Shanthi Hegde is a dedicated advocate working at the intersection of rare diseases and health equity. Shanthi lives with two bleeding disorders, Factor 7 Deficiency and VWD, and Stills Disease, and brings an intersectional lens to her work. Shanthi is currently pursuing a Master of Public Health at Brown University in Chronic Disease Epidemiology and Global Health Justice. She holds a Bachelor of Science with honors in Psychology and Biology, and a minor in History, from Northeastern University.

Shanthi considers herself a first-generation patient advocate. Her family comes from a rural village with little to no access to testing or treatment. She was the first in her family to be tested for a genetic condition, and she carries that privilege with deep responsibility. She wants to use that privilege to continue to give back to communities that lack access to therapies or healthcare.

She is committed to utilizing her global public health passions to focus on the bleeding disorders community. She wants to help improve access to care, fight for better policies, and make sure no one has to go through it alone.