Ten teams of student innovators awarded impact funding
- 3 min. read ▪ Published
The UC Berkeley School of Public Health social impact team is thrilled to announce the ten student teams selected for the third cohort of the Impact Innovators program (formerly the Social Impact Innovation Program). Each team will receive $10,000 to work with community partners to develop and implement innovative solutions to pressing public health challenges.
Supported by a generous gift from Kathy Chiao and Ken Hao, the program provides a unique opportunity for student leaders to advance community health while building skills in social entrepreneurship and community partnership.
“Our student leaders bring a unique lens to entrepreneurship, combining rigorous analytical and research skills with a focus on human-centered design. Through this program they innovate on public health approaches and build strategies to scale regionally, nationally and globally,” says Kelly Horan, manager of social impact innovation programs at the School of Public Health.
Second year MPH student Gayatri Bhanot is leading Advocate AI, an AI-driven advocacy platform designed to bridge the diagnostic gap for women suffering from chronic pelvic pain.
“In the US the diagnostic delay for pelvic pain averages four to 12 years. With over 62% of women reporting that their pain feels dismissed by providers, patients are left with an invisible burden. This isn’t just another AI tool. This is about reclaiming the narrative for women’s health,” shares Bhanot.
Oral Health Equity Lab—led by MPH student and dentist Swapnika Tantravahi—is advancing equitable access to oral health care, a critical yet often overlooked public health issue with significant impact on overall health.
Online MPH student Erick Cortes Rangel is leading RuBRICK, focused on building social infrastructure in rural areas of California lacking public gathering spaces.
“RuBRICK addresses social isolation and loneliness in rural communities, an issue now recognised as a public health epidemic. Our solution is to launch community designed public spaces that act as temporary social infrastructure,” says Rangel, a resident of the rural California community of Caruthers.
The ten funded Impact Innovator projects are:
- AdvocateAI is building a digital health navigator to reduce diagnostic delays for women with chronic pelvic pain. Team Lead: Gayatri Bhanot, MPH student
- Bridge to Care is improving access to healthcare services for unhoused individuals in the East Bay. Team lead: Millie Batra, undergraduate student, public health
- Collective Breath is engaging youth citizen scientists to monitor and improve air quality across the Bay Area. Team Lead: Daniel Bonilla, MS Student, Environmental Health Sciences
- Dream SHIP is expanding access to culturally responsive health education for Oakland youth. Team Lead: Joy Barrett, MD/MS student in the UC Berkeley/UCSF Joint Medical Program
- <Hear Here> is improving auditory safety in public places for people with hearing loss. Team Lead: Insun Heo, master of design student
- Oral Health Equity Lab is advancing equitable access to oral health care through education and prevention resources. Team Lead: Swapnika Tantravahi, MPH student
- PEARL is helping families overcome non-medical barriers to pediatric surgical care and recovery. Team Lead: Alondra Aguilar, MD/MS student in the UC Berkeley/UCSF Joint Medical Program
- RuBrick is building social infrastructure in rural areas of California lacking public gathering spaces. Team Lead: Erick Cortes Rangel, Online MPH student
- Thrive Wellness Initiative is working across rural Georgia to strengthen community health through accessible fitness programs. Team Lead: Alexis Gresham, Online MPH student
- SAHAARA is improving cardiometabolic health in South Asian communities. Team Lead: Vivek Nalluri, undergraduate student, biology and business
