Vineeta Rastogi
Encyclopedia
Vineeta Rastogi was an Indian-American AIDS
activist, public health
worker and Peace Corps
Volunteer in Democratic Republic of the Congo
.
She attended University of Maryland
, Harvard School of Public Health
and had been accepted at Johns Hopkins School of Public Health for a Ph.D when she was diagnosed with cancer
. When the disease was terminal she started the Vineeta Foundation
to continue her life's work.
She was a delegate to Cairo
’s International Conference on Population and Development
, Yokohama
’s International AIDS Conference
and Asian-American Conference at White House. She was Co-Chair of the “Violence and Human Rights” Conference and a founding member of Young Indian-American Forum. She was an Albert Schweitzer
Urban Fellow and Award-winner (for outstanding Public Health
student).
AIDS
Acquired immune deficiency syndrome or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome is a disease of the human immune system caused by the human immunodeficiency virus...
activist, public health
Public health
Public health is "the science and art of preventing disease, prolonging life and promoting health through the organized efforts and informed choices of society, organizations, public and private, communities and individuals" . It is concerned with threats to health based on population health...
worker and Peace Corps
Peace Corps
The Peace Corps is an American volunteer program run by the United States Government, as well as a government agency of the same name. The mission of the Peace Corps includes three goals: providing technical assistance, helping people outside the United States to understand US culture, and helping...
Volunteer in Democratic Republic of the Congo
Democratic Republic of the Congo
The Democratic Republic of the Congo is a state located in Central Africa. It is the second largest country in Africa by area and the eleventh largest in the world...
.
She attended University of Maryland
University of Maryland, College Park
The University of Maryland, College Park is a top-ranked public research university located in the city of College Park in Prince George's County, Maryland, just outside Washington, D.C...
, Harvard School of Public Health
Harvard School of Public Health
The Harvard School of Public Health is one of the professional graduate schools of Harvard University, located in the Longwood Area of the Boston, Massachusetts neighborhood of Mission Hill, which is next to Harvard Medical School. HSPH is considered a significant school focusing on health in the...
and had been accepted at Johns Hopkins School of Public Health for a Ph.D when she was diagnosed with cancer
Cancer
Cancer , known medically as a malignant neoplasm, is a large group of different diseases, all involving unregulated cell growth. In cancer, cells divide and grow uncontrollably, forming malignant tumors, and invade nearby parts of the body. The cancer may also spread to more distant parts of the...
. When the disease was terminal she started the Vineeta Foundation
Vineeta Foundation
The Vineeta Foundation was founded in 1995 by Vineeta Rastogi. She and her husband, Brian Hennessey, learned that Ms. Rastogi had terminal Cancer in the same year and decided to start a foundation to continue her public health and human rights work, with a particular focus on HIV/AIDS...
to continue her life's work.
She was a delegate to Cairo
Cairo
Cairo , is the capital of Egypt and the largest city in the Arab world and Africa, and the 16th largest metropolitan area in the world. Nicknamed "The City of a Thousand Minarets" for its preponderance of Islamic architecture, Cairo has long been a centre of the region's political and cultural life...
’s International Conference on Population and Development
International Conference on Population and Development
The United Nations coordinated an International Conference on Population and Development in Cairo, Egypt from 5–13 September 1994. Its resulting Program of Action is the steering document for the United Nations Population Fund ....
, Yokohama
Yokohama
is the capital city of Kanagawa Prefecture and the second largest city in Japan by population after Tokyo and most populous municipality of Japan. It lies on Tokyo Bay, south of Tokyo, in the Kantō region of the main island of Honshu...
’s International AIDS Conference
International AIDS Conference
The International AIDS Society is the custodian of the International AIDS Conference, the largest regular conference on any health or development issue. These conferences provide a forum for the interaction of science, community and leadership, and are claimed to strengthen an evidence-based...
and Asian-American Conference at White House. She was Co-Chair of the “Violence and Human Rights” Conference and a founding member of Young Indian-American Forum. She was an Albert Schweitzer
Albert Schweitzer
Albert Schweitzer OM was a German theologian, organist, philosopher, physician, and medical missionary. He was born in Kaysersberg in the province of Alsace-Lorraine, at that time part of the German Empire...
Urban Fellow and Award-winner (for outstanding Public Health
Public health
Public health is "the science and art of preventing disease, prolonging life and promoting health through the organized efforts and informed choices of society, organizations, public and private, communities and individuals" . It is concerned with threats to health based on population health...
student).
Legacy
Today the foundation that bears Rastogi's name is a major force in public health and human rights, both domestically and globally.External links
- Vineeta Foundation
- Colman McCarthyColman McCarthyColman McCarthy , an American journalist, teacher, lecturer, pacifist, an anarchist and long-time peace activist, directs the Center for Teaching Peace in Washington, D.C. From 1969 to 1997, he wrote columns for The Washington Post. His topics ranged from politics, religion, health, and sports to...
's column in the Washington Post about Rastogi