Alumni Spotlight: Nina (Woolley) Ragunanthan BS’12

In her small clinic in Mound Bayou, a town in the heart of the Mississippi Delta, Nina (Woolley) Ragunanthan, M.D., sees a little bit of everything. As one of just two obstetrician/gynecologists in rural Bolivar County, her days may include anything from routine obstetric checkups and gynecological exams to complicated surgeries.

“In rural areas, there’s a critical shortage of healthcare providers. That makes our work here even more essential,” says Ragunanthan, who completed a global health certificate as an undergraduate student at Duke. 

Practicing in the Delta presents unique obstacles. Mississippi has some of the highest rates of maternal morbidity, infant mortality and poverty in the United States. The state has banned abortions except when the mother’s life is in danger or in cases of rape or incest, complicating care such as management of miscarriages and high-risk pregnancies. 

These challenges, however, have only strengthened Ragunanthan’s determination to transform healthcare for women in the Delta.

Ragunanthan’s path to Mississippi began as a Robertson Scholar at Duke. Along with Braveen Ragunanthan, M.D., a fellow Duke student and now Nina’s husband, she spent the summer of 2009 working with a community organization in Mound Bayou, a town which was founded by former slaves in the 1880s and is one of the oldest predominantly Black communities in the U.S. It was a profound experience that laid a foundation for the Ragunanthans’ eventual return.

After graduating in 2012, Nina and Braveen both pursued medical training. Braveen, who also completed a global health certificate at Duke, earned a medical degree at Virginia Commonwealth University and later earned a master’s degree in public health from Johns Hopkins University. Nina worked in the Office of Global Health Education at Weill Cornell Medical College before pursuing her medical degree at Harvard. There, she trained under global health luminary and Duke alumnus Paul Farmer, M.D., contributing to pediatric development initiatives in Rwanda with Partners In Health. 

But after completing their medical residencies at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, the Ragunanthans felt called to return to practice in rural Mississippi. In 2021, they accepted jobs with Delta Health Center, the first Federally Qualified Health Center in the U.S., a type of community health center that seeks to provide affordable healthcare to underserved populations.

“From an epidemiological and health policy standpoint, Mississippi has endured many challenges over the years,” Braveen, a pediatrician, wrote in an update shared with the Robertson Scholars program. “But there is also such a tremendous history of activism and pioneering leadership in community health that draws us here so strongly.”

Nina’s global health experiences at Duke and Harvard have profoundly shaped her approach to healthcare in the Delta. She emphasizes the interconnectedness of global and local health, highlighting that many challenges faced in rural America mirror those in under-resourced countries. 

“Global health isn’t just international — it’s about addressing disparities wherever they exist,” she says. 

The Ragunanthans have led community initiatives to prevent childhood obesity and have secured federal grants to support maternal healthcare workers in the region. Nina has worked to support Medicaid expansion in the state, and she strongly advocated for extension in post-partum Medicaid coverage, which now ensures that mothers receive critical healthcare services in the first year after childbirth.

Despite the challenges, Ragunanthan finds her work deeply rewarding. “People here are incredibly welcoming and appreciative,” she says. The gratitude she feels from her patients, along with the strong sense of community, are a big part of why she now calls the Delta home.