Sriram Palepu

Philadelphia, PA

Grant Category:	Fulbright-Nehru Student Research Program
Project Title:	Health Needs and Aesthetic Preferences Assessment of the Hyderabad Trans Community
Field of Study:	Medical Sciences
Home Institution:	University of Pennsylvania, Warangal, Telangana
Host Institution:	Jayamukhi College of Pharmacy
Grant Start Month:	October,2023
Duration of Grant:	Nine months

Brief Bio:

Sriram Palepu is a medical student with an interest in identifying and addressing healthcare disparities in South Asia. He completed his undergraduate studies from The University of Texas at Austin where he studied the heavy-metal contamination of the Godavari River. He is now a student of the University of Pennsylvania’s Perelman School of Medicine. He has specific interests in HIV dermatology, gender-affirming care, and environmental health, and hopes to work in India throughout his career.

Sriram is pursuing his Fulbright-Nehru research at Mitr Clinic in Hyderabad in order to understand: the social and health history of trans, or hijra, communities in Hyderabad in terms of substance use and mental health; the extent to which trans individuals are currently satisfied with their external gender presentation; and the attitudes toward the importance of and accessibility of bodily and facial aesthetic procedures in affirming gender identity.