Events

Amit Sethi (Panelist, United States of America) Link to bio

Experienced Associate Professor with a demonstrated history of working in the higher education industry. Strong education professional with a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) focused in Rehabilitation Science from University of Florida.

Ganga Gurung (Panelist, Nepal) Link to bio

Ganga is a paediatric occupational therapist and an entrepreneur. She is Secretary of the Nepal Association of Occupational Therapy. She influences rehab health policies and is an advocate for neurodiversity and inclusion.

Harsh Vardhan (Chair of the panel) Link to bio

Former President of New Zealand’s occupational therapy association. Civil servant, healthcare commissioner, story teller, connector with a growth mindset and belief in creating a learning environment to enable the best out of people. National Programme Manager for New Zealand’s family and community health services. Recipient of AIOTA Young OT achiever award 2017 and OTNZ-WNA Achievement Award 2023.

Special interest in supporting/mentoring aspiring leaders, including new grads, in their professional journey.

Jayasree Chandramouli (Panelist, Qatar) Link to bio

Certified hand therapist at Hamad Medical Corporation

Nidhi Tanwar (Panelist, Australia) Link to bio

Nidhi is Practice Principal and Senior Occupational Therapist at Early Start Australia, Melbourne. She is Secretary of the International Chapter of AIOTA.

Joy Padhi (Panelist, Insight on non traditional opportunities, New Zealand)

Several years of experience in pediatrics, mental health and addictions. Currently employed as Occupational Health and Safety Coordinator for Waste Management, New Zealand

Prachi Gupta (Project Lead/Manager, New Zealand) Link to bio

Experienced Occupational Therapist with a demonstrated history of working in the mental health care industry. Skilled in Addiction Recovery, Case Management, Clinical Documentation, and Mental Health. Strong healthcare services professional with a Postgraduate Diploma in Health Science focused in Mental Health and Addictions from Auckland University of Technology.

Saniya Nadkarni (Panelist, United Kingdom) Link to bio

Working with Linden Lodge School, London

Shaista Tasleem , Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (Committee member) Link to bio

Occupational Therapist Specialist at Sky Clinic Children Rehabilitation Center, Riyadh. Formerly employed with the Ministry of Health – Al Madina Saudi Arabia.

AIOTA Licensed, SCFHS Licensed, DHA/DOH Licensed

Shanker Kumar (Panelist, Ireland) Link to bio

Currently working as an Occupational Therapist Manager with HSE. Having 20 years of diverse experience in Community, Hospital & Pediatric setup in Dublin & India.

Special Interest in Healthcare Startup, passionate about creating a sustainable Allied Healthcare start-up.

Shardul Abhyankar (Project Lead/Manager, New Zealand) Link to bio

Registered Occupational Therapist in New Zealand and India who has passion to support people with mental health struggles. Hold a masters degree in mental health rehabilitation and have accumulated over 7 years of work experience working in the field of mental health. Was awarded the Best Tertiary Student award for postgraduate study in New Zealand. Currently employed as Mental Health Coordinator, Victoria University of Wellington.

Shruti Nadkarni (Panelist, Dubai, UAE)

Shruti is a post graduate Occupational Therapist from one of the premier medical colleges in Mumbai, India. With over 3 decades of experience, she has worked in several countries like India, UAE and Qatar. In 2012, she received the Best Occupational Therapist award in MENA region.

She has worked in several fields as an Occupational Therapist, her passion is in working with children and she has spent a major part of her career in the field of Pediatrics, working with children with Developmental Disabilities. She has worked with children with Cerebral Palsy, Down Syndrome, Autism, Learning Disabilities and various syndromes associated with developmental delay.

She has delivered several seminars in this field and also was a lecturer for degree course in Occupational Therapy in Mumbai, India.

At present, Shruti is working as Coordinator for Work Placement unit and Co- curricular services, along with heading the departments of Occupational Therapy and Physical Therapy in Al Noor Center for Persons with Disabilities, Dubai, UAE.

Sujata Jaiswal (Panelist, Singapore) Link to bio

Sujata is a paediatric occupational therapist with educational background from NILD, Kolkata and Santosh Medical college, Ghaziabad. She is currently working in Singapore and registered with the Allied Health Professional Council (AHPC), Singapore and All India Occupational Therapists Association (AIOTA), India. Sujata has more than a decade of experience as a lead occupational therapist in India. She has worked in AIIMS, Delhi and different multi-speciality hospitals such as Max, Fortis, and Moolchand hospital. She has delivered several seminars in different special schools of Delhi and Singapore to spread awareness and empower teachers.