Nithish became very interested in humanitarian work after attending the Global Health Leaders Conference at John Hopkins University. So much so, he used his experience working in a lab at ASU to transform his own bathroom into a lab, designed to conduct experiments and develop a novel device that helps detect viruses. His model can detect viruses within an hour, and he dreams of taking this product to low-resource areas and hospitals to help support  diagnosis and treatment.

“My idea is to implement this system in field hospitals or rural ERs,” said Nithish. “Low resource medical centers often struggle with point-of-care testing, and this development could help them tremendously.” Inspired by COVID-19, he hopes that earlier detection can help slow the spread of future pandemics.

He’s also a co-chair of the fundraising group Students Supporting Brain Tumor Research, a volunteer at Phoenix Children’s Hospital, and recently became a Certified Nursing Assistant in Arizona. He is also an Academic All American (Superior Distinction in Speech & Debate), and ultimately brought his skills to the village in India where he was born to help more than 80 children learn public speaking. 

In the community, he seeks to form genuine connections with people through empathy and enthusiasm. It’s made him the person he is today. Nithish is passionate about bringing services to marginalized communities and wants to be a physician who not only heals people physically, but also connects with patients on an emotional and psychological level.