Meghana R. Email & Phone Number

In my career spanning over 20 years, I have worked in health systems and policy research, training, and capacity building. I have successfully developed, implemented, and evaluated health-related policies and programs. My work aims to improve health services and processes for equitable care. I have served as a Program Officer, Associate Director of a research unit, and as a faculty member in Schools of Pharmacy and Public Health. I have developed and directed new programs, developed funding proposals, founded a company, nurtured new collaborations and partnerships, and consulted with the U.S. FDA Risk Communications Advisory Committee. Currently, I work at a federal statistical unit in the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) where I lend my strategic expertise and skills to evaluate data quality, address data acquisition, oversee data analysis and reporting, along with collaborations to enhance research output through mentoring and guidance of interns and staff.I am one of the founding members and current Chair of the Pharmacy Special Interest Group (now Section) at the American Public Health Association (APHA). My longstanding work in Emergency Preparedness and Disaster Research led to a collaborative handbook on Disasters and Emergency Preparedness for Pharmacy Professionals (2021, American Pharmacists Association) and a framework for pharmacy professionals (PEPR framework)My interest in building and developing Research Infrastructure led me to co-develop and conduct several International Workshops and Conferences on 'Health Analytics and Disease Modeling' to cross-train researchers in cutting-edge computational methods to address public health problems.During my career, I have co-edited 2 books, published over 40 peer-reviewed papers, and delivered over 50 presentations at regional, state, national, and international conferences. My teaching experience in Social and Administrative Pharmacy and Public Health has enabled me to develop my own teaching and communication style. My work with new schools of Pharmacy and Public Health has yielded rich experience in programmatic development, evaluation, and accreditation.I continue to collaborate with interdisciplinary researchers and scientists to broaden my areas of work and interest to specifically address disaster preparedness and building climate resilient systems and communities, disparities in health services, investigate environmental pollution and human health outcomes, and build a broader community of diverse researchers and stakeholders.