I am Khyathi Gadag, a third-year Ph.D. student from the Health Management and Policy department, College of Public Health. I will be serving as the Mental Health Director in the Graduate and Professional Student Government. I’m originally from Bangalore, India, and I completed my Bachelors in Dental Surgery (BDS) and Masters in Healthcare Administration (MHA). Before starting my Ph.D., I worked as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Health Management at Ramaiah University of Applied Sciences in India. Currently, I serve as the Graduate Chair for International Student Advisory Board and board member of the CPH International Students Advisory Board.

As I take the position of Mental Health Director at GPSG, I eagerly look forward to providing culturally conscious, readily accessible, and innovative mental health resources for the students at the University of Iowa. I aspire to assist and collaborate with other mental health support organizations to build culturally sensitive professional psychological support for students and develop a robust peer-driven mental health workforce in the university. I am ardently looking forward to working with other committees and leaders of GPSG to provide the best for the student community!

Apart from academics, I have been passionate about acting and theater for the longest time, and I am a trained Bharatanatyam dancer (an Indian dance form). I love beaches, and can spend eternity near water bodies! In my free time, I love to spend time with my friends and family, and get my hands on photography and pencil sketching.