Faculty Profile: Meera Ballal

Meera Ballal is the Founder of Women’s Healthcare Initiative, a company that pioneered a protocol for hospitals and medical practices to identify, treat and refer patients experiencing domestic violence and/or human trafficking. Her first Pilot was implemented at HCA emergency departments in 2016, marking them a national leader in IPV-related patient care. Before moving to Nashville in 2013, she served as a Division Chief in the San Antonio Criminal District Attorney’s Office and as Executive Director of the Bexar County Family Justice Center, the first center in Texas to unite law enforcement, legal, medical, and nonprofit services serving 6,000 families each year struggling with domestic violence. Meera has also worked in medical malpractice litigation at Miller and Martin, served as in-house counsel for Vanderbilt University, clerked for the Davidson County Third Circuit Court, and created the first community safety audit for the Children’s Defense Fund. Prior to earning her law degree, she worked for a U.S. Senator and Congressman in Washington D.C. and was placed in Slovakia with the non-profit, Education for Democracy. She holds degrees from Vanderbilt University (BS/MEd), the University of Glasgow in Scotland (MPhil), and the University of Tennessee College of Law (JD), and serves on multiple nonprofit and community boards. She lives in Nashville with her husband, Seenu Reddy, and their two children.