We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Subha Sundaram. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Subha below.
Hi Subha, so excited to have you with us today and we are really interested in hearing your thoughts about how folks can develop their empathy? In our experience, most folks want to be empathic towards others, but in a world where we are often only surrounded by people who are very similar to us, it can sometimes be a challenge to develop empathy for others who might not be as similar to us. Any thoughts or advice?
The conditions that allowed me to develop my empathy stem from both personal and professional experiences. Working on HEPA (Health Economic Policy Advocates), I’ve been deeply involved in understanding the struggles students face with health recovery, especially as it intersects with economic barriers. As my team and I come from backgrounds in economics and health systems, we’ve seen how these challenges affect student well-being on both a personal and systemic level.
Through research and direct engagement with communities, I’ve heard countless stories of students dealing with health issues that hinder their academic success and overall quality of life. These conversations have been incredibly eye-opening, and they’ve helped me not only recognize the challenges but also connect with the human side of those challenges.
Ultimately, HEPA has allowed me to step into the shoes of students and others facing these difficulties, and it’s been through this deep, personal engagement with the issues that I’ve developed a stronger sense of empathy.
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
HEPA (Health Economic Policy Advocates) is a student-led initiative , started by me and my partner Shivi Mehta that focuses on addressing the intersection of economic barriers and health challenges in student recovery. Through a combination of research, advocacy, and policy influence, we aim to improve student access to healthcare, mental health services, and financial resources. We believe that by shaping policies, we can make a lasting impact on the academic success and well-being of students, especially those affected by the pandemic.
Our approach is unique because we focus not just on offering programs but on changing the systems that affect students’ access to essential services. The exciting part of HEPA is seeing real-world change through policy advocacy, partnering with organizations, and shaping wellness initiatives that directly benefit students.
We are currently expanding our efforts and looking forward to new partnerships, events, and initiatives to further support student health recovery.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
Looking back, the three qualities that have been most impactful in my journey with HEPA are empathy, resilience, and strategic thinking. Empathy allowed me to connect with students’ needs, resilience helped me overcome challenges, and strategic thinking allowed me to turn our vision into actionable policies. For those just starting, my advice is to develop strong listening skills to understand the problems you’re solving, stay persistent even when facing setbacks, and always think critically about how to bring your ideas to life.
How would you spend the next decade if you somehow knew that it was your last?
One of the challenges we’re currently facing at HEPA is effectively scaling our efforts to reach a larger number of schools and policymakers. While our impact has been meaningful, there are many more students who could benefit from the policies we advocate for. Expanding our reach requires strategic partnerships, funding, and additional resources, which can be difficult to navigate. We’re focusing on building connections and ensuring that the initiatives we introduce are sustainable and have long-term effects on student health recovery.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://hepa.org
Image Credits
All images are my own.
so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
