Sujata Srinivasan, Connecticut Public (WNPR)
Sujata Srinivasan is the senior health reporter at Connecticut Public (WNPR). After hearing her for years on my favorite radio channel, where her timely and erudite science and health segments helped inform a community of listeners in the state and beyond, I decided it was time to feature her in the Poise & Purpose series. Here is your opportunity to get to know her.
Who is impacted by the work that you do? Do you have a personal connection to this work? Describe what it is like to work at Connecticut Public.
Journalists are watchdogs and storytellers. Our calling is to hold people in power accountable, to empower our listeners and readers with knowledge that is the bedrock of civil society, to nurture an educated electorate, to shine light on underrepresented communities and amplify the voices of people who are often unheard, to seek solutions, and to remind each other of our common humanity. Our work impacts everybody.
Health journalism cannot be anything but personal. None of us can walk in another’s shoes, but we can all empathize with someone who is ill and suffering, is uninsured or underinsured, is making a choice between buying groceries and paying premiums, or is denied care. And we are uplifted by hope from new medical advances, and community safety nets designed to catch the most vulnerable. Our own well-being is connected to public health, to the environment in which we live. This work is deeply personal.
My values are perfectly aligned with that of Connecticut Public’s, and I am proud to work in a newsroom that produces topnotch reporting with courage and integrity. Our news department is surrounded by a firewall – the newsroom’s independence is our lifeblood.
My colleagues have a lot of heart and they are fiercely passionate about our mission. And it’s a lovely place to work. As Eric Aasen, executive editor often says, his hope is for journalists to do the best work of their careers here. Others are taking note – the Edward Murrows, PMJAs, Gracies, Emmys, they keep coming. Though awards are not why we do what we do, it’s a testament to the kind of work done here.
Day to day, I work with Jim Haddadin, a brilliant investigative editor with an eagle eye and a lot of heart. Who you work with is just as important as what you do for work – and my good karma brought me to Connecticut Public. Enduring friendships are made here. Frankie Graziano, host of Wheelhouse, is an honorary uncle to my child. Just this week, Michayla Savitt, who reports on caregiving, gardened by my side as we planted begonias and mums out front by our Connecticut Public sign.
And how many CEOs do you know meet with every person in the organization to learn from them what’s working and what’s not – and where each wants to be in the next year or so? Lauren Komrosky, Connecticut Public’s new CEO, is doing just that. At the end of the day, people feel valued when they are seen, heard, and understood.
While rewarding, purpose driven work can also require significant energy from us. Do you have a self-care routine that helps you maintain balance?
Our society places the onus of one’s well-being on the individual alone, but this is a fallacy. Affordable childcare, affordable healthcare, paid parental leave, work and life balance, access to green spaces, cities that are safe, walkable and connected by reliable public transportation – these are all essential to one’s well-being and balance.
One of the many things I love about Connecticut Public is that working here allows you to have a life outside of work. And at work, we have a Wednesday walking club started by Tess Terrible, senior producer at Where We Live. I am a member of our Connect Council, where we get together to explore ways we can enhance people’s well-being at work. Vanessa de la Torre, Connecticut Public’s chief content officer, recently heard suggestions from reporters who desire a comfortable and cozy shared working space – and she responded by making that happen. Again, being seen, heard, and understood is an essential part of one’s well-being.
That said, my personal self-care routine is multidimensional and ingrained as a way of life. I practice and teach yoga – including at Connecticut Public, where I gift monthly classes to my colleagues. I meditate, swim, bike, read, garden, cook, and gather family, friends and colleagues around my table. I make art, I dance, and I hold art and storytelling workshops at nonprofits including Real Art Ways, where I’ve taught Park Art for years.
I lean into community and serve as a member on the board of the South Glastonbury Public Library, a 100-year-old treasure that is run entirely by a dedicated group of volunteers. And I am on the governance committee of ConnectiKids, a wonderful nonprofit in Hartford that connects students facing inequities with people, places and experiences that help remove some of the systemic barriers that limit their potential.
Most importantly, I come home to my husband, my child, and my dog – wherever they are is my home. And I practice what the Buddhist monk Thich Nhat Hanh taught – I come home to my breath many moments throughout my day.
Has there been a particular challenge in your own life, where looking back now, you realize it was a pivotal moment in your own growth journey?
