Aparna is a Global Health researcher and program evaluator, with a focus on improving reproductive health outcomes in India and East Africa.
Linkedin : https://www.linkedin.com/in/aparna-seth-1b737212/
Q. How has your journey been from IIFM so far?
A. My journey from IIFM has been one of learning, exploration, and unexpected turns. After graduating from IIFM, I took a job at the Center for Microfinance in Jaipur, but I quickly realized it wasn’t the right fit. My friend and batchmate, Kaushaldeep, referred me to a position at Sambodhi, and that changed everything. Sambodhi was my Master Class in research, monitoring, and evaluation, and I spent about seven years there, learning the ins and outs of conducting high-quality research and evaluations.
Eventually, I decided to pursue a master’s in public policy, but my main requirement was to attend a program that offered full funding. Fortunately, I received an offer from Princeton University with full scholarship. Initially, I was apprehensive about going back to school, but it turned out to be an incredible experience. After that, I got the opportunity to work with some leading institutions and worked closely with research teams in US and Africa. That experience eventually led me to pursue a PhD in Global Health from University of Washington.
Looking back, it has been a journey full of growth, challenges, and meaningful impact. I’ve had the privilege of working on numerous research and evaluation studies, particularly in reproductive and maternal health, collaborating with incredible teams, solving real-world problems, and continuously learning.
Q. What were some of the key milestones/learning in this journey that you would like to share with us?
A. Two main milestones really shaped my journey. First was Sambodhi. It was like my training ground and was the base for everything that came after.
Second was going to Princeton University for my Master’s and then joining the Gates Foundation. This was a huge jump, both in my career and for me personally. It gave me a lot of confidence, but more than that, these opportunities gave me the chance to apply my skills and knowledge to address reproductive health challenges across different contexts and at a Global level.
Graduation ceremony at Princeton University
Meeting Melinda French Gates at a Gates Foundation event
My MPP cohort @Princeton university
Q. How was your experience in Sambodhi? What all areas have you worked here?
A. I truly owe my entire professional foundation to my experience at Sambodhi. It was there that I learned the essential skills for conducting rigorous research. I became proficient in both qualitative and quantitative methods, and I gained hands-on experience managing the full research lifecycle and even developing crucial people management skills. Beyond the technical expertise, Sambodhi was also invaluable for the mentors I found and the lasting professional connections I built.
My work at Sambodhi initially focused on livelihoods and poverty research. However, a significant turning point was when I transitioned into health research. This shift proved to be pivotal, fundamentally shaping the trajectory of my career and leading me into diverse and impactful roles within the field of reproductive health research.
Q. Who (or what) are the biggest influences or drivers in your careers? What would be your advice to freshers and IIFM graduates who are looking to choose similar sectors/roles.
A. My biggest influences have undoubtedly been Kultar, Swapnil, Dharmo, and Nitin—mentors that I was fortunate to work with at Sambodhi. Each of them has a distinct working style and unique strengths, and learning from all of them shaped me in ways I couldn’t have anticipated. Their guidance helped me build not just technical skills, but also the ability to think critically and looking at the bigger picture.
A recent reunion with Dharmo and Arnab (missed having Shweta)
My advice to IIFM graduates looking to enter public health research is to stay curious, open to learning, and willing to take unconventional paths. The field is vast, and there’s no single way to break in, so don’t be afraid to start with any opportunity that gets you hands-on experience in research. Learning qualitative and quantitative research methods, evaluation methods, developing technical skills in data analysis, all this will set a strong foundation. Networking and finding mentors can open many doors. I also feel that one of the most valuable learning experiences in public health research comes from traveling to the places where the research is being conducted—spending time in communities, engaging with people on the ground – all this will help when you interpret the results and will help you add context and look beyond the numbers.
Q. How did you decide to go for higher studies post IIFM? And how was the experience?
A. After IIFM, I realized that I wanted to deepen my technical research skills. I also became increasingly interested in what happens after research is done—how data is used to inform policies and shape programs and the reason I went for a public policy program. The experience has been transformative. Formal education gave me the technical tools—theories and frameworks, statistical methods, R programming etc.—which are all critical for high-quality research. But beyond that, it helped me think about research in a more applied way. I gained insights into how to interpret evidence, what makes data actionable, and how research can potentially bridge the know-do gap (my shameless plug for implementation research which is the focus area for my PhD).
