“This pandemic has magnified every existing inequality in our society – like systemic racism, gender inequality, and poverty,”
- Melinda Gates
ver the last few decades, there have been several global outbreaks of severe respiratory infections. The outbreaks predominantly caused respiratory tract and gastrointestinal tract symptoms and other mild to very severe clinical signs. The latest coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) outbreak, caused by the novel severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), was a rapidly spreading illness affecting millions of people worldwide. Among the countries most affected by the disease were the United States of America (USA), India, Brazil, and Russia, with France recording the highest infection, morbidity, and mortality rates. The COVID-19 pandemic, first identified on December 2019 in Wuhan City, Hubei province, China, and spread to most world regions, is caused by the SARS-CoV-2.
Since the COVID-19 outbreak became public knowledge, a series of instructions were implemented to protect public health and maintain stability. This unprecedented global health crisis exerted immense pressure on legal systems worldwide, necessitating governments to adapt legislative frameworks, administrative processes, and decision-making procedures to effectively address the rapidly changing and complex nature of the pandemic emergency.
Good governance and the rule of law are critical enablers of trust. On the ground level, people helped each other out and showed exemplary courage by helping their communities fight the virus.
One of the individuals that worked on his own by matching pace with technological advancements and carrying out result-oriented experiments to help people during the pandemic is Nikhil Arun.
Arun has previously held different positions at Microsoft and co-founded an advertisement technology company. He also did a dancing gig in China, pursued a career as a hip-hop dancer, and proved his excellency in another field of work. He was chosen as one of the 12 dancers for the focus piece in the opening ceremonies for the 26th Summer Universiade in Shenzhen, China.
Arun worked at Microsoft since 2011. At Microsoft, his key areas of work and research included Voice Search on the Xbox, and multiple entertainment products. He led the team which designed the billing system and advertisement portal home page at Microsoft.
Despite having a thriving career at Microsoft, in 2017, he founded an advertising technology company, “In-Video Impressions,” that made deals with content creators and artists to mine audiences who viewed that content. The company was founded with fourteen people under the umbrella, but constant efforts and work led it to land notable companies, including Fortune 500 Tech companies, Lululemon, Duke Basketball, and other wellness brands. The system tracked 55 million and had access to videos that had accumulated over 5 billion views in total. Afterward, he sold the company to San Francisco-based company, Vitagene, in 2019.
but most notably, he spearheaded multiple innovations during the COVID-19 pandemic that helped numerous people.
In 2019, Arun joined 1health. Under his leadership as Vice President of Products, he assisted the company in the creation and innovation of multiple technological advancements. Arun used his creative mindset and skillset to supervise the growth of the company and let his genius spark thrive during the COVID-19 pandemic. The lack of availability of healthcare services for millions of individuals globally is not a hidden fact. The sheer terror and uncertainty of the pandemic, along with the under-preparedness of healthcare systems to deal with such calamities, left multiple people clueless in such a situation.
As the Vice President of Products for 1health, Arun was responsible for four major innovations that were key in the battle against COVID-19.
Matt Meyer, the County Executive of New Castle County, said about 1health:
“One of our most sacred opportunities in a pandemic is to protect the most vulnerable. 1health has enabled us to do that with excellence.”
Arun achieved one milestone after another, looking for growth and making a name for himself. The major accomplishments he achieved during the pandemic working with 1Health, are indeed highlights of his career. He created a mark in the world because of his innovations. He followed his heart and continued to thrive even under extreme pressure. The one goal he put forward himself was to never stop learning and achieving , and he kept on exploring new dimensions one after another resulting in an esteemed career and everlasting contributions to humankind.
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