E197: Championing DEI in Public Health and Urban Planning with Deepika Andavarapu, AICP, PhD

Interview with Deepika Andavarapu, AICP, PhD

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Highlights from this episode:

The intersection between public health and urban planning
Journey of an Indian immigrant to the US finding her path in public health
Learning about the resilience that comes from one of India’s biggest slums and how that translates to public health
Why academia is not always a welcoming space for women and how that shaped much of her entrepreneurial journey

Episode 197 of Public Health Careers

Deepika is President of DEEP Consultants who’s mission is to advance community-driven solutions for social change.

Deepika is an equity-driven public health professional and planner with over 16 years of experience in the public and philanthropic sectors working on various social issues. She is a strategic systems thinker, social justice warrior, DEI champion, and Culturally Responsive Equitable Evaluator.

She conferred a Bachelor of Architecture at Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University and a Master of Public Administration at Florida State University where she gained practical experience through internships with Hamilton County Regional Planning and DB Hartt Inc. Her career progressed with roles including Planner at Poggemeyer Design Group, Assistant Planner at Lake County Planning Department, Planner II at the City of Rowlett, and Land Use Division Chief & Senior Planner at Tallahassee leon County Planning Department.

Following her PhD in City/Urban Community and Regional Planning at the University of Cincinnati, Deepika served as a Research and Evaluation Officer at The Greater Cincinnati Foundation where she honed her evaluation skills.

Deepika further expanded her expertise with a Public Leadership Certificate from Harvard kennedy School. She then took on the role of Community Engagement Manager at ProKids. As President of DEEP Consultants, she focuses on promoting social change through community-driven solutions and serves on the board of Impact 100 Cincinnati.