The burden of Non-communicable Diseases (NCDs), stemming from trends such as sedentary lifestyles, unhealthy diets, and associated risk factors, is resulting in an alarming rise in morbidity and mortality both in India and globally. This was the central theme of a panel discussion among public health experts organised by Ahmedabad University on the occasion of announcement of its Bagchi School of Public Health. The congregation of public health experts at the event held in New Delhi supported the idea of NCD-based research being conducted by the Bagchi School. The panellists included Dr R. S. Dhaliwal, Head, NCD Division, ICMR; Dr Vivekanand Jha, Executive Director of The George Institute for Global Health; Dr Vinod K. Paul, Member, NITI Aayog; and Dr Shweta Khandelwal, Senior Advisor at Jhpiego India.
The School has been named in honour of eminent philanthropists Susmita and Subroto Bagchi, whose contribution of a transformative grant of INR 55 crores to the School will enable it to become a global leader in public health education and research.
Leveraging Ahmedabad University’s unique interdisciplinary environment, the School can contribute significantly towards inculcating behavioural change for managing major NCDs like diabetes and hypertension. Prevention, screening, and ensuring secondary protection are among the other imperatives for combating NCDs, especially among the younger population. Research undertaken at the Bagchi School will thus focus on discovering sustainable health solutions to improve lifestyle, clinical practice, policy, and the environment.
The School will also aim to deliver high-quality rigorous education programmes to promote no-cost, low-cost, and cost-saving interventions for improving health, especially for the underprivileged segments of society. The School’s flagship programme, a PhD in Epidemiology, will be designed to build leaders by equipping them with the substantive, analytical, and soft skills needed to address complex public health problems.