Researcher in the project title “Folk and Tribal Healing Practices in the Selected States of North East Region” project of Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (IGNCA, New Delhi) in collaboration with Anthropos India Foundation, New Delhi 2018-2019.

Social Activist/Volunteer at “Delhi Police for North East Representative (DPNER-Darjeeling)” under Special Police Unit for North East Region, Delhi Police from 2015-2019.

Authored document title “Study on Contemporary Lepcha Language, Literature and Manuscript “submitted to Social Justice, Empowerment and Welfare Department, Government of Sikkim Primitive Board, Lumsay, 5th mile, Tadong, East Sikkim- 737102, 2017.

Primary Investigator (PI), at South Asian Dialogues on Ecological Democracy (SADED), New Delhi. Project title “Urban Health Care Seeking Behaviors Survey” conducted 100 household survey in Sikkim 2013.

Full-time Member at All India Catholic University Federation (AICUF), St. Joseph’s College, North Point- Darjeeling; 2007-2010.

Fellowships/Awards:

• National Fellowship for Schedule Tribe (NFST) by the Government of India under the Ministry of Tribal Affairs (2012-2017)

Publications:

• Tshering Lepcha, (2019): ‘Traditional Healing Practices among the Lepchas and Nepali Communities in Upper Dzongu, North Sikkim. The Research Journal of Social Sciences. ISSN 0025-1348, p.p., 2456-1356, UGC Approved.
• Tshering Lepcha, (2018): ‘Traditional Healing Practices and the Role of Traditional Health Practitioners in Primary Health Care: A Medical Heritage of Sikkim’ in the book ‘The Cultural Heritage of Sikkim’ (ed.) Sarit K. Chaudhuri, Sameera Maiti, and Carisma K. Lepcha. Manohar Publishers & Distributors.
• Sunita Reddy and Tshering Lepcha, ‘Importance of Folk Healers in Primary Health Care: Need for Recognition and Support’ published in Sikkim Express on 4th February 2019 and SummitTimes on 5th February 2019, Gangtok-Sikkim.

 Paper Presented:

• Moderate a Panel Discussion on “Contemporary Issues of Indigenous Peoples in India” in International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples, organized by India Indigenous Peoples and All Adivasi Delhi-NCR at IGNCA, New Delhi on 10th-11th August 2019.
• Presented a paper on ‘Understanding Etiology of Diseases: With reference to Lepcha Community’ in the seminar entitled ‘Indigenous Healing Practices among the Tribes: Challenges in Recognizing and mainstreaming’ held on 10th to 11th Feb 2017 in JNU, New Delhi. (forthcoming in an edited volume)
• International Conference on ‘Cultural Heritage of Sikkim’ from April 25th to 27th April 2015. Presented a pater entitled ‘Traditional Healing Practices and the Role of Traditional Health Practitioners: A Medical Heritage of Sikkim’ organized by Department of Anthropology, Sikkim University, in collaboration with Indira Gandhi Rashtriya Manav Sangrahalaya Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh.
• Presented a paper on ‘A Qualitative Study on Health Seeking Behavior among the Lepcha Tribes of Dzongu, North Sikkim’. National Seminar under UGC-SAP III, DRS II on ‘Anthropological Perspectives on Environment, Development, Public Policy and Health’ 27th-28th Feb.2015, organized by Department of the Anthropology University of Delhi, Delhi-110007.
• Presented a paper on ‘Local Health Practices among the Lepchas and Nepali Migrant Communities in Dzongu, North Sikkim’ organized by Government College Rhenock, Department of Geography, Sikkim on 14th and 15th November 2014.

Training:

