Anika Vemulapalli

Pronouns: she/her

Current research project: Working with the Margolis Health Policy Center and Dr. Mina Silberberg, I have analyzed the impact of place-based initiatives, projects that enhance cross-sectoral leadership skills to improve local public health, on 6 NC counties. Additionally, I have been working with Duke Remote Area Medical and Dr. Laura Fish in Duke Family and Community Health to understand the social background of patients who attended free pop-up medical clinics in the South. I am also a part of the Reproductive Justice Post Roe v. Wade Bass Connections Project with Dr. Wesley Hogan, Dr. Beverley Gray, and Dr. Jonah Schwartz, where we are formulating an archive depicting the impact of restrictive abortion policy through oral histories of abortion providers, socio-historical research on gynecology and reproductive rights, and abortion care advocacy. Ultimately, my research experiences have cultivated my interest in qualitative analysis and community based research in order to understand gaps in the healthcare system.

Post-Duke plans: After I graduate I plan on taking a gap year and then pursuing an MD/MPH, with a concentration on health policy in the latter. My goal is to be a practicing physician involved in the health advocacy space. Eventually, I would like to get involved with public service on a state or federal level to influence US health priorities and health policy implementation to reduce health disparities.