Three Indian American students win 2025 Marshall Scholarships

Tej Patel, Sridatta Teerdhala and Pratyush Seshadri to begin graduate studies at leading UK universities next September

By Arun Kumar

Three Indian American students — Tej Patel and Sridatta Teerdhala from the University of Pennsylvania and Pratyush Seshadri from University of North Carolina — are among the 36 American students who will receive Marshall Scholarships for 2025.

The new recipients will begin their graduate studies at leading universities across the United Kingdom next September.

READ: 3 Indian Americans named Gold Nugget honorees by Texas university (October 19th, 2024) 

Created by the British government by an Act of Parliament to honor George C. Marshall, General of the Army, Secretary of State, and architect of the post-World War II Economic Recovery Program, better known as the Marshall Plan, Marshall Scholarships were first granted in 1953.

The scholarships pay for one or two years of postgraduate study at a British university of the student’s choice. An additional year’s extension is possible on request for some scholars receiving the two-year award.

“Marshall Scholars continue to represent the very best of American society, dedicating their time and effort to address some of the great challenges of our time, from cyber security and Artificial Intelligence to advancing our knowledge of the universe,” said Dame Karen Pierce, British Ambassador to the US, in a press release.

Indian American winners:

Tej Patel is studying molecular biology, healthcare management & policy, and statistics through the Life Sciences and Management (LSM) Program. Inspired by his experiences as an advocate and volunteer, Patel seeks to make healthcare systems more equitable and cost-effective.. His research has been published in the New England Journal of Medicine AI, Nature Medicine, JAMA Health Forum, Journal of National Cancer Institute, IJROBP, and Journal of Clinical Oncology, and focuses on health economics, radiation oncology, and human-algorithm collaboration in clinical care.

Additionally, Patel has co-founded the Social Equity Action Lab, a youth-led think tank that brings together students, institutional partners, and policy makers across the country to inform legislation on key issues such as America’s mental health crisis, value-based payment reform, and healthcare decarbonization.

On campus, Patel is the director of the Locust Bioventures group, director for the LSM Netter Center Pipeline Program, and policy committee leader for the Shelter Health Outreach Program. A 2024 Truman Scholar, he has also interned with the Mongan Institute for Health Policy and Institute for Healthcare Improvement, working on projects covering Medicare Part D policy and alternative payment models. Following graduation, Patel intends to pursue an MD/MPP and leverage insights from medicine and policy to improve nationwide care delivery.

Sridatta Teerdhala from Richardson, Texas, is a senior at the University of Pennsylvania in the Roy and Diana Vagelos Program in Life Sciences and Management, pursuing a dual degree in biology and economics. An only son of Indian immigrants, Teerdhala has become an advocate for healthcare access and innovation, combining his passion for science and business to address pressing medical challenges.

At the University of Pennsylvania, he is an undergraduate researcher in the Mitchell Lab, developing novel lipid nanoparticle technologies for affordable cancer immunotherapies, which have led to publications. He also works for the Chan Lab at UT Southwestern, contributing to the commercialization of breast cancer immunotherapies, while providing strategic consulting to healthcare startups through Wharton Snider Consulting.

He co-founded Penn Hoops4Hope, a club that supports a basketball league for homeless shelters, integrating healthcare and career development initiatives for participants. As a coordinator for the Penn Medicine Educational Pipeline Program, Teerdhala mentors underrepresented high school students in West Philadelphia, introducing them to the world of biotech and connecting them with internships and research opportunities. He also volunteers at the Philadelphia Veteran AƯairs Medical Center and the Penn Center for Surgical Health, where he supports patients navigating their healthcare journeys.

Beyond his academic and professional endeavors, Teerdhala is writing a historical fiction novel set in the Mahajanapadas period of ancient India.

As a Marshall Scholar, Teerdhala will spend his first year at the University of Cambridge pursuing an MPhil in Medical Science. There, he will research under Dr. Raza Ali, leveraging multidimensional molecular tissue imaging and computational analysis to advance innovative approaches for diagnosing and treating cancer.

After a year at Cambridge, Teerdhala intends to spend a year at the London School of Economics and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, pursuing an MSc in Health Policy, Planning, and Financing to learn how to translate innovative cancer diagnostics and treatments to low- and middle-income countries.

Pratyush Seshadri, from Cary, North Carolina, is a student at University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill, pursuing a Bachelors of Science in Economics and Mathematics, with a minor in History. He has completed internships conducting macroeconomic research and working in logistical supply chain in Nairobi, Kenya, and Johannesburg, South Africa, respectively.

He is actively involved in UNC’s Men’s Varsity Squash team and played for University of Oxford’s Men’s Varsity Soccer and Basketball Team, as a visiting student. He has found a passion for stand-up comedy, and has performed in London, New York, and Raleigh. Teerdhala intends to attain an MPhil in Economics at the University of Oxford to then move on to pursue a position with a global financial institution to provide resources to vulnerable nations to develop climate resiliency.