teams, His contribution was also in making the expensive cardiac surgeries accessible to the general public. He was awarded with numerous accolades for outstanding service and leadership. He is involved with numerous social and charitable organizations. He has special interest in modernization and advancement of quality health care services in Nepal. He has contributed significantly for prevention of heart disease in Nepal by increasing public awareness regarding cardiovascular diseases and its risk factors through various activities.

Dr. Sapkota has graduated MBBS from Tribhuvan University, Institute of Medicine (IOM) in 2004 AD then he did his General Surgery Residency (MS) in 2009 AD and Cardiothoracic and Vascular Surgery Residency (MCh) in 2012 AD from Tribhuvan University. He has completed Rowan Nicks Fellowship in VATS and Advanced Bronchoscopy from Australia.

Mr Rajan Paudel, currently working as a General Secretary (also a founding General Secretary) of Health Foundation Nepal has a significant role in establishing HFN, Nepal Chapter. He led a first baseline survey in Saudiyar and Laxmipur VDCs of Dang district to initiate a first project (Child nutrition) of HFN in Nepal. He established a linkage between HFN and CMF, Switzerland to initiate a water and sanitation project targeting the remote health posts in Nepal.  He is a public health expert having qualifications of MA, MPH, MPhil and PhD (candidate) and headed the Department of Public Health and Research under HFN for three years. He was awarded ‘Nepal Vidyabhushan Kha’ by the president of Nepal and a gold medal by the Institute of Medicine for academic excellence. His area of research included but not limited to maternal and child health, nutrition and physical activity, chronic disease epidemiology, cardiovascular diseases and the health system. He is passionate and dedicated to leverage his experience to support the underserved people of Nepal for health and well-being through HFN. 

A Doctor of Medicine in General Practice (MDGP), Dr Karki, is a senior consultant medical generalist at Bir Hospital, who not only has headed in strengthening primary health care of districts of Nepal but also has headed management and clinics of community hospitals in remote districts of Nepal. Dr Karki who has sound experience in projects related to Primary Health Care, Adolescent Sexual and Reproductive Health, Human Resources for Health and COVID management. He is currently COVID focal person of COVID 19 Unified Central Hospital, Bir Hospital. He is a trained professional in Non Communicable diseases, emergency preparedness, research statistical software, such as Epi Data and SPSS, along with CB-IMCI and Primary Trauma Care, ACLS/BLS.

Mr. Adhikari, currently working as a Treasurer and co-founder of Health Foundation Nepal. He has a significant role in establishing HFN, Nepal Chapter. He assessed the need of the stakeholders (community people, FCHVs, In-charge of the Health posts, and DPHO) of the community in former Saudiyar and Laxmipur VDCs of Dang district to initiate a first project (Child nutrition) of HFN in Nepal. He established a linkage between HFN leaders and community people. He is a Demographer and researcher having qualifications of MA, M.Ed, M.Phil and currently teaching at Tribhuvan University for more than two decades. He was awarded ‘Mahendra Vidyabhushan Kha’ in 2001 by the King of Nepal and Tarapad Chaudhary gold medal by the Tribhuvan University for his outstanding academic performance. His area of research included but not limited to Adolescents sexual and Reproductive health, maternal and child health, nutrition, mental health, Child trafficking, migration and health, and child protection. He is also equally passionate and dedicated to serve the underserved and disadvantaged people of Nepal for health and well-being through the mission of HFN.

Dr. Saraswati Dhungana has 8 years of experience in Psychiatry and is currently affiliated with the Institute of Medicine Kathmandu, Nepal. She received her postgraduate degree from the same university in 2013. She is also a doctoral candidate at the University of Oslo. She is passionate about mental health and has special interest in adult and women mental health. She feels that HFN is the right place to engage with since it works in improving health and well- being for the most vulnerable in the community.

I am a medical officer who graduated from the Institute of Medicine, Maharajgunj Medical College. As I spent my childhood in a village setting, I am familiar with and interested in the opinion of people of rural areas towards mental health. Therefore, I have been engaging in addressing the stigma associated with mental illnesses and neurodegenerative diseases and have been encouraging people to seek medical help when they have these issues. 

