Gupta-Klinsky India Institute Selected for 2024 Johns Hopkins Nexus Award 

We are thrilled to announce that we’ve been selected for the prestigious 2024 Johns Hopkins Nexus Award to convene a first-of-its-kind conference with an "India focus" at the Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg Center in Washington, D.C. This honor marks a significant milestone in our commitment to fostering meaningful collaboration and advancing knowledge sharing by bringing the best of Johns Hopkins and India under one roof.  

Ajit Isaac Hosted Discussion on Collaboration Opportunities

We were so pleased to welcome Mr. Ajit Isaac on his recent visit to the university, where we exchanged ideas and explored potential collaborations and opportunities with the Isaac Foundation and its partners in India. The Department of International Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, and the Johns Hopkins Palliative Care Unit at the School of Medicine also joined the discussion.

Mr. Isaac is a distinguished entrepreneur and philanthropist in India. He is the Founder and Non-Executive Chairman of Quess Corp, India’s largest private employer and a significant player in the business services sector, and has been recognized for his generous philanthropic efforts, notably his contributions to education and public health, which have had transformative impacts on communities.

IN THE NEWS

U.S. lawmakers to introduce legislation to formalize Indian Ocean strategy

The Hindu, May 15, 2024

Joshua White, Professor of International Affairs at Johns Hopkins and a Director for U.S.-ASEAN and U.S.-Pacific Institutes for Rising Leaders spoke with The Hindu about the Indian Ocean Region Strategic Review Act.

Mathuram Santosham, MD, MPH, ’75

Department of International Health Legacy Series, May 16, 2024

As part of a new Department of International Health series about public health legacies, Sara Woodward and Brandon Howard from the Johns Hopkins Department of International Health sat down with Dr. Santosham to discuss his impactful career accomplishments and what he sees as priorities in international public health.

GKII Joins the U.S.-India Alliance for Women’s Economic Empowerment

US Embassy & Consulates in India, May 24, 2024

In this news announcement, the US Embassy in India shares that GKII has been selected as an anchor partner with the U.S. Department of State to support an umbrella initiative empowering women and girls in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics.

EVENTS

Overdue: Including Pregnant Participants in Tuberculosis Research

Jun 20, 2024 at 9:00 AM ET

This SMART4TB webinar will address community advocacy for ithe inclusion of pregnant participants in TB research and will highlight SMART4TB treatment studies that were designed to support this critical goal.

Healthcare Delivery at People's Doorstep

July 9, 2024 - 12:00-1:15 PM ET

Room W5030, 615 N. Wolfe St. Baltimore, MD, 21205

Please join us and the Bloomberg School of Public Health in welcoming MA Subramanian, Minister for Health and Family Welfare, Government of Tamil Nadu, India for a special in-person seminar: Healthcare Delivery at People's Doorstep (Makkalai Thedi Maruthvam). This event is open to all Johns Hopkins students, faculty, staff, and alumni.

NEW IN RESEARCH

Bridging the gap or widening the divide? Exploring the dual role of social capital in healthcare financing in rural Uttar Pradesh, India

Social Science and Medicine, May 6, 2024

Social capital, defined as the nature of the social relationship and the resources embedded within the social network of an individual or community, influences how individuals within a group interact and collaborate within their communities or organizations. While it is acknowledged that social capital can be drawn from as a coping strategy to mitigate financial stress, there is a notable absence of the lived experience in the literature on how social capital influences households to tap resources from their social network. We have investigated the role of social capital in healthcare financing in rural Uttar Pradesh, India, highlighting the challenges faced by households in managing

healthcare expenses.

Hasan MZ, Kennedy CE, Adhikari B, Ahuja A, Gupta S.

