{"id":30929,"date":"2023-06-10T07:00:31","date_gmt":"2023-06-10T01:30:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.globalindian.com\/youth\/\/?post_type=story&p=30929"},"modified":"2023-06-09T14:44:53","modified_gmt":"2023-06-09T09:14:53","slug":"economist-extraordinaire-dhruv-gaur-is-working-towards-drug-stigma-and-inequality","status":"publish","type":"story","link":"https:\/\/old.globalindian.com\/youth\/story\/cover-story\/economist-extraordinaire-dhruv-gaur-is-working-towards-drug-stigma-and-inequality\/","title":{"rendered":"Economist extraordinaire: Dhruv Gaur is working towards drug stigma and inequality"},"content":{"rendered":"

(June 10, 2023) <\/strong>The global epidemic of drug consumption continues to cast a dark shadow, infiltrating societies across continents and leaving devastating consequences in its wake. What\u2019s worse is it impacts the most vulnerable and stigmatised populations. In fact, according to he Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), between January 2021 and June 2021, about 1,150 youngsters aged 14 to 18 died from drug overdose in the US, and about 47 percent of adolescents started consuming illicit drugs upon graduation from high school. Trying to devise a solution for this pervasive crisis, is a young economist, Dhruv Gaur, who is delving deep into the study of drug use, homelessness, housing insecurity, poverty, and inequality through the lens of economic and epidemiological inference.<\/p>\n

The recent recipient of the prestigious Paul & Daisy Soros Fellowships for New Americans<\/a>, Dhruv is working with various communities to raise awareness about the growing overdose epidemic and advocate for overdose prevention policy. An ambitious, pre-doctoral research fellow at Harvard University, the young economist is currently chasing the causes of inequalities in health and higher education in the USA.<\/p>\n

\"Economist

“I actively engage in studying the US overdose crisis, lending my expertise to the critical work of generating research and shaping policies aimed at safeguarding individuals who use drugs from the perils of overdose and other drug-related harms,” shares Dhruv, as he connects with Global Indian<\/em><\/a> for an interview, adding, “I also play a crucial role in the maintenance and management of PreventOverdoseRI.org<\/a>, a dedicated website specifically designed to combat the overdose crisis. I am determined to contribute to the collective mission of putting an end to the devastating impact of drug overdose in our community.”<\/p>\n

A curious cat<\/strong><\/h5>\n

Even though Dhruv was born in the USA, the youngster shares that his family ensured that he grew up knowing and learning about his roots. “Both my parents are doctors, and they came over to the United States of America after finishing med school in India. I was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where my parents were completing their medical training. We later shifted to a town in Northeast Georgia,” says the young economist, adding, “I grew up around a very tight-knit and supportive Indian community. My parents were quite keen on instilling Indian values in me and my brother, so over weekends, they would drive us to Balvihar<\/a>, which is a Hindi school.”<\/p>\n

\"Economist