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abha

Abha Rao draws on a multi-disciplinary background in psychology, human development, family studies, and medical anthropology to understand how health is produced in th...

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Contact Details :

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0000-0002-8227-1810
abha.rao@phfi.org
9686167630

Dr. Abha Subba Rao

Research Scientist and Associate Professor

PhD

Professional Summary and Publications

Abha's research, which incorporates a gender lens, has involved vulnerable populations in rural, peri-urban and urban settings on a range of topics – women and children’s anemia, women’s financial and decision-making empowerment on health, women’s experiences of disrespect and abuse in labour rooms in public hospitals, migrant women’s access to health and healthcare, and adolescent sexual and reproductive health. Her research has focused on populations that are typically underserved by mainstream health services on account of their gender, caste, economic class, residency, or age, and the intersection of these factors, and identifies the challenges they face in achieving health and accessing healthcare, and suggests areas of potential interventions that address the needs of disadvantaged communities and individuals.

  • Member, Data Safety & Monitoring Board, HARMONY project, St. John’s Research Institute, Bangalore
    (on-going)
  • Member, Research Advisory Board, Karnataka Health Promotion Trust
  • Member, Institutional Ethics Committee, National Institute of Mental Health & Neurosciences, Bangalore
    (3-year term ended in Nov 2025)

  • Ramalingaswami Centre on Equity and Social Determinants of Health

  • Adolescent Health
  • Maternal Health/Women’s Health
  • Mental Health
  • Reproductive Health/Sexual Health
  • Social Determinants of Health
  • Urbanisation/Urban Health
  • Ethics
  • Qualitative Research
  • Health Professional Education

  • Human Resources for Health