Doctor Nilendra Nair has become the first Fijian to graduate from Harvard University in the United States with a PhD in Planetary Health, Climate Change and Nutritional Epidemiology as well as a Master's degree in Epidemiology in tandem.
While speaking to fijivillage News from Boston, Dr. Nair says he left Fiji in 2006 on a scholarship to finish high school at the United World College in Canada and because the college is affiliated with the top 200 universities globally, he was accepted to a university to do his bachelor's degree in New York.
He says after this, he was trained as a geneticist and where his published research attracted Mount Sinai Hospital in New York where he joined the ICAHN School of Medicine as a clinical geneticist and a surgical researcher.
Dr. Nair who was born in Labasa and lived at the Nasese Police Barracks with his father says from here he applied to many PhD programs but eventually chose Harvard which was excited to have him.
He says he believes his field of study is pertinent to Fiji as not only is climate change a reality, it's also an existential crisis and his strength is not only in genetics and surgery, but also includes epidemiology, nutrition and planetary health.
He says this intersection, is something that explores just the live realities of Pacific Islanders who are facing a disproportionate burden and brunt of the climate change crisis.
The former MGM High School student further says he is now making the connections that he had established in 2019 when he first got into Harvard, in terms of researchers that have established themselves in Fiji or have started doing something at either USP or the Fiji National University.
He says he is starting cross-country collaborations where he can be a conduit and bring resources to them while supervising them, giving them skills, doing the capacity building, and sharing as much as he can of the wealth of knowledge he has and to be able to train the next generation of Fijian scientists so that they can start coalitions and be represented on the global stage.
The researcher says he also aims to start research centres and build Fijian capabilities to do sciences beyond just nursing, health care or being a doctor.
The Harvard graduate also says it's ingrained in our culture to be as communal as possible so his message to the youth would be to be as diligent as they can and do what they can for the nation, and themselves.
Dr. Nair’s father and retired Deputy Commissioner of Police, Itendra Nair is urging the youth to be disciplined and do the hard yards to be successful.
He says they also need the support of the parents and elders in the community.
Nair says problems of drugs and other social ills cannot only be blamed on the youth.
Nair says every individual has a talent of their own and it is the responsibility of the parents to nurture it.
Meanwhile, the family hopes to return to Fiji where they will have celebrations soon.
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