Public health professional with more than 10 years of experience. She completed her master in Public Health from Institute of Medicine (IOM) and has a demonstrated history of working in sexual and reproductive health (SRH) with specific focus on adolescent sexual and reproductive health (ASRH) and also in maternal and child health services.  She has ample experience in developing training manuals and conducting training to young adolescents, teachers, and health personnel on different aspects of public health. She prefers being engaged in exploratory studies focused on Gender Equality and Social Inclusion (GESI), maternal and child health services and ASRH.

Mr. Madan Raj Bhatt is a ‘Public Health Expert’ working in Nepal with extensive experiences of designing and implementing health projects, specially USAID-funded Reproductive Maternal Newborn Child and Adolescent Health (RMNCAH) projects, and providing technical assistance to government and implementing agencies with special focus on women of reproductive age, rural, marginalized and underserved populations. He has also working experiences on mental health, non-communicable diseases, nutrition, health literacy, health system strengthening, and water, sanitation & health research. Mr Bhatt was a founding member and ex-general secretary of Health Foundation Nepal (HFN). He had served as a first Executive Director of HFN (from January 2019 to July 2021) and provided technical and managerial leadership to implement health projects in Nepal. Mr. Bhatt holds MPH degree from Institute of Medicine, Tribhuvan University, Nepal.

Prayas Gautam is a dedicated and motivated young Public Health Professional with more than 2
years of involvement in the field of organizational management. He holds a master’s degree in
Public health from Tribhuvan University in the year 2019. He has a background in monitoring,
evaluation, and research. Prayas has prior experience working in an academic institution and
with different non-governmental organizations in various settings. His key interest areas include
program planning and implementation, leadership, team development, and research. He enjoys
working among the rural and deprived population. Prayas is currently working as a Program
Manager in health foundation Nepal.

Mr. Silwal has been working in HFN since 2015. He has more than 15 years of professional experience in business management, account, finance, and administrative works in the private sectors, NGOs, and I/NGOs. He is happy to meet and work with many distinguished personalities and experts in public health, and medical professionals. He believes we can achieve our common goals through valuable support, cooperation, and guidance from our stakeholders and donor communities.

Susagya Bhusal is a public health graduate with a strong background in research. Over the past two
years, she has actively engaged in various research projects. She holds a bachelor’s degree in public
health from Tribhuvan University.
Since 2022, Susagya has been an integral part of the HFN (Health Foundation Nepal) team, serving as a
dedicated public health officer. Currently, she is leading the Non-Communicable Disease (NCD) research
project in Dang. Her connection to Dang, her hometown and birthplace, has sparked a profound interest
in working and serving the local community, as well as making valuable contributions to the field of
health.

Mr. Shiva is an administrative and financial associate. He has been assessing the Field Office of HFN’s financial and administrative operations.

Mr. Giri Raj Paudel is an Associate in Operations and Construction. He has been working in HFN since 2017.

Ms. Purnima Paudel is a Public Health Nurse and she has been working since the beginning of HFN. She is from the same municipality we serve. 

Ms. Yashoda Oli works for Health Foundation Nepal on a Mental Health project in Dang. Her passion is social service, and she is happy to work with HFN and the community.

Ms. Bhumika works as a psychosocial counsellor. She has been engaged since 2018. She has worked in Maternal Mental Health and has seen a range of mental health issues, negative thoughts, societal stigma, and superstition during her career.

Her name is Bina Neupane. She has been working in HFN since 2020. She is office helper and
has been supporting HFN with her responsibilities.

Born and raised in Dang, Nepal, Shreedhar Paudel is a medical graduate from the Institute of Medicine, Kathmandu, Nepal. He is a public health professional trained in Global Health, a psychiatrist with specialization in community psychiatry and schizophrenia at Massachusetts General Hospital and an Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, Boston, USA. Dr. Paudel is the current President and one of the founders of Health Foundation Nepal, USA. His passion is in global mental health and has been a pioneer global health leader through Health Foundation Nepal and other organizations. He likes yoga, meditation, hiking and meeting family and friends. He lives with his wife, Pratima, and two children, Prisha and Prayush, near Boston, USA. 

Jhabindra Ghimire is a board certified Medical Laboratory Scientist working in the Immunohematology Department of Cleveland Clinic Florida. He worked as Medical Laboratory Scientist at Shahid Gangalal National Heart Center, Nepal Medical College, and SAARC Tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS Center in Nepal before coming to the USA. He has completed Bachelor of Clinical Laboratory Science from Tribhuvan University, Institute of Medicine, Kathmandu, Nepal and MBA in Healthcare Management from Southern New Hampshire University, New Hampshire. Mr. Ghimire is a current treasurer and one of the co-founder of HFN. He is also a founding member and one of the board of directors of America Nepal Society for Medical Laboratory Sciences (ANSMLS). He is interested in laboratory management and healthcare informatics.  

