Meet The Team

Afren Rajendra is a Human Biology major at UT Austin with a deep passion for primary care, health equity, and community-centered healthcare. Through his experience working in physician-owned and rural clinics across Texas as a medical scribe, medical assistant, and practice improvement consultant he saw firsthand the operational and access challenges small clinics face every day.

Motivated by these experiences, Afren founded Steadwell Healthcare Consulting to deliver innovative, low-cost solutions to clinics often overlooked by traditional firms. He blends clinical insight with operational strategy, focusing on patient flow, marketing outreach, and practical process improvements, all with a mission to help rural and independent practices build sustainable systems and thrive.

Pooja Kalikiri is a Biomedical Engineering major at UT Dallas with a passion for clinical research, medical device innovation, and using engineering to solve real-world healthcare challenges. She brings hands-on experience from both clinical and lab settings, including work in an ophthalmology clinic and biomedical research labs focused on device design and biotechnological solutions.

At Steadwell Healthcare Consulting, Pooja leads with a unique blend of technical expertise and empathy, helping clinics turn operational and clinical challenges into sustainable improvements. She is passionate about using data, design, and evidence-based strategies to make healthcare smarter and more accessible, believing that even small, resource-limited clinics deserve well-designed systems that empower better care.