My Story

Shayna was born and raised in Southern California, and regularly travelled to India, living and working with an NGO in Kutch and Bihar. She studied at UC Berkeley where she was awarded the University Medal (2002), the London School of Economics (2004) and Yale Law School (2008). A meaningful talk by a lifestyle medicine (LM) doctor in 2018 changed her professional path from lawyer and startup founder to LM researcher. Her deep commitment to understanding the ways in which lifestyle, particularly social connection and loneliness, impact health in the Indian population led her to join the Jhunjhunwala Laboratory as a specialist scientist. Shayna is a member of the American College of Lifestyle Medicine, a certified yoga teacher, and a student of Iyengar yoga. She regularly hikes throughout India with her nature-loving sons and dog Bella.