ABOUT

​

I am a Sri Lankan-Californian, raised in the desert, here for that Renaissance life. I have formerly studied philosophy, neuroscience, public health and medicine, mostly at Berkeley and UCSF. I trained in infectious disease at Yale, served as faculty at Washington University, and now practice in the community. My clinical research has been in the intersection of infectious disease, health disparities, substance use and incarceration. This work has been funded by NIH, CDC, and others.

​

I write essays, health journalism, cultural criticism, speculative fiction, screenplays. My writing and interviews have appeared in Vogue, Ms. magazine, NY Times, Washington Post, The Daily Show with Trevor Noah, and others. In 2023, I was thrilled to be at Kenyon Review Writer's Workshop. Follow on socials/email list if you would like to hear about upcoming pieces.

 

I speak and teach broadly: academic coursework, scientific presentations, grand rounds, keynotes, seminars, workshops. Most recently I taught about narrative at School of the Alternative. Sometimes I consult.

​

My interests are broad and expansive but organize around a framework of care work as the primary work, scientific curiosity, liberation and healing in the broadest sense. I strongly believe in rest, jokes, meaningful work, pleasure, community and valuing labor.

 

Feel free to reach out if you would like to work together

​