BOSTON—Four Indian-Americans have been named the 2016 recipients of the Robert S. Kaplan Life Sciences Fellowship at Harvard Business School. They include Shomik Chaudhuri, Veda Eswarappa, Saurav Patyal, and Abhishek Trehan.
Established in 2008 to encourage students with life sciences backgrounds and career interests to attend Harvard Business School, the Kaplan Fellowships enable HBS to award $20,000 each to ten incoming MBA students who meet these criteria. Credentials may include academic achievements, recognition from outside organizations, and professional accomplishments. Preferences are given to students who are planning careers in science-related businesses or organizations.
Awards are for only the first year of the two-year, full-time Harvard MBA program and do not affect the recipient’s eligibility for the School’s need–based fellowships.
These awards were created through the generosity of Robert S. Kaplan (MBA 1983), formerly a Professor of Management Practice and Senior Associate Dean for External Relations at HBS.
The 2016 Kaplan Fellows are:
CHRIS BEDI, who spent the past several years as an engineer and manufacturing supervisor for Genzyme Corporation. Before that, he served in manufacturing support roles for Procter & Gamble Gillette and the Barrday Corporation, a technical textile company. He graduated with a bachelor’s of science in chemical engineering from Northeastern University.
SHOMIK CHAUDHURI, who was most recently an operations engineer for Amaranth Medical Inc., a medical devices manufacturing company, where he led commercialization projects and served as the multidisciplinary lead in the development of an early-stage venture backed startup. He had previously held several engineering positions with Medtronic, another medical device company. He holds a bachelor’s of science degree in mechanical engineering from the University of California, Los Angeles, and a master’s of engineering and mechanical engineering from Cornell University.
VEDA ESWARAPPA, who was a consultant for Parthenon-EY, where she analyzed data and wrote reports to drive strategic consulting case work and to support business development. She holds a bachelor’s degree in biomedical sciences and engineering from Harvard University
ANTHONY FUSCO, who spent the last three years with Firefly Bioworks Inc., an open platform allowing industrial, academic, and clinical scientists to develop and use multiplexed assays on standard laboratory instrumentation, where he helped launch the company and create its products. He holds a bachelor’s of science degree in chemical engineering and a minor in biology from Northeastern University.
ELEA MEDINA, who most recently held positions in the engineering and operations departments at Abbott Vascular, a medical device company, where she led the implementation of new printing technology and developed new training programs in multiple locations. She holds a bachelor’s of science in biomedical engineering and a master’s of science in engineering management from the University of Southern California.
TARRAN PIERFELICE, who was a director of business development for Paragon Bioservices, Inc., a manufacturing organization specializing in biologics, vaccines, and therapeutics, where he forged relationships with industry, academic, and government partners to acquire alternate sources of funding. He holds a bachelor’s of science in molecular biology from the Florida Institute of Technology and a PhD in cellular and molecular medicine from the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.
SAURAV PATYAL, who most recently worked as head of commercial operations for Abbott India Limited, a pharmaceutical company in India, where he launched five new products, expanded sales operations, and deployed an automated sales tracking system. He has a bachelor’s in electronic engineering from Birla Institute of Technology and Science in India.
STEFANIE RINTOUL, who spent the last several years with the AstraZeneca Innovative Medicines Development Program, where she completed rotations in the company’s oncology strategy, oncology bioinformatics, and oncology biosciences divisions. She has a bachelor’s of science from the University of Notre Dame and a master’s of science in biomedical engineering from Carnegie Mellon University.
QIAN QIAN S. TANG, who spent the last three years as a product and operations manager in the hardware division of Kinsa, Inc., a smart thermometer company, where he led the design, development, and manufacturing of several award-winning products. He holds a bachelor’s of science in chemical and biological engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
ABHISHEK TREHAN, who was a physician in the emergency surgery, endocrinology, internal medicine, and intensive care units at Chelsea and Westminister Hospital in London. He previously held positions with the World Health Organizations and McKinsey and Company. He holds a bachelor of arts from the University of Cambridge and a bachelor’s of medicine and surgery (equivalent to the MD degree) from the University of Oxford.
