Home About News Reportage Health Covid-19 Coverage Investigation Data Journalism Journal Publication Science Environment Rural Reporting Gender Contact

Rupsa Chakraborty is a Commonwealth Shared Scholar pursuing an MSc in Global Health Policy at the London School of Economics (LSE). Her academic work spans health policy, health economics, climate–health, systematic reviews, evidence synthesis, and mixed-methods research. She is also building technical proficiency in Excel, Stata, and R, with a focus on quantitative methods, data management, and applied health research. Her decade-long experience in frontline reporting strengthens her skills in public-health data interpretation and evidence-informed decision-making.

Before her MSc, Rupsa worked as a daily staff reporter specialising in investigative health journalism, with a data-driven focus on three core areas: health, climate change, and gender. Her work has appeared in The BMJ, Hindustan Times, The Indian Express, Mid-Day, DNA, Deccan Herald, The Times of India, and others. She has interviewed leading scientists, epidemiologists, and policymakers worldwide, and her reporting has informed public policy and health reforms in India. She continues to write on critical health issues as an independent journalist.

Her work has earned some of the most prestigious honours in journalism, including the Ramnath Goenka Award for Excellence in Journalism, the Statesman Rural Reporting Award, and the Laadli Media Award. She has also been selected for several highly competitive international health fellowships (listed below). She is one of the few Indians to have received both a Chevening Fellowship in 2024 and a Commonwealth Scholarship the following year.

At LSE, she is building expertise in health-systems strengthening, economic evaluation, impact assessment, and climate–health policy, with a focus on LMICs. She intends to build on this work through roles in global health research, policy analysis, monitoring & evaluation (M&E), and multilateral organisations advancing health equity and health sustainability.

𝗔𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗱𝘀 & 𝗙𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗼𝘄𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽𝘀, 𝗦𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗹𝗮𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 𝗶𝗻 𝗛𝗲𝗮𝗹𝘁𝗵:

1. Commonwealth Shared Scholarship (2025)
2. Chevening South Asia Journalism Fellow (2024)
3. Ramnath Goenka Award for Excellence in Journalism (2022)
4. Statesman Award for Rural Reporting (2023)
5. UNFPA-Laadli Media Awards
6. Dart Center Fellow, Columbia University (2024)
7. Rare Disease Reporting Fellow – National Press Foundation
8. MSF South Asia – Without Borders Media Fellow
9. Schizophrenia Research Foundation–WHO Fellow
10. Lilly-REACH National Media Fellow

British Medical Journal •

India’s organ transplant paradox: women donate the most and receive the least

Women in India donate nearly twice as many organs as men, yet men are more likely to be recipients. Rupsa Chakraborty asks why
The National Organ and Tissue Transplant Organization (Notto), India’s apex government body overseeing organ donations, says that 63.8% of all living organ donors from 2019 to 2023—mostly liver and kidneys—were women. Yet men received the majority of donated organs, accounting for 69.8% of the recipients.
A BMJ analysis of the data reveals deep rooted gender inequalities pervading India’s health systems and societal attitudes to women’s health. The underlying causes of this paradox include sociocultural factors, economic dependence, and healthcare attitudes and practices, requiring a holistic approach.
Hindustan Times •

Hindustan Times

In her role as a health reporter, she extensively covered the Covid-19 pandemic in Maharashtra, the most severely affected state with the highest number of cases and fatalities. This comprehensive coverage included visits to ICUs, hospitals, and jumbo centers, where she exposed instances of insurance violations as institutions denied coverage to Covid-19 patients. Furthermore, she brought to light cases of patient deaths across the state caused by shortages of beds and oxygen. Her investigative reporting not only led to policy changes but also exposed crucial loopholes in the management of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Hindustan Times •

Hindustan Times

In her role as a health reporter, she extensively covered the Covid-19 pandemic in Maharashtra, the most severely affected state with the highest number of cases and fatalities. This comprehensive coverage included visits to ICUs, hospitals, and jumbo centers, where she exposed instances of insurance violations as institutions denied coverage to Covid-19 patients. Furthermore, she brought to light cases of patient deaths across the state caused by shortages of beds and oxygen. Her investigative reporting not only led to policy changes but also exposed crucial loopholes in the management of the Covid-19 pandemic.