A Rewarding Semester
For Katyayni, the news arrived like an old saying from her native North India: "sone pe suhaaga" or "borax on gold." Just as borax is used to enhance the luster of gold, Katyayni sees the recognition as a final polish on an already fulfilling semester teaching Global Health: Anthropological Perspectives.
“The award is a cherry on top, icing on the cake for what was already beautiful and rewarding for me,” Katyayni shared. “The students in my class, our discussions and their insight were pure gold”
Joining Research and Practice
Katyayni’s excellence in the classroom is deeply rooted in her dissertation research, which examines how family members of sick children in North India interact with medical institutions to ensure their child’s physical wellbeing. She focuses on the incredible role families play as 'attendants', in hospitals, clinics, and at home, to stitch together a continuum of pediatric care.
This professional expertise allowed her to build a curriculum centered on coherent goals. Drawing from her field experience, she created a syllabus that students found both rigorous and relevant. VanValkenburgh noted that her teaching goes beyond an introduction to the field, leveraging anthropological writing to teach students to be “better writers” and “ethnographic thinkers”
Fostering a Culture of Mutual Respect
Central to Katyayni's teaching style is her commitment to genuine classroom dialogue. She stands out as the only instructor many Brown students have encountered who directly incorporates student writing and weekly reflection posts into her lectures.
Students also praise her for inviting guest speakers aligned with their declared academic interests and for rearranging the physical classroom to encourage more inclusive conversation.
Her nominators described her classroom as a space “grounded in openness and mutual respect”, where they were taught to “sit with and think through” the uncomfortable ethical and political complexities of global health. Something as simple as learning every student's name helped the class feel "invested in each other's learning rather than just learning alongside one another."
Impact Beyond the Classroom
Katyayni's course evaluations reflect her exceptional effectiveness, with students reporting that the course "challenged them to develop new skills and ways of thinking." The influence extends long after the semester ends.
"Katyayni embodies the kind of teaching this award is meant to recognize," her nominators wrote, observing that the lessons from ANTH1310 continue to shape how students write and approach their own ethical practices well beyond the final paper.
Kimberly Stephanie Meza, Hannah Shabtian, Katyayni Seth, and Alexander F. Hardan receive Excellence in Teaching Awards at the University Awards Ceremony on April 29, 2026.