Benjamin Lalani, an Indian American Johns Hopkins alum, has won a 2025 Samvid Scholar award that empowers mission-driven graduate students to enact change for society through leadership development, community, and financial support.
Scholars receive $100,000 towards an MD, MBA, JD, MPP/MPA, MPH, or MS/MA in the social sciences or science, technology, engineering and math fields.
Lalani, who earned his bachelor’s degree in molecular and cellular biology from Johns Hopkins, is now an MD candidate at Harvard Medical School with interests in medicine, technology, and global health.
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Before college, Lalani founded Pump Avenue Foundation, a medical device redistribution program to expand access to insulin pump therapy for underinsured patients in his hometown, Scottsdale, Arizona.
He has since grown Pump Avenue into a global 501(c)(3) nonprofit, repurposing insulin pumps and continuous glucose monitors for over 130 patients across seven U.S. states and in Tanzania, Somalia, and India.
Through Pump Avenue, Ben has aided in the implementation of insulin pump programs in four rural and urban hospitals internationally, leading staff training, patient onboarding, and equipment delivery.
Lalani’s research focuses on artificial intelligence, digital health, and clinical decision support. He has co-authored over 20 peer-reviewed publications and abstracts and has given presentations at national conferences hosted by the American Diabetes Association, Diabetes Technology Society, American Association of Clinical Endocrinology, and Endocrine Society.
His work includes lead roles in evaluating a dynamic insulin dosing calculator for hospitalized patients and conducting a phase 3 randomized trial comparing AI versus human coaching for diabetes prevention.
He has also worked in strategy consulting at ClearView Healthcare Partners, advising Fortune 500 and early-stage life sciences companies on product development, pricing, and launch strategies.
As a physician–innovator, Lalani aims to forge academic–industry collaborations and lead the development, evaluation, and global delivery of medical technologies.
The Samvid Scholars program is funded by Samvid Ventures, a philanthropic foundation dedicated to improving lives through education and entrepreneurship.