The President’s Commission on White House Fellows has selected two Indian Americans, Padmini Pillai and Nalini Tata, for the 2024-2025 class.
“This year’s Fellows advanced through a highly competitive selection process, and they are a remarkably gifted, passionate, and accomplished group. These Fellows bring experience from across the country and from a broad cross-section of professions, including from the private sector, state government, academia, non-profits, medicine, and the armed forces,” said a White House statement.
Padmini Pillai, a native of Newton, Massachusetts, has been assigned to the Social Security Administration. An immunoengineer, Pillai specializes in bridging the gap between breakthroughs in immunology and innovations in biomaterial design to treat human diseases. At Massachusetts Institute of Technology, she led a team developing a tumor-targeting nanotherapy to combat difficult-to-treat cancers.
During the pandemic, Pillai was featured in various media outlets such as CNBC, The Atlantic, and The New York Times, where she discussed topics like vaccination, immunity, and the pandemic’s disproportionate impact on vulnerable populations. Pillai holds a Ph.D. in immunobiology from Yale University and a B.A. in biochemistry from Regis College.
Nalini Tata, a resident of New York City, is assigned to the White House Office of Cabinet Affairs. She is a neurosurgery resident at New York-Presbyterian Weill Cornell Medical Center and Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, where she manages a wide range of emergency and elective neurosurgical cases, working between a top-tier trauma center and a world-renowned cancer institute.
Her work has been published in both clinical and non-scientific journals, with a focus on promoting equitable access to healthcare. Tata’s career in neurosurgery is closely intertwined with her passion for public policy, driven by a strong commitment to public service, noted the statement.
Tata holds a BSc in neurobiology from Brown University, an MPhil from the University of Cambridge, an MD from Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine, and an MPP in Democracy, Politics, and Institutions from Harvard Kennedy School.
Established in 1964, the White House Fellows program provides exceptional young leaders with the opportunity to gain hands-on experience at the highest levels of the federal government. Fellows work closely with senior White House staff, Cabinet Secretaries, and other top Administration officials for a year, equipping them with skills to become stronger leaders in their communities. The program is non-partisan.
Applications for the 2025-2026 fellowship open on November 1, 2024. For more information and to apply, visit: https://www.whitehouse.gov/get-involved/fellows/.