There have been a great many challenges in my life and I am who I am today because of them. I was a caregiver in my early 20s, and I later also took care of my loved ones financially. I live with a chronic health condition. I have experienced joy and disappointment, fear, uncertainty, despair, grief, and hope like each one of us. And I have strived to find the light within, and to lean into my community, growing my roots like trees do to stay both grounded and connected.
Community and mentorship are so important. Is there a particular person or persons that you’ve drawn inspiration from over the years?
Larry Tye, journalist and author, is my first mentor, and I met him in 2023 when I was a fellow at the Health Coverage Fellowship in Boston, which he runs. The program is now at the Chan School of Public Health at Harvard. Larry was the first person to ask me what I wanted to do beyond the next story. That question changed me and how I approach my career – I began to see the forest from the trees. But Larry does more than ask questions – he frequently checks in on you: “Hello friend, how’s it going, what can I do for you?” This is a person who cares deeply about the well-being and growth of journalists, and he will offer to open doors for you with a generosity and graciousness that is rare.
I met Bala Krishnamurthy at an event for the Indian-American immigrant community, when I was editor of a community newspaper. She was being recognized for her contributions to the field of robotics. Bala is the first woman to receive the Engelberger award – it’s like the Nobel for robotics. Bala and I took a liking to each other and today she is one of my closest friends. From her I learned to be unapologetic about being ambitious, to negotiate pay, to not be afraid to dream and to make those dreams come true through hard work, consistency, and passion.
In my own organization, I am drawn to Vanessa de la Torre, chief content officer, and my friend Lucy Nalpathanchil, who now is at the Hartford Public Library. Vanessa has a presence – she’s not loud, but you know when she enters a room. There’s dignity and poise in the way she navigates a space, and she’s authentic. One feels proud that she’s the one representing our organization in the public sphere.
Lucy, well, I love Lucy. So do you, you've heard her reporting and you’ve heard her host Where We Live. Now, there’s a woman whose broad and deep body of journalistic work will continue to inspire. And then she transitioned to a leadership role in building community at Connecticut Public. We don’t live life in silos, as Lucy showed, navigating varied career spaces with confidence and excellence. And, it was great fun to work with Lucy as her producer.
My four yoga teachers – faculty at Yoga in Our City’s Happy Warrior program from which I graduated as a trauma-sensitive yoga teacher, are gracious mentors. Yizza Galdamez, Katlyn Hagley, Shwantell Laylaw and Nikki Adams – these yoga acharyas have inspired me to live a life of yoga on and off the mat, a debt that I can never repay no matter how hard I try.
Another mentor is Dr. Rachel Chacko, though I have never met her. I met her grandson Dr. Pritish Korula, who was my mother’s critical care doctor, and I ended up writing a biography [forthcoming] of Dr. Chacko. From my extensive interviews with people who knew her, and from my deep secondary research, I am inspired by her faith, by the way she humanized the practice of medicine, offered care to those who could not afford it, built institutional leadership, and created community.
I developed a love for public service early on from my dad in Chennai [then Madras], India, where I was born and raised. My dad headed campaigns to vaccinate children against polio, was on the board of nonprofits that trained and offered jobs to people with different abilities, co-founded a blood bank, and organized health camps at slums.
My husband Arun inspires me daily and I think of him as my peer mentor. I was intense and took myself too seriously when I met him, and he lightened me up. I love how comfortable he is with himself, how he has never wanted to keep up with the Joneses, how he mentors countless youth and takes pride in their growth and success, how he serves on the boards of nonprofits with a quiet dedication that is so him, and how without show or fuss, he has built an expertise in the aerospace industry, sharing his knowledge with those who seek him out.
My child is a constant inspiration. From him I learn to keep my curiosity alive, and to see the magic in this world despite its heartbreaks. As a mother, I am continuously learning and adapting in tandem with my child’s experiences. Motherhood has reshaped how I move in this world.
And I am fortunate to be a mentor through the Association of Health Care Journalists.
What advice would you offer the woman with a whisper in her heart to lean deeper into her power?
I’d tell her to be fearless. You have one life and it goes by fairly quickly. Don't be afraid to ask for what you want. You’ve earned that promotion, you deserve the pay raise, you can handle the new project and you will learn as you go. Negotiate knowing that it’s not a zero-sum game. Give as much as you receive, more if you desire, but never lose sight of who you are, and always remember your own value, what you are worth. Take pleasure in seeing others around you grow and thrive, and if you can, be a catalyst for their growth.
