‘Vriddha Mitra’, the flagship program of SCHOOL aims to reach out to every elderly person in India, with a special focus on the most vulnerable and the needy.

Dr. Benazir Patil - CEO

With specific expertise in policy advocacy and health systems strengthening Dr. Patil has been working in the field of social development for more than 25 years and has led several large-scale projects. She has worked with the World Bank, the EU, the British High Commission (DFID), the UN agencies and various national and international development partners. 

She has been credited for devising an innovative concept of ‘Community- based service delivery mechanism’ under the flagship program ‘Vriddha Mitra’ in the same spirit as that of the United Nations and its successful implementation to reach out to the elderly to serve them within their households with the aim to build an age-friendly ecosystem for the elderly population in India.

As a researcher, Dr. Patil has been a Principal Investigator for a number of research studies in India, Nepal, Bangladesh & the UAE, specifically in the domain of RMNCAH, Neglected Tropical Diseases, and Non-Communicable Diseases. Dr. Patil has authored various national and international reports, policy documents, articles and publications with Government of India and international organizations specifically on Health Systems, RMNCAH and Urban Health, with national and international journals like ‘Journal of Perinatology’, ‘Indian Journal of Medical Ethics’ and ‘Indian Pediatrics’. She has authored two academic books: 1. Communication Strategies in Reproductive Health; and 2. Body image, human reproduction and birth control – a tribal perspective.

Over the years, her leadership and vision in addressing the social and health care concerns of the elderly population has bestowed upon her the honour and distinction of being a public health professional in the field of elderly care.

Dr Pawan Pathak - Director: Program

As technical health specialist Dr. Pathak has contributed to large scale, multi-country, global health programs like MCHIP and MCSP and global health platforms like ‘Call to Action’ for ending preventable maternal and child death and ‘Partnership for Maternal Newborn and Child Health’. He is well versed in addressing implementation level challenges both at the community and facility levels so as to ensure effective program outcomes. With more than 16 years of work experience, he brings in a skill-mix of teaching, training and mentoring on health systems, service provision, and thematic subjects.

His expertise in program implementation has resulted into focused efforts in improving the quality of life for vulnerable older people that are reached directly in ‘Vriddha Mitra’ program across 5 geographies in India. His recent portfolio has brought him closer to the issues of the elderly population and he comes across as an ardent advocate of breaking the isolation, building social support and ensuring health-care and well-being of the elderly (60+) women and men.

Dr. Pramod Gautam - Director: Operations

A healthcare specialist with more than 20 years of experience, Dr. Gautam has a strong acumen of attaining balance between Public Health programs and the value addition private health care brings in. Having played an instrumental role in developing & designing implementation of large-scale public health programs from local to national level, he is a strategist at heart and hence provides strategic advice and support in orienting, mentoring and capacitating public health professionals, health systems staff, service providers and field support staff. He brings in core expertise for key thematic areas of RMNCH+A, HIV and NCDs.

Dr. Rahul Singh Bhadouria - Director: Policy & Planning

A public health specialist with 18 years of techno-managerial experience, Dr. Bhadouria brings in expertise for implementing multi-sectoral programs right from grass root level. He has worked with WHO, UNICEF and many other national and international development organizations. He has contributed to many health care innovations in the country including that of Special Newborn Care Units; Model Maternity Wings; Integrated Paediatric Units; FRU operationalization; and Nutritional Rehabilitation Centres. His technical skill-set pertain to MNCH, Nutrition and HIV/AIDS. Team section will include just photos of the remaining members.

Mr. Sanjeev Goyal - Director – Legal Compliance