On Thursday, two Indian Americans, Padmini Pillai from Boston and Nalini Tata from New York, were selected as part of the 2024-2025 class of White House Fellows. This prestigious program, which includes 15 individuals from across the United States, offers participants the opportunity to work closely with senior White House staff, cabinet secretaries, and other high-ranking officials. The year-long fellowship aims to provide these leaders with the skills needed to better serve their communities.
Pillai has been placed at the Social Security Administration, while Tata will be working in the White House Office of Cabinet Affairs. Pillai, an immune engineer from Newton, Massachusetts, leads research efforts focused on using immunology to create biomaterial-based treatments for diseases. She has led a team at MIT developing targeted nanotherapies for cancer and was featured in various media outlets during the COVID-19 pandemic for her insights on vaccination and its effects on vulnerable communities. Pillai holds a PhD in immunobiology from Yale and a BA in biochemistry from Regis College.
Nalini Tata is currently a neurosurgery resident at New York-Presbyterian Weill Cornell Medical Center and Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. She works on both emergency and elective neurosurgical cases at these leading institutions. Tata’s research focuses on improving access to medical care and has been published in both clinical and general journals. She earned her BSc from Brown University, an MPhil from the University of Cambridge, an MD from Northwestern Feinberg, and an MPP from Harvard Kennedy School.
The White House noted that the Fellows were selected through a highly competitive process, representing a diverse group from fields such as medicine, the private sector, non-profits, and the armed forces.
