SAAR Leadership

Ms. Shanthipriya Siva – Founder & CEO

Turning personal adversity to a spirit of giving back to society… Dr.Shanthipriya is an Opthalmologist, who was diagnosed with Parkinson’s at a young age of 36, a case of Young Onset Parkinson’s Disease (YOPD). The news was initially devastating for Dr. Priya and she withdrew into a shell. In 2018, seven years into her journey as a YOPD, she stumbled upon an opportunity to take part in an international pageant for married women in Singapore, which she won through tremendous hard work and dedication. With her newly discovered self-confidence, she decided to overcome her personal adversity by both sharing her story with the world and deciding to start a foundation, which would support and care for patients with PD and other neurological diseases – thus SAAR was born.

Shankar Narasimhan – Research Coordinator

Shankar is a Chartered Accountant and is a Vice President of Finance at Freshworks, a global leader providing Software-as-a-service (SaaS), based out of the Silicon Valley and Chennai, India. Ever since Shankar was diagnosed with PD in early 2018, he decided he would take the disease head-on and fight it on multiple fronts! As a Research Coordinator at SAAR, Shankar aims to utilize his passion for research and analytics, particularly in understanding how alternative and supplemental therapies such as exercise, Tai Chi and meditation can help slow the progression of PD and help improve the quality of life of patients. He has been associated with SAAR Foundation from its inception.

Ms. Meena Reddy – Chief Resident Dietitian

Meena is the Chief Resident Dietitian at SAAR Foundation. She holds a Master’s in Homescience and a Diploma in Family Life Education. She is also a qualified Holistic Health Coach. She is a mentor for SAAR members, advising them on their dietary habits and helping them build customized diets, appropriate to their health condition.

Ms. Sujatha Sundar – Chief Health & Fitness Expert

Sujatha is very passionate about health & fitness and holds several credentials as a fitness expert: she is a certified Super Body, Super Brain trainer, a certified Pilates &Bokwa Instructor and a certified Rehab Trainer. At SAAR, she is responsible for organizing various awareness and demonstration sessions for members, giving them the tools to manage a healthier lifestyle as PD patients. Upon setting up of the planned rehabilitation center, Sujatha and Meena would also be creating customized plans covering exercises and diet for each member-patient.