Nurturing transformative local structures of multisectoral collaboration for primary health care: qualitative insights from select states in India

BMC Health Services Research, May 16, 2024

Multisectoral collaboration is essential for advancing primary health care (PHC). In low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), limited institutional capacities, governance issues, and inadequate stakeholder engagement impede multisectoral collaboration. India faces similar challenges, especially at the meso-level (districts and subdistricts). Owing to its dependence on context, and insufficient evidence, understanding “How” to improve multisectoral collaboration remains challenging.

Singh, S, Miller E, Closser S.

Economic implications of novel regimens for tuberculosis treatment in three high-burden countries: a modelling analysis

Lancet Global Health, June 12, 2024

With numerous trials investigating novel drug combinations to treat tuberculosis, we aimed to evaluate the extent to which future improvements in tuberculosis treatment regimens could offset potential increases in drug costs. In this modelling analysis, we used an ingredients-based approach to estimate prices at which novel regimens for rifampin-susceptible and rifampin-resistant tuberculosis treatment would be cost-neutral or cost-effective compared with standards of care in India, the Philippines, and South Africa.

Ryckman TS, Schumacher SG, Lienhardt C, Sweeney S, Dowdy DW, Mirzayev F, Kendall EA.

Network-based strategies to combat HCV: Examining social and spatial drivers of transmission among PWID in New Delhi

Journal of Viral Hepatitis, June 4, 2024

People who inject drugs (PWID) account for some of the fastest-growing HCV epidemics globally. While individual risk factors for infection are understood, less is known about network and spatial factors critical for elimination strategies. Two thousand five hundred twelve PWID in New Delhi, India, were recruited (2017-19) through network referrals. Biometrics identified duplicates and cross-network linkages. Participants completed semi-annual surveys and blood tests for HCV antibodies and RNA.

Clipman SJ, Mehta SH, Mohapatra S, Srikrishnan AK, Zook KJC, Kumar MS, Lucas GM, Latkin CA, Solomon SS.

From legacy to integration in the Global Polio Eradication Initiative: looking back to look forward

BMJ Global Health, May 8, 2024

The Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) is a global single-disease programme with an extensive infrastructure in some of the world's most underserved areas. It provides a key example of the opportunities and challenges of transition efforts-the process of shifting from donor-funded, single-disease programmes to programmes with more integrated and sustainable programmatic and funding streams. Our goal is to closely analyse the social and political dynamics of the polio transition in the 2010s to provide insights into today, as well as lessons for other programmes.

Closser S, Neel AH, Gerber S, Alonge O.

Translating global evidence into local implementation through technical assistance: a realist evaluation of the Bloomberg philanthropies initiative for global Road safety

Global Health, May 10, 2024

Traffic-related crashes are a leading cause of premature death and disability. The safe systems approach is an evidence-informed set of innovations to reduce traffic-related injuries and deaths. First developed in Sweden, global health actors are adapting the model to improve road safety in low- and middle-income countries via technical assistance (TA) programs; however, there is little evidence on road safety TA across contexts. This study investigated how, why, and under what conditions technical assistance influenced evidence-informed road safety in Accra (Ghana), Bogotá (Colombia), and Mumbai (India), using a case study of the Bloomberg Philanthropies Initiative for Global Road Safety (BIGRS).

Neill R, Hernández AL, Koon AD, Bachani AM.

Factors Determining Black Carbon Exposures among Pregnant Women Enrolled in the HAPIN Trial

Environmental Science & Technology, May 29, 2024

Residential biomass burning is an important source of black carbon (BC) exposure among rural communities in low- and middle-income countries. We collected 7165 personal BC samples and individual/household level information from 3103 pregnant women enrolled in the Household Air Pollution Intervention Network trial. Women in the intervention arm received free liquefied petroleum gas stoves and fuel throughout pregnancy; women in the control arm continued the use of biomass stoves.

Campbell DA, Johnson M, Piedrahita R, Pillarisetti A, Waller LA, Kearns KA, Kremer J, Mollinedo E, Sarnat JA, Clark ML, Underhill LJ, McCracken JP, Diaz-Artiga A, Steenland K, Rosa G, Kirby MA, Balakrishnan K, Sambandam S, Mukhopadhyay K, Sendhil S, Natarajan A, Ndagijimana F, Dusabimana E, Thompson LM, Checkley W, Nicolaou L, Hartinger S, Peel JL, Clasen TF, Naeher LP.

