Rishika Desai Email & Phone Number

Washington, District Of Columbia, United States

Washington, District Of Columbia, United States

Arlington, Va

Provide direct technical assistance to state and territorial health agencies by designing and facilitating capacity building workshops to inform opioid prevention and response efforts. Lead a federally funded project to help three jurisdictions in improving their business and system processes to efficiently spend federal funding, building their capacity around financial and administrative management quality, and establish effective change management processes. Create content for a learning community comprised of 66 jurisdictions, including identification of topics for virtual learning sessions and guidance documents. Collect and analyze data pertaining to overdose prevention and surveillance priorities for state health agencies. Assist with budget narrative development and federal grant application processes, product development, and other administrative tasks, as required. Plan and facilitate small (<25) and large (>50) multi-stakeholder meetings to address the opioid crisis in jurisdictions. Collaborate with other ASTHO teams and health agency staff to develop, review, and disseminate products. Support and led the Situational Awareness Unit of ASTHO’s Incident Command Center during the first phase of COVID-19 response to scan and review state/federal resources to incorporate into ASTHO’s COVID-19 daily briefer.

Arlington, Va

• Support projects and initiatives related to health agency accreditation and quality improvement. Provide technical assistance on various federally (CDC) funded projects intended to improve public health systems and infrastructure in states, territories and freely associated states. • Manage and engage with the territorial workgroup of the Systems Improvement Learning Community focused on performance management systems and plan implementation. • Support the ASTHO’s Chief Financial Officers (CFO) Peer Network comprised of 60 CFOs, health administrative officers, and federal partners. • Work with ASTHO staff and partners to identify public health priorities by conducting environmental scanning, research, and analysis of health department plans. • Produce and review written deliverables such as in-depth reports, issue briefs, blog posts, webinars, and micro-learnings, aligned with ASTHO’s strategic plan, for state and territorial health agency staff. • Assist in the development of work plans and budget narratives. • Successfully coordinated virtual convening and two annual in-person meetings of the CFO and Senior Deputy Peer Network attended by approximately 60+ health agency leaders.

Arlington, Va

• Assisted the Maternal and Child Health team with managing project deliverables for federally funded projects on Increasing Access to Contraception and promoting Breastfeeding-Friendly environments. • Gathered and synthesized information from various sources including literature to identify key findings relevant to Coping and Mitigating Drug Shortages in the nation. • Collaborated with the ASTHO Emergency Preparedness Team to conduct an environmental scan and develop an issue brief related to Radiation Emergency Management.

Arlington, Virginia

•Conducted literature review to establish a connection between maternal depression, tobacco consumption, and early childhood development. •Supported the development and writing of a Health Resources & Services Administration grant proposal. •Helped prepare written resources including a blog post, issue brief, and state story.•Assisted the MCH Team with updates to ASTHO’s website including the Increasing Access to Contraception database. •Contributed to the ASTHO Population Health and Prevention Newsletters. •Attended webinars, policy briefings, and other events including the AMCHP conference on various issues related to maternal and child health.•Compiled written notes from meetings for team members. •Assisted the team with managing Technical Assistance requests and the tracking system.

Washington D.C. Metro Area

• Conducted literature reviews to determine the health and economic benefits of providing a spectrum of affordable vaccinations to school children. • Represented the organization on DC Health Advocacy Days in presence of DC Council Members, DC Ward Members, and DC Department of Health representatives. • Identified and contacted insurance company representatives, school liaisons, and vaccine providers to promotethe program and increase participation.

Mumbai Area, India

• Collaborated with Medical Directors of Municipal Corporations and Medical Officers of two hospitals under the Vasai-Virar Municipal Corporation to identify maternal mental health problems in the surrounding areas. • Performed situational analyses of the two hospitals as part of a primary research project concerning maternal mental health.

Phoenix, Arizona Area

• Transcribed patient medical records of more than 8000 patients using two Electronic Medical Record (EMR) systems: Cerner and McKesson. • Shadowed Physicians to maintain real-time patient charts in the Emergency Rooms of leading Phoenix-based hospitals.• Mentored junior employees to provide them with the required training and guidance.

Phoenix, Arizona Area

• Evaluated the hospital standards using internal assessments to improve the quality and service of the hospital. • Utilized proactive analytical thinking to report opportunities for improvement related to the growth and performance of hospital volunteers and hospital staff. • Represented as a board member to evaluate student records to make a determination on the eligible scholarships for the League’s scholarship program.• Assisted the Budget Manager with creating the annual budget (approximately 3 million dollars) that was allocated to volunteer events and scholarships for 30 students.

Phoenix, Arizona Area

Trained junior employees and over 40 Emergency Room Staff (ER physicians, nurses, and ER technicians) on the new version of Cerner post-implementation.

Mumbai Area, India

• Used screening tools to assess 120 patients for speech delay and functional limitations.• Assisted with the rehabilitation of 80 cognitively impaired patients at the Department of Prevention.

Tempe, Arizona

Aided a Speech and Hearing research laboratory by collecting and recording data using a phonetic-language software for a research study that focused on the development, assessment, and treatment of language disorders in toddlers.

Master'S Degree, Public Health

B.S, Genetics, Cell And Developmental Biology

Activities and Societies: Sigma Alpha Lambda; AMSA

High School

Activities and Societies: National Honor Society, Model UN, March of Dimes