Niharika S.

Niharika Shukla is a 17-year old researcher, developer, and activist passionate about fighting the mental health crisis with technology and policy. She serves as a research assistant at Harvard Medical School’s clinical psychology lab, developing an artificial intelligence youth suicide risk prediction algorithm for clinicians to provide outpatient care at Massachusetts General Hospital. She worked as a research intern at Columbia University’s Mental Health Informatics Lab, building a patient-facing AI platform to provide accessible mental health care to low-income NYC communities. To combat the nationwide mental health crisis, Niharika built the Mind Power iOS app, connecting at-risk youth with emergency support services and credible medical information. Leading a youth activism group, Niharika co-wrote Pennsylvania Senate Bill 886 and House Bill 1519, receiving bipartisan support from Senators and currently under deliberation, working to establish mental health days off for over 1.7 million students in Pennsylvania. She serves as a Youth Advisor to UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh, providing insight on adolescent mental health research. Her research and activism are recognized on ABC News and the Nasdaq Billboard in Times Square. Niharika is a high school junior from Pennsylvania and is excited to study computer science and psychology in college.