Adolescent Health Champions

Founded by Dr. Priya Shankar, MD, MPH and Ricky Sharma, MPP, Adolescent Health Champions (adolescenthealthchampions.org) is a 501c3 NGO registered in the United States of America that trains adolescent youth in India as peer educators and health leaders (“Champions”) in their schools and communities. Our curriculum focuses on the leading causes of adolescent morbidity and mortality and emphasizes the role which gender inequality plays in contributing to adverse health outcomes experienced by Indian girls and women. Our Champions first learn about critical health topics such as nutrition and anemia, mental health, gender-based violence, menstruation, substance abuse, and reproductive health. They then lead the educational processes in their schools and communities to support one another during adolescence. We also work with parents, educators, physicians, and policymakers to provide a supportive ecosystem and positively influence health outcomes for adolescents. AHC’s work has been recognized by the Government of India’s Smart Fifty Program (sponsored by the Department of Science & Technology), MassChallenge, the WeWork Creator Award, D-Prize, and the Harvard University President’s Innovation Challenge.