Sandeep Ahuja
Sandeep Ahuja
Founder & CEO, Operation ASHA
Sandeep is a management and strategy expert. He co-founded Operation ASHA and has led it since 2006. Under his leadership, the population coverage of Operation ASHA has expanded by 500 times in 9 years. He is also an advocate for improved care for public health–specifically TB care for the bottom of the pyramid markets at the local, state, national and international level.
Before starting Operation ASHA, Sandeep was a member of the Indian Revenue Services (1991 batch). In the IRS, Sandeep played many roles, starting from implementation of excise laws in Mumbai, then tax fraud detection in Mumbai and later in Western India. Then he moved to a policy-making position in the Ministry of Finance and played a role in improving India’s export competitiveness. He authored a book on the Drawback Tax Rebate Program in India. Sandeep received many cash awards and commendations for excellent work during his tenure in the Indian Revenue Service.
Sandeep was conferred a Public Service Award by the University of Chicago in 2013. He was also invited by the Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) as a keynote speaker on the Founder’s Day (Sir Sayyed Day) Celebrations in 2002. AMU also conferred on him the Abdul Aziz Medal, University Medal and National Merit Scholarship.
Sandeep has taught a short course on “Global Health Problems” at University of Chicago in 2008. He has also delivered lectures at various forums: Ivy League and other top universities and conferences across the world. He was a guest lecturer at the Indian Institute for Foreign Trade, PHD Chambers of Commerce, and the National Academy of Customs, Excise and Narcotics from 1999 till 2006.
Sandeep has a Master’s in Public Policy from the University of Chicago, Harris School of Public Policy. During his stay in Chicago, Sandeep was awarded a Harris Fellowship and selected as a McCormick Tribune Community Leadership Fellow. He obtained a B.Sc. from Aligarh Muslim University, India.
A partial average list of lectures and panel appearances that Sandeep has delivered is given below.
BOARD MEMBER:
- Stop TB Partnership: 2009-12 representing NGOs from developing countries.
- Advisory Board at GlobeMed, University of Chicago
- Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) – CSR Committee for North Region
- External Student Advisor for Dartmouth College, USA
- Health Advisory Committee, Medtronic Foundation
JURY MEMBER:
- GC-TBC Call II – TB Screening, Detection and Diagnostics, an initiative of IKP Knowledge Park, along with USAID, BIRAC, and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation: September 2015
- Expert Panel of iVolunteer’s Award Selection Process: May 2015
APPEARANCES:
On Radio/TV:
- Satya Mev Jayate with Aamir Khan, Star TV, Oct 26, 2014
- NDTV, Mobile for Good Awards Ceremony, December 2015
- News Asia, India’s Tuberculosis problem is the world’s problem, November 2015
- National Public Radio, USA, Global Activism: Operation ASHA wants to stop Tuberculosis from making a comeback, January 2013, May 2011 and Feb 2008
- ABC News, USA, Nightline, The Tuberculosis War: Fighting the Spread of TB, December 2010
- ABC News, USA, International News, Jan 2011
On internet:
- University of Chicago Law School (YouTube). Developing a Rights-Based Approach to Tuberculosis: Health Systems and TB Policy, September 2015
- Life Beyond Tax, Tax India Online (YouTube), August 2015
- International Partnership for Innovative Healthcare Delivery (IPIHD) (YouTube), The Last Mile: Operation ASHA’s Delivery Model, October 2014
- University of Chicago Alumni Association(YouTube), Impact of Fellowships, December 2013
- Microsoft, Battling Tuberculosis Through Microsoft Technology, December 2012
- DW, India’s Health Workers use m-health to fight TB, June 2012
- Making More Health: Achieving Individual, Family and Community Well-Being, Ashoka Changemakers: August 2011
- University of Chicago, Fighting Tuberculosis in India’s Slums,: April 2011
In Print Media
- Silicon Review, April 2015
- Chicago Policy Review, Fighting Tuberculosis with Innovation and Collaboration, March 2013
LECTURES/ PANELS AT UNIVERSITIES:
- Keynote speaker at “Creating CSR Partnerships –Delivering on Expectations in CSR”, Acropolis, February 2016
- Innovation Space Conference, University of Chicago Delhi Center, September 2015
- University of Chicago, Booth School of Business, May 2015
- University of Chicago, Alumni Association, Alliancefor Civil Society, May 2015
- Keynote Speaker, GlobeMed, University of Chicago, Annual Benefit Dinner, May 2015
- National Consultation on mHealth technologies, IIT Madras, May 2015
- Development Dialogue, Deshpande Foundation, February 2015
- StanfordIndia Health Policy Roundtable, New Delhi, January 2015
- Harvard College India Conference, “Policy-Making and Evaluation”, January 2015
- London School of Tropical Medicine, Stakeholders Conference, Chennai, 2014
- University of Chicago Delhi center, “Developing a Rights-Based Approach to TB”, December 2014
- USAID, Higher Education Solution Network, “Case Studies on Successful Scaling – Global Health” Workshop, November 2014
- Center for Innovation in Public Systems, “Best Practices in e-Governance MMP” Workshop, Bhubaneswar, November 2014
- USAID/FAIDA Innovation Fair, Afghanistan, March 2014
- University of Michigan, Asia Law Society, Ann Arbour, 2012
- Wharton Business School, 2012
- Duke University, India Summit, 2012
- Carnegie Mellon University, November 2012
- Banaras Hindu University, Faculty of Management Studies, Annual Social Entrpreneurship Event, January 2012
- Wellesley College, 2011
- University of Chicago: May, 2011
- MIT, Sloan School of Business, 2010
- Lal Bahadur Shashtri Institute of Management, New Delhi, March 2010
- Harvard School of Public Health, 2009
- University of Colorado, Denver, 2009
- University of Illinois, Chicago, 2009
- Dartmouth College, 2008
LECTURES/ PANELS AT FORUMS:
- Mobile for Good Awards, 2015
- IKP Knowledge Park, September 2015
- WHO, SIHI (Social Innovation in Health Initiative), Social Innovation Capacity Strengthening Consultation, South Africa, Cape Town, Nov 2015
- CII Northern Region Annual Conference on Skill Development, Chandigarh, Nov 2015
- Ennovent, “Careers in Impact: Exploring the social impact landscape”, New Delhi, May, 2014
- World Bank, India Development Marketplace, Bhopal, 2013
- Better Healthcare through CSR, New Delhi, September, 2013
- IFC, “Strengthening the Private Sector’s Development Impact: Measuring Results” New Delhi, August 2012
- TiEcon Annual Event, New Delhi, 2012
- Chicago Council on Global Affairs, 2012
- Michael & Susan Dell Foundation, Annual Retreat, Mumbai, 2012
- USAID MBPH Health Confluence, New Delhi, 2012
- UN Convention, Chennai, December 2011
- SOCAP Europe, 2011
- World Bank, India Development Marketplace Workshop, Gurgaon, 2011
- WHO, South East Asia Regional Office, New Delhi, May 2008
- Stop TB Partnership forum, Brazil, Rio de Janeiro, Jan 2008
- Rotary clubs and many other social clubs in India and US