Dr Aparna Hegde Features at 15th Spot on Fortune's List of World's 50 Greatest Leaders

By: WE Staff | Tuesday, 25 May 2021

Dr. Aparna Hegde, Founder of the India-based non-profit ARMMAN, has been named one of the World's 50 Greatest Leaders by Fortune. She is ranked 15th and one of only two Indians on the prestigious list of extraordinary achievers who stepped up during the pandemic to respond to the unexpected crisis. Other notable individuals include New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and activist Malala Yousafzai.

Dr. Aparna Hegde is a TED Fellow and an internationally renowned urogynecologist. She is also a social entrepreneur, published researcher, and TED Fellow. During her residency, Dr. Hegde saw firsthand how pervasive systemic issues led to preventable maternal and child mortality and morbidity. She founded ARMMAN in 2008 while completing her medical training at Stanford University, unable to accept the status quo.  ARMMAN leverages technology to improve health outcomes for underprivileged pregnant women and children in India.

Fortune has emphasised ARMMAN's quick response to COVID-19, as well as their model that leverages technology to achieve scale. When COVID-19 struck, ARMMAN quickly adapted its extensive technology platform and expertise and launched four COVID-19 interventions to assist pregnant women, children, and health workers within a week.

The pan-India free Virtual OPD (clinic) has provided over 14,000 pregnant women and children with free consultations with obstetricians and paediatricians via a toll-free number. 300,000 women living in Mumbai's urban slums have received weekly automated voice calls (and text messages) on critical COVID-19-related information delivered directly to their mobile phones in the local language.

Over 60,000 pregnant women and children have been connected to essential health services and facilities. In collaboration with the government, ARMMAN has also sent critical information to 800,000 health workers via phone calls and text messages.

Dr Aparna says, “I feel honoured and humbled to have ARMMAN’s work recognised by such a prestigious international platform. We are privileged to have partnerships with the national and state governments, on-ground NGOs and other organisations that have enabled this reach and impact. This recognition is an impetus for us at ARMMAN to continue augmenting and implementing our tech-based interventions for pregnant women, mothers, children and health workers across the country.”

Dr. Aparna Hegde, a urogynecologist educated at Stanford University and the Cleveland Clinic, is the Founder and Managing Trustee of ARMMAN. Her commitment to maternal/child health arose from witnessing preventable deaths during her medical residency. She is an Associate Professor of Urogynecology and the Director of the New Urogynecology Department at Cama Hospital in Mumbai, India's first University-based Center of Excellence in Urogynecology. She is an NIH grantee who is conducting groundbreaking research in 2D/3D pelvic floor USG. In 2020, Dr. Hegde received the Skoll Award for Social Entrepreneurship and was named a TED Fellow.

ARMMAN uses technology to develop low-cost, highly scalable solutions to improve the health and well-being of India's underserved mothers and children. ARMMAN is currently implementing the largest mobile-based maternal messaging programme (Kilkari) and the largest mobile-based training programme for frontline health workers in collaboration with the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW).

ARMMAN programmes have reached over 24 million women and children, as well as 173,000 frontline health workers in 17 Indian states. The World Health Organization, the British Medical Journal, and GSK-Save the Children have all recognised ARMMAN's programmes.