Devanshi Patel: Driving innovation for public health

Devanshi Patel’s career journey has taken her from science to strategy – but at its core, it has always been about impact. As Manager of Strategy, Partnerships and Impact at the India Health Fund (IHF) in Mumbai, Devanshi works at the intersection of technology innovation and public health.

IHF, a not-for-profit initiative of Tata Trusts and the Global Fund, is dedicated to reducing preventable deaths caused by communicable diseases led public health threats in low and middle-income countries. The organisation funds high-impact Indian innovations focused on screening, diagnosis and disease surveillance.

In her role, Devanshi shapes the strategy and outreach of the organisation, driving partnerships that support fundraising, innovation scouting and deployment of technologies into health systems.

“Ultimately, it’s about helping promising innovations reach the communities that need them most,” she explains.

From UQ to India’s innovation hubs

Devanshi’s path into this work was deeply grounded in her studies at The University of Queensland, where she completed a Master of Biotechnology in 2010. She credits the degree for her early career in technology transfer and commercialisation – a field she entered with confidence thanks to the training and exposure she received at UQ.

She went on to work in some of India’s most prestigious institutions, including the CSIR-National Chemical Laboratory and the Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay. At CSIR-NCL, she was part of an award-winning innovation management team, helping shape one of the country’s earliest technology commercialisation ecosystems.

Creating cumulative change

While Devanshi is modest about her impact, she believes strongly in the power of cumulative contribution. “I feel I haven’t yet made a single big impact on the world,” she says. “But small contributions, over time, can make a difference. I hope to be able to answer this question better in the coming years.”

Through her work at ​Indian research and academic organisations, and more recently at ​IHF, she is laying the groundwork for large-scale transformation—supporting technologies that can change how diseases are detected and managed in resource-constrained environments.

The promise of biotech

Looking back over the last 25 years, Devanshi highlights the rise of synthetic biology as one of biotech’s greatest achievements. “Using biological and genetic processes to replace synthetic ones is one of the biggest breakthroughs in addressing our environmental challenges,” she says.

She’s particularly excited by biodegradable plastics, RNA-based vaccines and therapeutics, 3D bioprinting, precision medicine and the revolution sparked by CRISPR gene-editing.

“Biotech innovation is critical right now – to fight climate change and build a sustainable future.”

UQ memories and timeless advice

When asked about her time at UQ, Devanshi smiles. “It’s got to be lying down on the grass at the Great Court, relaxing in the sunshine between library reading breaks.” That balance of academic rigour and campus calm gave her the space to grow.

Her advice to today’s biotech students is simple: stay curious and open-minded. “Even if you end up in a different role, biotech remains an exciting and impactful area. Build a strong foundation in science, but also invest in skills like communication, critical thinking, and problem-solving.”

She also encourages networking and exploration. “Talk to mentors. Try different things. Your path may not be linear, and that’s okay. A diverse set of experiences can still lead to a fulfilling and successful career.”

Devanshi’s own path – from a Master of Biotechnology to​ building technology commercialisation hubs to​ leading impact strategy for a ​philanthropic​​ health fund – shows just how true that can be.