Dr. Prema Sunderarajan brings 45 years of experience from classroom management to policy
level management in the area of adolescent mental health, reproductive health
and sexual health.
Extensively worked with the administrators, Ministries and also international agencies like UNICEF, WHO (SEAR) UNFPA.
A professional counselor and a
consultant for married and unmarried adolescents.
Has
also visited 3 districts in Indonesia and Thailand, Bhutan and Nepal -visiting
their schools and training their teachers /counselors/psychiatrists.
Other
relevant achievements:
ü
Participant in the International Youth Forum on World Heritage Preservation and Promotion
at the Bergen, Norway in June 1995 (a UNESCO) Organized meeting)
o
National
award for best teacher (Center for cultural resources and
training)- Teachers’ Award in 1995 awarded by the President Dr. Shankar Dayal Sharma
Worked as a Technical support person for UNFPA
, Rajasthan to facilitate BSER, SRC and SCERT to carry out their adolescent
reproductive and sexual health programs (in school and out of school)
Had been associated
with 900 schools all over India and in other south eastern countries for
training the counselors, teachers and orienting the policy makers on the issues
of sexual health, reproductive health, HIV/AIDS awareness as UNFPA and WHO
(SEAR) UNICEF coordinator and consultant.
Ø
Experience in schools system in both
educationally backward state such as
Rajas than and other states such as AP and Delhi.
Ø A
network with varied interests in Education, scouts and guides, HIV/ AIDS,
cultural heritage, training of trainers, Material Development for education
Ø Communication
abilities both as a Trainer/ Facilitator for training of trainers/ Teachers/
Principals and also with children especially girls of all backgrounds
Ø Writing
skills- desk research, reports preparation of student/ Teacher/ Parent, modules
on mental health, life skills, health hygiene sanitation and water education
Ø Have
done advocacy work with department of education, NCERT, KVS,NIOS, COBSE and
other relevant educational bodies shaping the education policies in the country
SELECTED PUBLICATIONS
Ø
Life skills
Education Module for out of school adolescents (IAWG publications) ü
Ø
Series of Mental
Health Training modules published by WHO (SEAR) ü
Ø
Module on capacity building for teachers and
Adolescents (Safdarjung Hospital Adolescents Health Network) ü
Ø
Module on School
Health hygiene education for primary school children (UNICEF) ü “Development of a need based Mental Health Program
for Adolescent Girls” – this involved a survey of over 1000 school children in
different settings to identify key issues and develop a need-based program
involving teachers, parents and school children (Ph.D. dissertation) ü
Ø
Textbook for
class 11 on Lifeskills education for Board of Secondary Education, Rajasthan ü
Ø
Series of modules for out of school
adolescents through State Resource Centre developed for Rajasthan.
Had been an Anchor for Mental Health Program in
Television for National channel for 2 years.
Present position:
Adjunct faculty in Broward college, Miami
Dade College and University of Miami
