Sarah Tanishka Nethan

Bio

Sarah is an experienced Human Centered Designer & Innovation Strategist with over six years of experience working across Ireland, India, and Switzerland. With a strong foundation in public health and participatory research, she has worked with leading organizations such as the World Health Organization, Irish Aid Unit (Plan International), GOAL Global, Trinity Centre for Global Health, and various Indian state governments. Passionate about inclusive design, she specializes in transforming complex health systems into accessible, user-focused experiences for vulnerable populations (including ethnic minorities and indigenous groups) through her expertise in service design, co-creation and equitable communications. Sarah launched her career by championing the scale-up of Kangaroo Mother Care Lounges (a digitally-enabled ecosystem promoting respectful maternal and neonatal care) across 170 facilities in 75 districts of Uttar Pradesh, India—world’s largest scale-up ever. She holds dual master’s degrees: an MSc in Global Health from Trinity College Dublin and a Master’s in Design from the National Institute of Fashion Technology in Mumbai, India. 

Areas of Interest

Sarah’s professional interests lie at the intersection of digital health, behavioural science, and human-centred design, particularly in the areas of women’s and youth health including (but not limited to) maternal and neonatal care, sexual and reproductive health, and non-communicable diseases. She is particularly focused on leveraging AI and data-driven approaches to design inclusive, needs-led digital health solutions that are patient-driven and connect the last-mile, including digitally excluded populations. 

What You Hope to Achieve During the Programme

Through the DigiBio HealthTech Innovation Programme, Sarah aims to strengthen her ability to design, pilot, and scale inclusive digital health innovations. She looks forward to collaborating with interdisciplinary teams and learning from leading entrepreneurs and clinical experts to co-create impactful, technology-driven solutions. In addition, she hopes to develop stronger business and entrepreneurship skills to translate identified health needs into scalable, sustainable, and commercially viable digital products.

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