Megha Thakur
Young Expert at Maastricht University - India
YEP period 2020 - 2022, batch 19
YEP Role
As a Local Project Coordinator, my role is to 1) develop an action plan and business plan to disseminate improved cookstoves among solid fuel users in India (including awareness programs, training local entrepreneurs, maintenance plan) 2) supervise the implementation of the project and 3) intervene when encountered with obstacles, and put lessons learned into practice. I am working together with Dutch and Indian partners on scaling up improved cookstove projects in rural as well as urban settings.
Skills
- Experience of having worked in the clean cooking sector in LMICs
- Ability to plan, implement and supervise the project
- Good communication skills
- Willingness to work in a dynamic international team
Background
Nationality: Indian
Education: BDS, MPH (Epidemiology)
Experience before YEP
After completing my master's, I worked as a research assistant at one of the prestigious health organisations in India. My project deliverables included critical literature reviews, drafting reports and manuscripts, pretesting of in-depth interview guides, transcribing and translating voice files, etc. I joined as a Ph.D. candidate at Maastricht University in 2016 and ever since I have been working on Project Exhale in Bangalore. This project was designed to counter the adverse health effects of indoor air pollution caused by solid-fuel-based cooking practices in slum areas by introducing a low-tech improved cookstove (LTICS). This LTICS was developed in a co-creation process with local community members.
Publications
- Thakur M, van Schayck CP, Boudewijns EA. Improved cookstoves in low-resource settings: a spur to successful implementation strategies. NPJ primary care respiratory medicine. 2019 Oct 11; 29(1): 1-3.
- Thakur M, Nuyts PA, Boudewijns EA, Kim JF, Faber T, Babu GR, Van Schayck OC, Been JV. Impact of improved cookstoves on women’s and child health in low and middle-income countries: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Thorax. 2018 Nov 1;73(11):1026-40.
- Thakur M, Boudewijns EA, Babu GR, et al. Low-smoke chulha in Indian slums: study protocol for a randomised controlled trial. BMC public health 2017; 17(1): 454.
- Checkley W, Pollard SL, Siddharthan T, et al. Managing threats to respiratory health in urban slums. The Lancet Respiratory Medicine 2016; 4(11): 852-4
