Melari Shisha Nongrum
Board Member
Melari is an academician with a focus on research and community projects. She is currently working in the Indian Institute of Public Health as Associate Professor. Currently, she is leading a number of multidisciplinary research projects related to drug abuse, zoonotic vector borne diseases etc. Prior, she had worked in the Martin Luther Christian University for 14 years until 2021. She was the Associate Professor with the Department of Social Work
and held the position as the Dean of the School of Social Work and the Faculty of Social Sciences. Besides, the academic roles, Melari had been engaged in various administrative positions in the university. Melari has also led the NESFAS organization for 2 years as its Executive Director between 2018-20.
Her interests are social work in public health, indigenous knowledge systems, community development, nutrition and food security, drug
abuse and others. She has published a number of media and journal articles.
In 2020, she had published a research based book entitled “In the Shadows: Children of Urban Poor Households” which provides an understanding of the conditions faced by children in the Shillong Urban Agglomeration. Melari loves to embark on new ventures and learn from the experiences of people in various contexts. She believes in learning; one that is unending and lifelong.