Hema S. Khanchandani

Program Director

Hema S. Khanchandani

Hema Khanchandani is the Director for the Food and Nutrition program. With the cardiovascular health program focusing predominantly on food policies, Hema brings nearly 20 years of experience in research, research translation and dissemination, policy advocacy and implementation, culinary instruction and menu development for institutions (i.e., workplaces and universities). Prior to joining the Global Health Advocacy Incubator, Hema was a sous chef at Stanford University, and was charged with developing healthy, plant-forward recipes for its dining halls. Preceding her experience as a chef, Hema spent a good portion of her career translating evidence-based research into implementation toolkits; she was also previously at the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids in a research capacity with the South-Asia teams, and spent a year in India supporting the India team with implementing India’s national tobacco control policy. Hema pursued a culinary path to complement her public health background, with the intent of advancing healthier food practices to promote population health and prevent disease. Hema is fluent in Hindi.