Shilpa B. Shankar

Shilpa Shankar joined the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) in 2021 as a program associate on the Global Ideas for U.S. Solutions team. In this role she helps strengthen the team’s efforts in seeking practical solutions—from abroad—that could accelerate health care programs, policies, and practices in the United States. With her interest and background in public health and international development, Shilpa views RWJF’s approach to seeking global health care solutions as a “perfect match” for her, and an opportunity to play a key role in advancing a Culture of Health.

Previously, Shilpa served as a communications and knowledge management consultant at The World Bank Group, supporting international development projects, including initiatives examining how improved environmental policies and practices can have positive impacts on public health and economies in West Africa and Southeast Asia.

She was also a health policy and clinical evidence research analyst at the Economist Intelligence Unit, the research and analysis division of The Economist Group, the sister company to The Economist newspaper. In this role she contributed to developing a research program to promote global health system resilience in the aftermath of COVID-19 and beyond.

Earlier, Shilpa worked with the Arlington County Department of Health in Arlington, Va., where she collaborated with researchers to analyze the benefits of stocking albuterol inhalers in public schools to reduce student absences. As a certified personal trainer, she also co-founded Powerosis, a health and fitness company based in New Jersey.

Shilpa holds a Master’s in Public Policy from Georgetown University’s McCourt School of Public Policy and a Bachelor of Arts in Politics from New York University. A New Jersey native, she currently lives in Secaucus, N.J. She enjoys traveling, attending and teaching personal fitness classes, live music, and spending time with her faithful rescue dog, Bravo.