Prashasti Bhatnagar, Esq., MPH

Experience

• 

  University of Minnesota-Twin Cities

  May 2016 - Sept 2016

  KIDS Research Volunteer

  Department of Sociology• Transcribed and coded the interviews/focus groups for the Kids Involvement and Diversity Study (KIDS), which evaluates the development, accessibility, and involvement in organized, out-of-school activities in the Twin Cities metro area

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  University of Minnesota Medical School

  Jun 2016 - Aug 2016

  Cancer Disparities Intern

  Selected to be a part of a small cohort in the Program in Health Disparities Research at University of Minnesota, Medical School• Presented and analysed a project focused on determining the feasibility, acceptability, efficacy of an Imam-delivered sermon in waterpipe cessation among East-Africans in Twin Cities. The role of religion was also examined. The abstract for this project was accepted for the Society for Research of Nicotine and Tobacco Annual Meeting 2017 • Exposed to the problems faced by refugee and immigrant populations as an observer at Bethesda Clinic – Family Medicine Show less

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  Office for Senator Al Franken

  Sept 2016 - Dec 2016

  Intern

  • Researched and presented a project focused on single payer health care systems while comparing and contrasting international countries such as Canada and UK with the US• Assisted in taking casework and policy concerns from constituents along with completing tasks for fieldwork case managers

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  NAMI

  Sept 2016 - Aug 2018

  Policy Research Intern

  •Designed the survey for a research project focused on mental health parity and drafted several issue specific policy letters in order to prep for the 2019 Legislative Session. • Led a project focused on informing healthcare professionals in all counties in Minnesota about virtual support groups for individuals suffering from mental illnesses• Designed & researched fact sheets for best practices to support and engage the LGBTQ+ communities

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  University of Minnesota-Twin Cities

  Dec 2016 - May 2018

  • Designed, implemented and managed a certificate program for all undergraduate and graduate students to challenge the dominant narrative of community engagement in the US through brave discussions, active reflection, and sharing of lived experiences. • Designed, implemented and managed "The Racial Equity Discussion Partners Program," which fosters a learning and inclusive environment to facilitate conversations around social justice, racial equity, and organization as change-making agents for 11 staff members. • Designed roadmaps for students in an honors-type program for volunteering that made the program more efficient and transparent.• Grade reflections on agency, diversity, power and privilege for the programs facilitated by the office• Assist undergraduate and graduate students in finding appropriate service-learning and community-engagement experience through peer advising appointments• Lead workshops focused on diversity, power and privilege for prospective service-learners Show less

  • Community Advisor

    Aug 2015 - May 2018

  • Lead Peer Advisor

    Sept 2014 - May 2018

  • Justice and Equity Research Intern

    Dec 2016 - Dec 2017
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  Hennepin County

  May 2017 - Aug 2017

  Urban Scholar

  Human Resources | Diversity & Inclusion | Business Partners• Served as the co-chair for the Diversity & Inclusion sub-committee and was responsible for designing and implementing county-wide events for Diversity Month in Hennepin County• Designed Gender Acceptance Training for all Hennepin employees to ensure that the workplace is inclusive for transgender employees• Conducted interviews with Hennepin County employees and analyzed data to develop a recruiting tool for Facility Services to ensure that prospective workers know about their rights and benefits• Researched and designed the policy briefs for the implementation of lactation rooms at Hennepin County to ensure a breastfeeding friendly work environment for employees Show less

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  University of Minnesota School of Public Health

  Aug 2017 - Dec 2017

  Undergraduate Teaching Assistant

  Department of Epidemiology• Served as a resource for undergraduate students in PUBH 3950/6950 From Kid to Community: Personal, Social and Environmental Influences on Youth Obesity to ensure a smooth educational experience.• Graded weekly assignments and final projects focused on obesity prevention.

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  Office of Governor Mark Dayton

  Jan 2018 - Jul 2018

  Constituent Services Intern

  • Assisted in taking and addressing casework and policy concerns from constituents in addition to completing tasks for community and policy liaisons. • Managed the front desk and effectively answered in-person and over-the-phone constituent concerns in addition to attending press conferences.