Kamal is a co-founder and the founding president of HFN. He is a geriatrician and is appointed as a clinical assistant professor of medicine in Indiana University, where he is also an affiliate faculty at IU Center for Global Health. In his journey in HFN, he was involved in community health assessment, malnutrition program, disaster-relief program, and mental health program.

Kamal is a graduate of Tribhuvan University, Institute of Medicine, Nepal. Subsequently, he worked in an emergency department of an urban hospital, and later as general practitioner in rural Nepal. He pursued family medicine residency and geriatrics fellowship at Baylor College of Medicine (Houston, Texas); and Master of Public Health from University of Texas. His clinical and scholarly interests are in enhancing interdisciplinary team, innovation, implementation science, empowering and engaging patients and caregivers, delivering high quality patient-centered care and improving quality of life of vulnerable populations in communities. 

Kamal is passionate about improving lifestyle to prevent and address chronic diseases. He has been running one marathon a year for the last four years and he loves to cook vegetarian foods. 

Ashok Devkota, MD, is an Attending Physician at the Rhode Island Hospital, and also a Clinical Assistant Professor of Medicine at Department of Medicine, Brown University. He completed medical school from the Institute of Medicine, Kathmandu, and Residency in Internal Medicine from the Interfaith Medical Center, Brooklyn, New York. He is involved in providing clinical care in hospital and primary care settings and teaching medical students. He has special interest in international health and development. He is a cofounder and current President of Health Foundation Nepal (HFN). He continues to provide technical support and consultation in health care and development in Nepal through various projects supported by HFN. 

Kamal is a co-founder and the founding president of HFN. He is a geriatrician and is appointed as a clinical assistant professor of medicine in Indiana University, where he is also an affiliate faculty at IU Center for Global Health. In his journey in HFN, he was involved in community health assessment, malnutrition program, disaster-relief program, and mental health program.

Kamal is a graduate of Tribhuvan University, Institute of Medicine, Nepal. Subsequently, he worked in an emergency department of an urban hospital, and later as general practitioner in rural Nepal. He pursued family medicine residency and geriatrics fellowship at Baylor College of Medicine (Houston, Texas); and Master of Public Health from University of Texas. His clinical and scholarly interests are in enhancing interdisciplinary team, innovation, implementation science, empowering and engaging patients and caregivers, delivering high quality patient-centered care and improving quality of life of vulnerable populations in communities. 

Kamal is passionate about improving lifestyle to prevent and address chronic diseases. He has been running one marathon a year for the last four years and he loves to cook vegetarian foods. 

Ashok Devkota, MD, is an Attending Physician at the Rhode Island Hospital, and also a Clinical Assistant Professor of Medicine at Department of Medicine, Brown University. He completed medical school from the Institute of Medicine, Kathmandu, and Residency in Internal Medicine from the Interfaith Medical Center, Brooklyn, New York. He is involved in providing clinical care in hospital and primary care settings and teaching medical students. He has special interest in international health and development. He is a cofounder and current President of Health Foundation Nepal (HFN). He continues to provide technical support and consultation in health care and development in Nepal through various projects supported by HFN. 

Binita is a public health professional with a nursing background. Her key interests are institutional strengthening of public health organizations, public health training, and mental health. She has been involved in health systems strengthening practice and research in Nepal, India, Liberia, Zambia, and Kenya. Binita is currently a faculty member at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Binita served as a Vice President of HFN from 2018 to 2020 and as an Executive Director from 2020 to 2023.

Born and raised in Dang, Nepal, Shreedhar Paudel is a medical graduate from the Institute of Medicine, Kathmandu, Nepal. He is a public health professional trained in Global Health, a psychiatrist with specialization in community psychiatry and schizophrenia at Massachusetts General Hospital and an Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, Boston, USA. Dr. Paudel is the current President and one of the founders of Health Foundation Nepal, USA. His passion is in global mental health and has been a pioneer global health leader through Health Foundation Nepal and other organizations. He likes yoga, meditation, hiking and meeting family and friends. He lives with his wife, Pratima, and two children, Prisha and Prayush, near Boston, USA.