Anupama Varma is from Thrissur, India. After her engineering degree abroad, she completed her master's degree in biodefense from George Mason University in Fairfax, VA, focusing on global health security and emergency management. After graduation, she interned with Fairfax County Office of Emergency Management, which provides emergency mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery services for local incidents including public health emergencies. In this role, she supported their community outreach efforts, and received valuable FEMA-certified training in Incident Command System. Growing up, she was engaged in various child education workshops and Polio vaccination campaigns and has witnessed the increased power of these campaigns through social media. In her free time, Anupama enjoys classical dance and cooking with her daughter.