Q. What are your favorite memories during your IIFM days?
A. I think the most favorite memories would be chatting for hours with friends (sometimes staying up all night) and walking around the beautiful campus.
Q. In hindsight, what was the biggest contribution or take away from IIFM that you think played a critical role in shaping you as an individual or professional?
A. I think the most important role of IIFM in shaping my professional life was just the introduction to research and statistics concepts. I owe it all to the courses taught by CVRS sir as I truly enjoyed those classes and realized that I wanted to pursue a career as a researcher.
Q. The best buddies / seniors /faculty at IIFM? Some memorable tidbits that you like to share?
A. I am an extreme introvert so it is very hard for me to make friends, but I have been so lucky to have met some truly wonderful people at IIFM who made those 2-years really memorable. My closest friend from IIFM days is Rewasa. She’s the person with whom I share my successes, and more often, seeking advice during low periods (she’s the voice of reason in my life). I have so many fond memories of study groups or just going out to eat with Rewasa, Kaushaldeep (or KD as we fondly called him), Snehashis, Ritwajit. Even today, a random ping from Munish, Nitish, Vartika feels so nice. Among seniors, Parul Sharma and Varun Bangia have been wonderful friends.
Q. As an alumni, what’s your advice to freshers or those are joining IIFM to get best out of the 2 years there?
A. Try to find areas/topics that interest you the most. Reach out to faculty when you don’t understand something or want to get an experienced advice, make use of their office hours.
Q. What was your typical day at the work? And how does it look like while you are on a break?
A. My typical day usually begins with getting my son ready and off to daycare – a very important start to the day! On some mornings, I have early project meetings, often around 6 or 7 am, with research collaborators in Kenya due to the time difference. Two to three days a week, I’m on campus at the University of Washington, as I also work as a Teaching Assistant for an undergraduate research methods course. On other days (and nights), I am mostly writing up my manuscripts for my dissertation targeting to graduate by this summer.
Dissertation project when I started my role as a predoctoral fellow at UW
Q. And how about weekends, hobbies, family and anything else you want to add?
A. Weekends are primarily dedicated to family life, often filled with household tasks and, most importantly, quality time with my rainbow baby, Anhad. We love arranging playdates for him, and whenever we can, we enjoy outings to museums and parks. One activity we both particularly enjoy is ceramic painting. It’s starting to get sunny in Seattle so I’m looking forward to exploring the outdoors with my toddler.
Family outing to see cherry blossoms
Pumpkin patch visit at a nearby farm
Q. Favorite Books, movies, authors?
A. I don’t get a lot of time to read books other than those directly relevant to my dissertation these days. My mom and my husband are avid readers of hindi literature so I keep getting books from them to read (Premchand, Sharad Joshi, etc.). But I will suggest one book – Quiet by Susan Cain. Swapnil gave me this book on my last day at Sambodhi and it was truly the most memorable gift.
Q. IIFM is driven by alumni’s passion and commitments towards its goal. How would you like to contribute to IIFM or IIFM alumni, students? Your engagement with IIFM Placement or OT/SI?
A. I’m more than happy to talk to students who are interested exploring a career in global health research and/or applying for higher education in the US. Since I’ve gone through the process twice, I can offer some guidance on shortlisting schools, essays/SOP, funding scene for international students, etc.
Q. What do you think is different at IIFM now vs when you studied there?
A. Honestly, I’m not up to date on the current situation at IIFM but I have heard that the batch size has increased, there are several new faculty, and new buildings, but that’s all I know.
Q. Any suggestions on who you want to get profiled/interviewed here?
A. I’ll be biased here and recommend reaching out to several of my former colleagues from Sambodhi–, Arnab Dey, Aparupa Negi, Manish Naithani, and Bikram Gupta. And if you could possibly convince Nitin, Swapnil, Kultar, and Dharmo to participate, that would be truly exceptional!