IRHS Supporting Trusts

The Institute for Rural Health Studies is supported by two registered trusts, one in the UK and the other in the US. They are managed by friends and former volunteers who, by law, are not allowed to retain any funds and receive no remuneration.

Indian Rural Health Trust (UK) Trustees:

1. Malcolm and Eileen Wagget

Malcolm Wagget is the retired Managing Director of HSBC South Asia operations based in Hyderabad. While they were in Hyderabad his wife, Eileen, became interested in the work of IRHS. She contributed actively to the survival of a young orphan who had attempted suicide and was gravely ill. As president of Twin-Cities Expatriates Association (TEA) she was a social activist for charitable causes.

2. Rob and Jan Livesley

Rob and Jan Livesley also lived in Hyderabad for a number of years. Both were employed by HSBC South Asia; Rob was IT manager and Jan was the head of training. They returned to the UK after their assignment in India.

3. Dr. Mohammad Khalid Farooqui

Dr. Farooqui was born and raised in Hyderabad. He moved to the UK to train as a medical doctor and now works as a General Practitioner (GP) in Southend, Essex. His brother Mujahid is a Member of the Board of the Institute for Rural Health Studies, Hyderabad.

4. Dr. Alexis Taylor

Dr. Alexis Taylor, with a PhD in Public Health, volunteered in our rural clinics before joining as a Trustee. She works as a consultant for the General Medical Council (GDC). Dr. Alexis also works as a volunteer for an major eye project in Ethiopia.

Ex-officio:

1. Dr. P. D Bidinger

Dr. Pat Bidinger, Director of IRHS, obtained her MSc and PhD from Cornell University where she was a National Institutes of Health Fellow. She did her practical medical training in upstate New York and Appalachia in the US. After moving to India in 1977 she trained in the Government Maternity Hospital and Osmania General Hospital, Hyderabad. In 1981 she co-founded IRHS. She is an Ashoka Fellow and also won the Ashoka Citizen-Based Investment Award.

2. David Pentin

David Pentin and his wife, Alicia Pentin, volunteered for IRHS. Alicia Pentin is a nurse who helped IRHS set up the WHO funded Cervical Cancer Control Programme in the Mahbubnagar District Hospital. David, who has a law degree and is a chartered accountant, acted as financial adviser and management accountant to IRHS. His current role is as an independent examiner for the UK supporting trust, reporting to the Charity Commission and advising the Trustees on charity law and best practices.

Rural Health Studies Trust (US) Trustees:

1. Michael Koltnow

Michael Koltnow is a retired IT manager for Wells Fargo Bank. Funds donated to the Trust are forwarded by him to IRHS at appropriate times. He is also responsible for managing the accounts and for filing the Trust income and expenditures with the California State Office of the Attorney General (Charitable Trusts and Foundations section).

2. Dr. Kathryn Shack

Dr. Kathryn Shack, with a Masters degree in Public Health and a PhD in nutrition Dr. Kathryn, is well-suited to serve both as a volunteer and a Trustee. She recently volunteered in our IRHS clinics for a second time and established a school health education programme in five villages.