Meet Sri Harsha Soma: Expanding Horizons in Diabetes Research Through the Durba Travel Fellowship

As a second-year medical student in 2017, I could not have imagined that a simple observation during a rural health camp would lead to a seven-year pursuit of innovation in medical diagnostics. Today, as a second-year Master of Public Health student at Emory University and a communications intern at the Emory Global Diabetes Research Center (EGDRC), my effort to develop a tool to improve the lives of those who need it most recently took me to the Indian Institute of Technology Madras. This mentorship opportunity, supported by EGDRC, marks the true beginning of turning my ideas into reality.

The journey began during a three-day rural sensitization program with the Tribal Health Initiative in Sittlingi, Tamil Nadu. While working alongside physicians serving remote communities, I saw the devastating impact of post-surgical wound infections and the challenges of delivering quality care in resource-limited settings. Delays in identifying bacterial infections often led to complications, antibiotic resistance, and poorer patient outcomes.

Through the Program in Global Surgery and Social Change, I later participated in a hackathon at Karunya University in Coimbatore, where I proposed a solution inspired by a German company using fluorescent spectroscopy to detect bacterial contamination in food. I posed a simple question: Why not apply the same technology to identify bacterial infections in human wounds? A biochemistry researcher in Ireland confirmed the idea was technically feasible, sparking my determination to pursue it.

Fast-forward to my participation in the Harvard–PGSSC hackathon and my team placing fifth, the judges questioned the feasibility of my concept. But skepticism only strengthened my resolve. Over the next seven years, my greatest challenge remained finding engineers who could translate my medical insight into a working solution.

When Support Met Possibility 

Everything changed when I attended the Wearable Health Equity Workshop hosted by EGDRC and Georgia Tech. There, I met Jithin Sam Varghese, assistant professor at Rollins and EGDRC DTA director, and Mark Hutcheson, managing director of EGDRC. After discussing my idea with them, they recognized both the potential of it and my commitment and saw how the right resources could help move it forward.

Through EGDRC, I received the Durba Travel Fellowship, which funded my travel to India, provided accommodation, and facilitated collaboration with scientists at IIT Madras. This opportunity allowed me to work with leading engineers to refine my research and begin building a team capable of bringing the idea to life.

In December 2025, during Emory winter break, I worked intensively with Dr. Murali at IITM, a professor specializing in fluorescence-based pathogen identification. I also connected with fellow physician-researchers pursuing PhD programs in biomedical engineering at IITM, including Dr. Madhan Vishal R, Dr. Arjun Suresh, and Chinmayi Raut. Their experiences bridging medicine and engineering provided insider perspectives that deepened my understanding of what a career in innovation entails.

During these conversations, I learned about the research parks and incubators at IITM that could support future development. Although the timing of my visit prevented me from exploring these facilities fully, I established relationships that may evolve into future collaborations.

For someone with minimal background in mathematical modeling, physics, and applied technical coding, I gained foundational skills and confidence that seemed impossible just weeks earlier. The systematic approach we developed, moving from problem identification through need assessment to model building, provides a framework I can apply to future challenges.

This experience has taught me that true innovation lies at the intersection of deep commitment and collaborative support. What began as an observation of a medical student in rural Tamil Nadu, India, has evolved into a technically grounded research project with the potential to improve diabetic wound care globally.

I am deeply grateful to Dr. Murali K, Dr. Anubama Rajan, and Dr. Boby George for facilitating this collaboration, and especially to Mark and Jithin at EGDRC for recognizing and supporting my passion towards improving health care delivery through innovation. This fifteen-day intensive collaboration represents what I consider the true beginning of my innovation journey to making a lasting impact on diabetes care.