Young Innovator in Behavioral Health Awardee

Saanvi Arora is a public policy and computer science student at UC Berkeley and the Executive Director of the Youth Power Project, a youth-led organization that empowers young people under 25 to inform local, state, and federal policymaking based on their own experiences and has introduced/passed over a dozen state and federal policies. She is focused on understanding the intersection between public policy, technology, and community attitudes towards health, and published a paper in the Institute for Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) in 2020 regarding the potential for the Internet of Medical Things to reduce costs and barriers associated with healthcare. She has also been recognized for her contributions to key policies improving access to reproductive, sexual, and mental healthcare for young people, and has written and/or advised numerous state and federal policies/initiatives on the subject matters. Recently, she drove the youth-led effort to write, introduce, and pass S.Res.769, declaring an adolescent mental health emergency & advancing experience-informed recommendations for state and local actors to respond, unanimously through the U.S. Senate. Overall, she is invested in bridging gaps between successful policymaking and younger generations by advocating for cultural, educational, and institutional improvements that encourage youth civic engagement and promote free expression.