MEGHNA BHAT, Ph.D. (she/her) is an independent gender and social justice consultant, interdisciplinary feminist scholar, published writer, storyteller, and educator based in Sacramento, CA. Born and raised in Mumbai, India, her first-hand experiences of witnessing and surviving gender violence motivated her to be an outspoken advocate against gender inequality and violence. As a proud first-generation brown immigrant woman, she has 18+ years of extensive work experience in diverse settings, including gender violence-based research, project management, prevention education, publications, and training and technical assistance. Having trained in oral and digital storytelling, Dr. Bhat is passionate about using ethical, anti-oppressive, and accessible forms of storytelling to create ongoing narrative change about racial, gender, and immigrant justice. Her trauma-informed and culturally-responsive storytelling and prevention trainings have been positively received at multiple statewide conferences. As one of the 45 recipients of the 2022 Seeding Creativity Artist Grant by the city of Sacramento Arts and Culture– Dr. Bhat launched a multidisciplinary art project Gulabi Stories: A South Asian Healing Initiative, where she will develop and host free story writing workshops and story interviews for South Asian immigrants and refugees to write stories about health, healing, intimacy and other topics of stigma.

Presentation topics include:
-Trauma-informed and Ethical Storytelling
-Immigrant and Refugee Storytelling
-Intergenerational Trauma and Healing
-Gender Violence Prevention Education
-Decolonizing Self-Care and Healing
-Power of Media Representations
-Writing Grants and Success Stories
-Gender Inclusivity
-Storytelling for Social Justice
-Creative Arts and Social Impact