Bhavya Joshi

Bio

Bhavya Joshi is research fellow with the Human Rights Center. She is a Doctor of Public Health (DrPH) candidate at the School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley passionate about advancing health equity, human rights, and community-driven solutions. Rooted in lived experience, Bhavya is dedicated to empowering women by upholding reproductive health as a human right and leading systemic change through research, education, community engagement, and policy advocacy.

In collaboration with the Bixby Center, Center for African Studies, Human Rights Center, and Global Public Health Fellowship, her research focuses on the utilization and delivery of reproductive health in Kakuma refugee camp, Kenya. Grounded in a human rights and community-based participatory approach, Bhavya is committed to reaching the furthest behind first — ensuring that their voices are included in the discourse. Her research was highlighted by the Chancellor of UC Berkeley in his communication letter and was featured by the School of Public Health, UC Berkeley. As an advocate and educator, she collaborates with women human rights defenders globally, strengthening their capacity to leverage international human rights mechanisms for advocacy to drive change at the national, regional, and international levels.

Before the DrPH program, Bhavya led public health initiatives across South Asia focusing on sexual and reproductive health, WASH, waste management, market facilitation, health finance, health systems, economic empowerment of women, and using user-centered design to improve health outcomes in marginalized communities. She holds a BA (Hons) in Political Science from Delhi University, India and a MA in International Law and Human Rights from the United Nations mandated University for Peace, Costa Rica. With experience at the intersection of public health, gender justice, and humanitarian response, Bhavya is committed to ensuring that research translates into real-world impact—advocating for policies and programs that uphold dignity, rights, and access for marginalized communities.