Aravind Krishnan is a rising senior at the University of Pennsylvania studying Molecular & Cell Biology, Healthcare Management & Policy, and Statistics. His interests in urban research were sparked by the Shelter Health Outreach Program (SHOP), a student-run community health initiative for people experiencing homelessness and other barriers to health, providing on-site care around Philly with referrals to partner clinics. Through associated research projects he has led, he identified key social determinants of health from the urban environment, which he aims to investigate further. After observing the prevalence of non-medical issues as well, including conversations with patients highlighting loneliness and social isolation, Aravind co-founded the West Philadelphia Sanctuary, a daytime gathering space and place to obtain resources for the West Philly and Penn communities, which won Penn’s 2024 Projects for Progress Award. Aravind is also the Co-Founder of ToxiSense, developing more rapid, sustainable, and cost-effective biosensors for bacterial toxin contamination and sepsis from infection in patients, and does research on DNA damage repair and telomere biology at Penn Medicine. Aravind also works on his policy interests in global health as a Perry World House Student Fellow.