Nidharshan Anandasivam (’14)

This summer, I worked on important investigations and health policy issues in the office of Senator Charles Grassley (R-Iowa) on the Oversight and Investigations Unit. Senator Grassley, Ranking Member of the Committee on the Judiciary, takes tremendous pride in promoting a transparency that keeps government accountable by rooting out fraud, waste, and abuse in the federal bureaucracy. In this spirit, I enjoyed applying my MIT-fostered inquisitiveness and research-oriented background to the ongoing investigations of this committee through attending Senate hearings, documenting and reporting on meetings with organization executives, and formulating questions for letters of inquiry, among other investigative tasks.

In addition to my investigative functions, I worked with a legislative staffer on the overuse of antipsychotics in nursing homes, an issue that is currently being addressed by bipartisan legislation. After talking to a variety of interest groups, we were able to understand some of the different perspectives on the efficacies of an informed consent policy and a prescriber education program in solving the overuse problem.

My experiences on the Hill—supplemented by the weekly seminars hosted by this program—were invaluable in furthering my understanding of policy creation and the political process. Because of this internship, I am now seriously considering a future in health policy.