• Moderate a Panel Discussion on “Rights/Identity/Affirmative Action” in National Seminar & Webinar title “Tea Tribe Community: The Contours and Continuum of their Exclusion” organized by School of Social Sciences, The Assam Kaziranga University, Jorhat on 27^th-28^th August 2020.
• Moderate a Panel Discussion on “Contemporary Issues of Indigenous Peoples in India” in International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples, organized by India Indigenous Peoples and All Adivasi Delhi-NCR at IGNCA, New Delhi on 10th-11th August 2019.
• Presented a paper on ‘Understanding Etiology of Diseases: With reference to Lepcha Community’ in the seminar entitled ‘Indigenous Healing Practices among the Tribes: Challenges in Recognizing and mainstreaming’ held on 10th to 11th Feb 2017 in JNU, New Delhi. (forthcoming in an edited volume)
• International Conference on ‘Cultural Heritage of Sikkim’ from April 25th to 27th April 2015. Presented a pater entitled ‘Traditional Healing Practices and the Role of Traditional Health Practitioners: A Medical Heritage of Sikkim’ organized by Department of Anthropology, Sikkim University, in collaboration with Indira Gandhi Rashtriya Manav Sangrahalaya Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh.
• Presented a paper on ‘A Qualitative Study on Health Seeking Behavior among the Lepcha Tribes of Dzongu, North Sikkim’. National Seminar under UGC-SAP III, DRS II on ‘Anthropological Perspectives on Environment, Development, Public Policy and Health’ 27th-28th Feb.2015, organized by Department of the Anthropology University of Delhi, Delhi-110007.
• Presented a paper on ‘Local Health Practices among the Lepchas and Nepali Migrant Communities in Dzongu, North Sikkim’ organized by Government College Rhenock, Department of Geography, Sikkim on 14th and 15th November 2014.

Training/Workshops:

• Attended Tribal Workshop on ‘Adivasidom 4’ organized by Jharkhand Bhasha Sahitya Sanskriti Aakhra in collaboration with Woodlenders, Arunachal Pradesh on 5th -7th October 2019 at Pasighat, Arunachal Pradesh.
• Participated ICSSR sponsored ten days Research Methodology course for Research Scholars on ‘Participatory Digital Methodologies and Ethnographic Filmmaking’ organized by Department of Anthropology, Delhi University, from 14th to 24th January 2019.
• Participated workshop on ‘Orientation Cum Workshop on Field Survey and Techniques’ organized by the Centre for Endangered Languages, Sikkim University from 24th – 28th April 2017.
• Participated in the workshops ‘Summer School Photography’ course and finished successfully on 3rd June 2016, organized by Delhi College of Photography, New Delhi.
• Participated National Workshop on ‘Research Methodology in Social Sciences’ organized by Association of Indian Universities, New Delhi and Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi from 12th – 16th October 2015.
• Participated Research Method Course on ‘Doing Ethnography’ organized by Anthropos India Foundation (AIF) and Institute of Social Sciences (ISS) 8th-10th December 2014, Jawaharlal Nehru University New Delhi.
• Training course on ‘Rural Agro Technology’ organized by Loyola College, Social Work Department sponsored by UGC-PG grant from 27th to 29th February 2012 in Nallayan Research Centre for Sustainable Development, Navallur, Chennai.
• Certificate course on ‘Polishing the Poise’ sponsored by UGC-CPE Soft Skill Workshop from 18th -21st January 2011 at Loyola College, Chennai.
• Certificate course on ‘Human Rights’ conducted by the Department of Social Work, Loyola College, Chennai from January-March 2011.
• Certificate course on ‘Peace Building and Conflict Transformation’ conducted by the Institute of Dialogue with Cultures and Religious (IDCR) collaboration with the Department of Social Work, Loyola College, Chennai, 2011.

Workshop Organized:

• Organized Tribal Rural Community Visit Majuli-2020 and the theme of the field exposure were ‘Tribal Social Institutions, Development, Issues and Problems’ at Majuli, Assam from 7^th to 9^th February 2020.
• Organized Social Sciences Winter School Workshop 2019-2020 at Gangtok and Lepcha Homestay Lingthem, Dzongu North Sikkim from 28th December 2019 to 1st January 2020.
• Organized online awareness program on “immune-modulatory properties of medicinal plants for folk healers and wider public” joint collaboration with Centre for Local Health Traditions & Policy, The University of Trans-Disciplinary Health Sciences and Technology (TDU) Bengaluru and School of Social Sciences, The Assam Kaziranga University, Jorhat, Assam, October, 2020.

Resource Person:

• Invited as a Resource Person in ‘Tribal Samvaad-2019’ on Traditional Healers Meet from 15th – 19th November 2019 organized by Tata Steel Rural Development Society in Jamshedpur, Jharkhand.
• Invited as a Guest Speaker in National Seminar on Tea Industries in Assam-Issues, Crisis and Challenges (A Step towards Socio-Cultural and Economic Empowerment of Tea Workers and Adivasis) organized by Adhunik India Foundation on 29th September 2019 at Shankardev Kalakshetra International Auditorium, Guwahati, Assam. 

Research Interests:

• Medical Pluralism, Indigenous System of Medicine, Social Sciences approach to Public Health,
• Social Work with Marginalised Population, Community Development Practices
• Ethnography, Qualitative Research Methods.