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  State of Minnesota, SEGIP Health Solutions

  Jul 2018 - Aug 2018

  Health Risk Management Analyst

  • Scheduled and managed wellness trainings focused on cognitive, economic, social, and physical health for all state employees.• Conducted two in-depth qualitative analysis for Manager Integration Trainings to help in the transition of new team leaders in various departments.

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  City of Minneapolis

  May 2019 - Aug 2019

  Law Clerk/Certified Student Attorney, Office of City Attorney, Criminal and Civil Divisions

  Represented the City in misdemeanor court rooms performing plea negotiations to court, arguing conditions of release of in-custody defendants, negotiating pleas with pro se parties, conducting court trials on traffic matters, and processing files for future court appearances.Conducted in-depth legal research on broad issues for the Civil Division, in addition to drafting motions, complaints, briefs, and other legal documents submitted to courts in Minnesota.

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  Georgetown University Law Center

  May 2019 - Dec 2019

  Provided full representation to two low-income clients on matters of special education, Medicaid, and public benefits. As an outcome of my representation, which included negotiations and advocacy efforts with school staff members and medical providers, I finalized a robust Individualized Educational Plan (IEP), in addition to producing two in-depth advice letters explaining eligibility and next steps for public benefits and Medicaid in a complex third-party custody matter. Provided thorough edits for Georgetown’s Journal for Annual Review of Criminal Procedure including updating case law and bluebook citations on Double Jeopardy matters.

  • Certified Student Attorney, Health Justice Alliance Law Clinic

    Aug 2019 - Dec 2019

  • Summer Research Assistant, Annual Review of Criminal Procedure Journal

    May 2019 - Aug 2019
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  National Health Law Program

  Jan 2020 - Apr 2020

  Legal Extern

  Conducted legal research focused on legislative history, administrative law, and public health, in addition to drafting memorandums containing legal analysis on current health provisions, and drafting comments for proposed regulations.

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  Georgetown University Law Center

  May 2020 - Jun 2022

  • Managed and published Volume 36, comprising 3 print issues, comprising 14 Articles, 14 Notes, 7 Current Developments, and 9 (Im)migrant Narratives—the highest amount of publishing in GILJ history.• Designed, implemented, and managed a 10-week justice-oriented program (#ImmigrationAND) that is open to everyone. The program includes a comprehensive action-oriented curriculum on 10 interdisciplinary topics within immigration (including engagement materials, reflection questions and action items) and a Scholar Series featuring legal scholars, academics, organizers, and experts on those topics.• Developed submissions guidelines and screening tools to effectively screen for and prioritize diverse authors and scholarship rooted in justice, innovation, and liberation for publication.• Developed and launched an online legal publication, (Im)migrant Narratives, to supplement the GILJ print issues. The goal of (Im)migrant Narratives is to amplify the experiences and expertise of (im)migrants within legal and policy discourse, which is often erased and excluded from policymaking. Show less

  • Co-Principal Investigator, Health Justice Alliance

    Mar 2022 - Jun 2022

  • Editor In Chief, Georgetown Immigration Law Journal, Vol. 36

    Mar 2021 - Jun 2022

  • Research Assistant, Professor Vicki Girard

    Aug 2019 - May 2022

  • Research Assistant, Professor Yael Cannon

    May 2019 - Jun 2021

  • Graduate Student Researcher, Health Justice Alliance Law Clinic

    Sept 2020 - Jan 2021

  • Research Assistant, Human Rights Institute

    May 2020 - Aug 2020

  • Summer Research Assistant, Annual Review of Criminal Procedure Journal

    May 2020 - Aug 2020
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  Reed Smith LLP

  Jun 2020 - Jul 2020

  Summer Associate

  Worked on a variety of litigation, regulatory, and transactional matters within practice groups such as Life Sciences and Health Care; Government Contracting; Financial Services; and State Tax.