OPEN FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES

USAID Integrated Health Systems Strengthening 

Deadline: July 6, 2024

The purpose of the Integrated Health System Strengthening (IHSS) program is to accelerate countries’ Health System Strengthening (HSS) efforts and achieve sustainable, equitable, and resilient health systems through locally-led, evidence-driven, and context-specific approaches to HSS. The primary goals are to advance primary health care (PHC), accelerate progress toward universal health coverage (UHC), and improve health outcomes.  

Apple Scholars in AI/ML PhD Fellowship

Deadline: July 9, 2024

The Apple Scholars in AI/ML PhD fellowship program recognizes the contributions of emerging leaders in computer science and engineering at the graduate and postgraduate level. The PhD fellowship in AI/ML was created as part of the Apple Scholars program to support the work of outstanding PhD students from around the world, who are pursuing cutting edge research in machine learning and artificial intelligence.

CFAR HIV/AIDS Training Fellowship Awards

Deadline: July 31, 2024

The CFAR Training Fellowship Awards offer training opportunities for Indian early-stage investigators to expand capacity in HIV/AIDS research through short-term research. CFAR sites are invited to apply for funding focused on priority areas of HIV/AIDS research aligned with NIH NOT-OD-20-018. Two to three fellowship grants, each up to $300,000 USD total cost ($150,000/year), will be awarded.

Global Science Summit Programme 2024

Deadline: August 8, 2024

The Global Science Summit Programme aims to explore the intersection between major global health and sustainability challenges through fostering scientific discoveries that address the combined impact of non-communicable diseases, infectious diseases, climate change, and related enabling technologies. The purpose of the Global Science Summit Programme is to catalyze science-based solutions by supporting international interdisciplinary collaborations that address intersectional challenges.

AIIS Fellowship Competition

Deadline: Nov. 15, 2024

The American Institute of Indian Studies has announced its 2024 fellowship competition and invites applications from scholars who wish to conduct their research in India. Junior fellowships are awarded to Ph.D. candidates to conduct research for their dissertations in India for up to eleven months. Senior fellowships are awarded to scholars who hold the Ph.D. degree for up to nine months of research in India. AIIS welcomes applicants from a wide variety of disciplines, especially encourages applicants in fields from Development Studies, Natural Resources Management, Public Health, and Regional Planning.

JHU JOB OPPORTUNITY

CIDI Senior Research Program Manager

Housed in the Division of Infectious Diseases at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, the Center for Infectious Diseases in India (CIDI) is seeking a Sr. Research Program Manager to be part of a team with a base in Baltimore and locations across India. This person will manage the research portfolios of Dr. Amita Gupta and CIDI faculty.

EXTERNAL PROFESSIONAL OPPORTUNITY

CDC Epidemiology Fellow

The CDC Epidemiology Fellow for the Enhanced Surveillance Platforms Team/Surveillance and Prevention Branch will participate in network project and data management and data analysis for three large national networks that are designed to examine disease burden and clinical epidemiology of respiratory viral infections and assess the effectiveness of licensed vaccines (influenza, COVID-19, and RSV). Cross-cutting collaborations with other branches and divisions at CDC may also be possible. The candidate will collaborate with a growing team of medical officers, epidemiologists, data analysts, and project managers.

NEWS OF NOTE

Krishna Ella of Bharat Biotech Receives BSPH Award

Times of India, May 25, 2024

Dr. Krishna Ella has been awarded the dean’s medal by the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health for his contribution to improving public health. The award, presented during the school’s convocation ceremony on May 22, 2024, in Baltimore, Maryland, is reserved for outstanding public health researchers and practitioners who demonstrate leadership in safeguarding and improving public health.

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