NEXT Innovation Scholar spotlight: Mallika Desai

From building health care innovations to collaborating with teams to crafting creative solutions with human-centered design thinking, the NEXT Innovation Scholars (NIS) program at the University of Cincinnati empowers a new generation of leaders and innovators. 

Spearheaded by UC President Neville G. Pinto, the program immerses students in interdisciplinary experiences across various industries and cultures of innovation, fostering forward-thinking problem solvers who embrace ambiguity with curiosity and confidence to drive innovation. Among the current cohort of scholars is Mallika Desai, Med '25, whose time as a NEXT Innovation Scholar has provided access to global thought leaders in strategic thinking and innovation. Recently, Desai shared her experiences and insights that she’s gained from the program. 

Mallika Desai: Having started a nonprofit serving persons with Parkinson’s disease and seeing the value of multidisciplinary teams in solving everyday problems, I was drawn to NIS.

Desai: The program impacts how I lead a team and the way I think about problems, particularly learning about the human-centered design methodology and field of strategy. I have learned to intentionally include the individuals I hope to serve, consciously beginning any venture by empathizing with the affected individuals. I am intentional and spend significant time thinking about building scenario-based strategy for my ventures. These skills have opened doors to professional connections with leadership in places I never thought I would have access to, unique learning opportunities and jobs.

Desai: As a pre-med student, I had a very specific exposure and way of thinking about the health system; by working with a team of  NIS students in computer science, industrial design and neuroscience, I had the opportunity to learn about the struggles that health care is facing in lesser discussed areas of the field, like rural emergency medical services stations, specialty pharmacies, semi-assisted living facilities, and food banks. I have also presented a health innovation project at a conference at Yale University with a team I built in the NEXT Innovation Scholars program.

Desai: Teamwork. Every team member brings consistent enthusiasm and a willingness to try new things and contribute. NIS taught me that leadership doesn't mean being the most frequent talker in a group, but often the person who listens the most and builds on others’ ideas.

Desai: I hope to eventually work in a health care leadership role that is a meld between patient care and strategy that leads to creating healthier futures for marginalized populations. However, I continue to apply the design-thinking methodology in any of my projects, whether building a dashboard for my biomedical informatics research capstone or building my nonprofit’s annual symposium for persons with Parkinson’s disease. 

Desai: Seize the opportunity to reach out to other scholars, older and younger. Being surrounded by 40 other unique, out-of-box thinkers who share the same drive and spirit of collaboration is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity! Have that conversation with the designer student, set up a coffee and learn about their interests and build those life-long friendships!

Featured image at top: Mallika Desai. Photo/Andrew Higley/UC Marketing + Brand