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  Johns Hopkins Center for a Livable Future

  Sept 2020 - Jun 2022

  Graduate Research Assistant

  •Conducted qualitative research analysis and wrote two-thirds of a comprehensive research report on public health threats faced by farmworkers, in addition to assisting with state-wide legal data analysis of farmworker protections in the US.•Researched and tracked important bills introduced during the 2021 MD legislative session, in addition to drafting comparative memorandums analyzing agricultural and climate change bills.•Served as one of the experts and members on NSAC’s Diversity (now Racial Justice) and Immigration subcommittees, engaging in and informing policymaking on immigration and agriculture (including legislative advocacy for the Farm Bill).•Developed and led a proposal on conducting the first scoping review on using medical-legal partnerships to address the legal and public health issues faced by CAFOs and slaughterhouse workers, in addition to being the lead author for the comprehensive primer documenting the findings. This primer will inform policy briefs and future research proposals within this population and will be published in an upcoming book on CAFOs with JHU Press. Show less

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  O'Neill Institute for National and Global Health Law

  Sept 2020 - Jun 2022

  Conducted a comprehensive qualitative analysis on state-wide Hepatitis C elimination efforts in the US and developed an internal database documenting the key components, missed opportunities, and best practices for hepatitis elimination across all states. Co-drafted and developed a nationwide viral hepatitis elimination tool kit, including leading the section on key components for viral hepatitis elimination. Managed the data analysis for the first national evaluation of states’ capacity for viral hepatitis elimination using a rubric developed in consultation with more than 40 stakeholders including CDC. This 50-state analysis that provides a grade for the viral hepatitis elimination capacity and preparation within each state is part of the HEPELIMINATION project, in collaboration with the National Viral Hepatitis Roundtable and the Center for Health Law and Policy Innovation at Harvard Law School Show less

  • Research Assistant

    Sept 2019 - Jun 2022

  • Graduate Student Researcher

    Sept 2020 - Apr 2021
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  Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health

  Sept 2020 - Apr 2021

  Conducted qualitative analysis to understand the implementation successes and challenges of the Interlock Ignition device. Assisted with drafting of interview guides and IRB protocols for a study aimed to explore the mid- and longer-term impacts of attacks on healthcare in Central African Republic using secondary data and expert key informant interviews.

  • Graduate Research Assistant, Dr. Shannon Frattaroli

    Sept 2020 - Apr 2021

  • Graduate Student Research Assistant, Professor Leonard Rubenstein

    Sept 2020 - Dec 2020
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  Children's Equity Project

  Nov 2020 - Sept 2021

  Research Consultant

  Conducted research and writing to incorporate explicit health and racial equity lens to allof the National Center on Health, Behavioral Health and Safety's work, in addition to developing webinars and trainings for Head Start members. Also worked with interdisciplinary experts on Head Start's COVID-19 response.

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  Reed Smith LLP

  May 2021 - Jul 2021

  Summer Associate
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  Georgetown University

  Nov 2021 - Sept 2022

  Conducted and led the qualitative coding and analysis for 35 in-depth interviews of Black pregnant people documenting their birthing journeys as part of a DC Health funded interdisciplinary research study.Served as the lead author for a comprehensive research report on the role of structural, institutional, and interpersonal racism in maternal mortality, including writing the entire analysis sections and executive summary and leading the editing, citations, and internal review process between team members for the research report. The research report is being used as an internal planning document by DC Health to be shared with DC City Council and other stakeholders. Currently, drafting a series of short briefs to be used by DC Health as one of the lead authors. Show less Conducting and leading a mixed-methods community-based needs assessment—including synthesizing peer-reviewed literature, collecting extant data on unhoused people in DC, drafting a legislative framework for federal and local housing programs available to perinatal patients, and serving as the lead author for the publicly available research report. This needs assessment is in collaboration with Mamatoto Village as part of their three-year multi-tiered initiative focused on advancing birth and housing justice in Washington, DC. Show less

  • Qualitative Research Analyst

    Nov 2020 - Sept 2022

  • Senior Research Specialist

    Nov 2021 - Jun 2022
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  MedStar Health

  Mar 2022 - now

  Co-Principal Investigator/Senior Research Specialist

  Leading and managing a qualitative study to reevaluate the presence of police officers in the emergency department and propose hospital- and city-level recommendations to protect the health of survivors. Currently, I am designing the IRB protocol including drafting the focus group guides and will work on data collection in May-June 2022 and data analysis in August 2022.

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  The Ohio State University

  Jun 2022 - now

  Law/Public Health Post Doctoral Scholar, Kirwan Institute for the Study of Race and Ethnicity
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  Midwest Immigration Bond Fund

  Aug 2022 - now

  Member Board of Directors