Meet the Founders
The Breathe Better Foundation was founded by Zaid Vellani and Rishit Bhat to bring clinical-grade pulmonary screening, evidence-based advocacy, and peer-reviewed research to communities that are too often left out of all three.
Zaid Vellani
Co-Founder · Pharmaceutical ChemistZaid graduated with high honors from UCLA in 2026, where he studied Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics. His research centered on synthesizing chemical probes that reveal the altered proteome of Metabolically Associated Fatty Liver Disease, with work published in journals including Nature Chemical Biology, Current Cardiac Risk Reports, and the Yale Journal of Biology and Medicine. He's an aspiring physician-scientist interested in the intersection of small-molecule immune modulators and inflammatory disease. Outside the lab, he plays basketball, cooks, and walks his chocolate labrador, Rafa.
Rishit Bhat
Co-Founder · AI ResearcherRishit graduated with honors from UCLA in 2026, where he studied Molecular, Cell, and Developmental Biology. He leads the AI sector within the Bickart Lab, where he and his team build artificial intelligence tools to combat medical misinformation in the media. He was also a research assistant on the BRAIN Trial, guiding patients through targeted rTMS and MRI sessions to test a novel therapy for chronic TBI. Rishit is an aspiring physician interested in the blend of community medicine and scientific discovery. Outside clinical settings, he plays basketball, competes avidly in fantasy football, and has an affinity for perfecting cajun shrimp recipes.
Basketball, cooking, and questionable ice cream orders.
