Washington: Indian-American cancer physician, Kamal Menghrajani, is among 15 “exceptional young leaders” appointed to the 2023-2024 class of White House Fellows. Placed at the Office of Science and Technology Policy, Kamal, who treats patients with leukemia, will spend a year working with senior White House Staff, Cabinet Secretaries, and other top-ranking administration officials.

“As the first oncologist ever selected, I’m excited to lead, serve, and innovate for our patients in this new role with the Cancer Moonshot and Health Outcomes teams,” she wrote on X (formerly Twitter), after the recent White House announcement.

While on faculty at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, Kamal conducted cancer research focused on early diagnosis and prevention. She also spearheaded health equity efforts for vulnerable populations in global contexts, including Nicaragua, Bolivia, and Uganda, according to a White House statement.

As an entrepreneur, she has co-founded startups to address unmet needs in cancer treatment and deploy AI for rapid cancer diagnosis, and has helped grow the non-profit Nourish International, which engages student leaders as social entrepreneurs in international development work.

Having completed her M.D. at University of North Carolina and her M.S. in Biostatistics at Columbia University, Kamal trained in medicine at the University of Michigan and as chief fellow at MSK.

“This year’s Fellows advanced through a highly competitive selection process, and they are a remarkably gifted, passionate, and accomplished group,” the White House announcement read.

“These Fellows bring experience from across the country and from a broad cross-section of professions, including from the private sector, local government, academia, non-profits, medicine, and the armed forces.”

Founded in 1964, the White House Fellows programme offers exceptional young leaders first-hand experience working at the highest levels of the federal government.