Sanjana Kumar

Sanjana Kumar graduated from the University of Michigan recently with a BS honors in molecular, cellular, and developmental Biology.  She has an extensive background in molecular biology research and has worked in chemotherapy drug development for years.  She also has experience in patient-facing research where she has investigated the efficacy of AI-based depression and anxiety-support systems for adolescent cancer patients.  Through her Fulbright project, Sanjana looks forward to continuing patient-facing research and making strides toward global healthcare accessibility.  In her free time, she enjoys playing soccer, learning new musical instruments, and spending time with her family.   

Diabetic retinopathy (DR) emerges as one of the foremost clinically evident consequences of diabetes mellitus (DM).  The prevalence of DR among patients with DM in Sri Lanka ranges from 18.1% to 27.4%.  DR is typically classified into two stages: non-sight-threatening diabetic retinopathy (NSTDR); and sight-threatening diabetic retinopathy (STDR).  While research has been conducted on DR screening in Sri Lanka, studies have not yet been conducted comparing the barriers to screening DM patients without DR and those with NSTDR and STDR.  Thus, Sanjana’s Fulbright project is studying the different behavioral, clinical, and socioeconomic factors which may play a role in patients failing to undergo annual retinopathy screening and consequently developing STDR over time.