About the Women in Health Network
Our story
The Women in Health Network was created to address a simple need that’s in surprisingly high demand for women in our industry: connection.
Women working in health often navigate demanding careers while balancing personal and professional expectations. WiHN was formed to provide a space where women in health across Australia – and South Asian women particularly – could come together, share experiences and support one another.
What began as conversations between like-minded professionals has grown into a national network that values collaboration, learning and community impact. Our members come from a wide range of health disciplines and career stages, but we’re all united by a shared desire to uplift one another and give back to our communities.
What we do
WiHN exists to bring women in health together in ways that are both purposeful and welcoming. We host events, discussions and initiatives designed to give women the space and time to find connection in one another, while also fostering professional growth and strengthening awareness around health issues in local communities.
Our in-person activities include social gatherings, wellness retreats and educational seminars, just to name a few. We believe that by creating opportunities to connect across different areas of health, we want to build a more confident and connected network of women working in Australian health care!
Creating spaces where women are supported
The foundation of our network is inclusivity and shared experiences. We want to create spaces where our members feel comfortable learning from one another by asking questions and contributing their perspectives.
Through a mix of in-person and online initiatives, we focus on relationship-building, practical learning and creating meaningful dialogue. Our core values of connection, education, empowerment and charity guide everything we do.
WIHN Directors Bios
Dr Vanisri Anand
Founding Director | President
Dr Vanisri (Vani) Anand is a General Practitioner with more than 20 years of clinical experience. Having lived and worked across several countries, she considers herself a global citizen at heart. Her exposure to diverse cultures, languages and communities has shaped her strong belief in connection, inclusion and belonging.
Vani is passionate about collaboration across healthcare and the wider community, and believes meaningful impact is created when people come together with shared purpose. This passion led her to co-found WiHN alongside like-minded professional women.
Based in Sydney, Vani lives with her husband, two children and their dog. Outside of work, she enjoys reading, travelling and creating podcasts.
Bharathi Chikkananjaiah
Co-Founder | Treasurer
Bharathi Chikkananjaiah is a warm, empathetic and dedicated Senior Clinical Psychologist with more than 20 years of experience supporting children, adolescents, adults and families. Her work focuses on helping people navigate mental health challenges, strengthen relationships and improve their overall wellbeing.
Bharathi has extensive experience in psychological assessment, diagnosis and evidence-based treatment, including CBT, ACT, EMDR, trauma-focused therapy, play therapy, family-based treatment for eating disorders, and strength-based interventions.
She has a special interest in trauma-informed care, neurodivergent-affirming support, autism, ADHD, anxiety, depression, OCD, eating disorders, emotional regulation, TBI/ABI and complex behavioural needs.
Originally from Bangalore, Bharathi trained in clinical psychology in India before migrating to Australia in 2010. Her long-standing commitment to community health, volunteering and client advocacy helped inspire the creation of WiHN.
Dr Vani Arjunamani
Co-Founder | Secretary
Dr Vani Arjunamani is a General Practitioner with more than a decade of clinical experience. Her work is grounded in preventive, patient-centred healthcare, with a strong focus on empowering communities through clear, evidence-based health literacy.
Vani was drawn to WiHN through her passion for helping people access reliable health information beyond Google, social media and AI-generated advice. She also values the opportunity to bring together South Asian women health professionals across disciplines, generations and lived experiences.
Before studying medicine at the University of Sydney, Vani completed a Bachelor of Information Technology and worked in the financial industry in Australia and the United States. Her medical career has taken her to Dubbo, Broken Hill, Yeppoon and the Royal Flying Doctor Service.
Vani is also an Indian classical dancer and enjoys reading and new experiences.
Radha Govind
Radha Govind is an OCANZ-certified Optometrist with more than 25 years of experience across clinical practice, vision research and teaching. She earned her PhD from Macquarie University and continues to work in visual electrophysiology.
With an extensive background in community and primary eye care, both in Australia and overseas, Radha is passionate about community education and early, proactive vision care. She believes eye health plays an important role in broader wellbeing and is committed to helping communities better understand the value of prevention, awareness and timely support.
As one of the founding members of WiHN, Radha remains deeply committed to its values, vision and purpose of creating meaningful connection, education and impact within the community.
Krithika Ajay
Krithika Ajay is an overseas-trained dentist with more than 10 years of experience in the charity and not-for-profit sector. She brings a strong blend of operational expertise, strategic thinking and practical problem-solving across administration, governance support, event management and long-term planning.
Krithika is passionate about social impact, particularly in the areas of education, health and animal welfare. Known for her creative thinking and thoughtful approach, she has contributed to a range of community initiatives and organisational projects that support sustainable outcomes.
Through her work with WiHN, Krithika brings a grounded, solutions-focused perspective and a strong commitment to helping create meaningful, inclusive and community-centred programs.