Ms Gyanu Maharjan is an Associate Professor at Phect Institute of Health Sciences. She is a
nurse by profession and has devoted a significant portion of her service to poor and marginalised
Indigenous communities in Nepal. She is from the Newar Indigenous group, one of the first
Indigenous communities to inhabit Nepal. Ms Maharjan has over two decades of experience
working in community settings, mainly with poor and marginalised Indigenous communities
through voluntary work. She has a master’s degree in Women’s Health and Development
(Midwifery) Nursing and is currently a PhD scholar in Health Education at Tribhuvan
University. Apart from her academic role, she serves as a project advisor and a member of the
Country Coordination Committee for the project “Indigenous Women, Girls, and Gender-
Diverse Community Living with HIV in Nepal” under Suruwat.