Pallak Mallika Mannan is a Future Research Talent Scholar at the Responsible Innovation Lab within the Centre for Public Awareness of Science at the Australian National University (ANU) in Canberra. Soon, she will join the Indian public health system as a Research Fellow at the National Health Systems Resource Centre. She is keen to explore the role of AI in the  public health system, particularly how digital health technologies are being implemented across various regions of India. In addition to this she aims to explore the impact of the changing climate on the mental health of the vulnerable groups.

She aims to integrate concepts from diverse disciplines to develop ethical interventions targeting the Sustainable Development Goals. 

 

Pallak has spearheaded several research projects, including a pilot randomized control trial on narrative interventions for climate mitigation, a mixed-method study on heat-related symptoms among slum dwellers in Delhi, and co-authored work on depression in postmenopausal women in India. She has presented her findings at international conferences and has publications currently under review. Her academic background includes an MA in Public Health from the Indian Institute of Public Health, Delhi, and an MSc in Clinical Psychology from Christ University, where she earned academic scholarships and distinctions.

 

Beyond her academic achievements, Pallak has gained professional experience as a Program Intern at the National Centre for Disease Control, focusing on climate change and mental health, and as a Grants Proposal Coordinator at Samarpann (National Non-Governmental Organisation), where she developed successful grant proposals for WASH (Water, Sanitation and Hygeine) and education programs. 

She led a team that secured the Top Regional Prize for the Indo-Pacific region in the Global Case Competition at the University of Melbourne, collaborating with experts from UNICEF, WHO, PHFI, and the University of Melbourne to develop sustainable interventions for global challenges. 

Pallak’s skills in data collection, qualitative analysis, intervention design, and epidemiology, alongside her volunteer work, highlight her unwavering commitment to public health and responsible innovation.