Geethika Koneru, MD, MPH
Waldo Hall 410
2250 SW Jefferson Way
Corvallis, OR 97331
United States
Academic interests
Geethika is currently exploring how self-management skills and social support systems come together to promote optimum health and well-being in youth, and the role identity, culture, and communication skills have in forming the narratives young people have about their health. She is especially interested in working with youth who have chronic health conditions. She is also interested in investigating how new media communication strategies can be harnessed to make health fun and easy for young people.
Biography
Geethika completed her MD in Social and Preventive Medicine in India. Her MD dissertation was a mixed methods study on the physical, psycho-social health and health-seeking behavior of adolescent girls in rural India. After completing her residency, she worked for the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) on a joint project with UNICEF that aimed to improve health outcomes for children with acute malnutrition in rural India.
Hoping to develop her research skills further, Geethika applied for, and got into the Master of Public Health (MPH) program at the Johns Hopkins University where she majored in Child and Adolescent Health and completed a certificate in Health Communication. During her studies there, she worked as a JHU SOURCE Service Scholar (2021-2022) with a Baltimore-based non-profit to create a social media-based platform for youth to discuss their problems and brainstorm possible solutions. She also had the opportunity to work with a research team on the National Survey of Children’s Health (NSCH) data, and on a well-child visit-based health innovation that aimed to promote flourishing in young children.
After completing her MPH, Geethika briefly worked as a curriculum developer with a Philadelphia-based non-profit, where she helped develop content and illustrations for books on 21st century life skills for young people. She loves teaching and has had the opportunity to teach for most of her career.
During her PhD at the Oregon State University, she hopes to develop into an interdisciplinary researcher and educator who creates practical and innovative ways for youth to feel more empowered about their health and well-being.
Personal interest
Geethika loves writing stories and is a self-published fantasy author. She enjoys exploring new cultures and has been learning Korean, Japanese, and Chinese languages, mainly by watching movies and listening to songs.
She is in the process of starting a YouTube channel to teach research and career-building skills to students whose schools may not be teaching them these important skills.
She loves hiking and going for walks in nature, especially in Oregon forests. Meditation, journaling, and talking to her family and friends are her go-to strategies for making sense of life, handling bad days, and choosing her next steps.