…Shilpa Darivemula. Shilpa is a fourth year medical student at Albany Medical College. She is the founder of The Aseemkala Initiative, a traditional dance collaborative using the arts to explore women’s rights in medicine. Shilpa met Dr. Shobha Krishnan at the national AMWA conference and, with support from the GIAHC, ASHA, and Elliot Feld of EJFM 102.7, created a dance-based narrative called “To Take on the Unknown.” The piece was shared by Dr. Krishnan at the 31st International Papilloma Conference. This year, Shilpa received the ASTMH Kean Fellowship to conduct research on HTLV-1 and HPV co-infections in Peruvian Shipibo communities, and helped start women’s health programming for the Shipibo women of Bena Jema with the local NGO Alianza Arkana. Shilpa currently serves as the head of GIAHC’s Artistic Committee and develops annual visual and movement based campaigns to raise awareness about cervical cancer.

“My time with GIAHC has opened my eyes to the power of art to impact women’s health. Dr. Krishnan, Alice, Reid, and I worked closely on creating two arts-based campaigns to end cervical cancer and increase screening. Using creativity to engage women to care for themselves has been a humbling experience as I listened and interviewed incredibly strong survivors. Their message is the same as ours—get screened, get vaccinated, and end cervical cancer for future generations. I am grateful to GIAHC for giving me a voice and space to share my passion for blending arts with medicine.”