Wrote this editorial for @GlobalHealthBMJ blending a critical reflection of 2 decades journey from #MedEd to #PublicHealth with Sandel’s critique of meritocracy & @drrbalu’s book on leadership; thanks for the flowers and the cacti coming my way! gh.bmj.com/content/6/8/e0066…

🌐 We have moved—digitally! We are excited to announce that IPH Bengaluru now has a new website domain: 👉iphbengaluru.res.in/ All our work, updates, and resources will now be available at this new address. Please update your bookmarks and visit us at our new domain. #IPHBengaluru #IPHUpdates

🎉 Happy New Year! As we enter the final year of the #COINCIDE study, explore our January 2026 newsletter highlighting our journey, key updates, and progress to date 👉 projectcoincide.org/newslett… @thePHFI @CHART_TSB @iphindia @SangathIndia @India_Alliance @_MAASTHI

The panel emphasised moving beyond consultation to real citizen agency, through rights, local platforms, and partnerships that make accountability work on ground. w/ Poonam Muttreja, Mira Chatterjee, @prashanthns, Amarjeet Sinha & Manoj Jhalani ▶️ Watch: bit.ly/LCClaunch

We are happy to begin 2026 with a meaningful milestone. On 6 January 2026, IPH Bengaluru inaugurated the Centre of Adivasi Health (CAH) Office at the Vivekananda Girijana Kalyana Kendra (VGKK) - Technical Resource Centre campus in Mysuru. This day also marks coming together of the newly inaugurated CAH office with Viveka Research Centre for Biodiversity, Culture & Health of VGKK to form the Tribal Research and Training Centre (TRTC). The Tribal Research and Training Centre aims to strengthen research, training, and education focused on Adivasi health, grounded in community realities and meaningful engagement. Building on VGKK’s long-standing work with Adivasi communities, and IPH Bengaluru’s engagement in Adivasi health through the Centre of Adivasi Health, this collaboration reflects a partnership shaped by shared purpose and sustained engagement. We extend our sincere gratitude to Dr H. Sudarshan and VGKK for their pioneering vision and unwavering support for the work we do.This is not just a new office. It is a shared space for learning, listening, and long-term engagement, marking a strong and meaningful start to 2026. #IPHBengaluru #CAH #VGKK #PublicHealth #IPHUpdates #IPHEvents #2026WithPurpose #LookingAhead #SustainedCommitment

#Adivasi assertion of #landrights is a response to exclusionary conservation models and institutional failures. #IndiaNews #Opinion #ForestConservation deccanherald.com/opinion/can…

I write in today's Deccan Herald on how a deep frustration is being created through an institutional failure to properly implement the Forest Rights Act.

📢 Closing the year strong! Explore our #COINCIDE December 2025 newsletter to see our journey, key highlights, and progress to date. projectcoincide.org/newslett… @thePHFI @CHART_TSB @iphindia @SangathIndia @India_Alliance @_MAASTHI

On 28 November, Dr. Kaushik S and Dr. Lathadevi Chilgod facilitated a training workshop for 70 Primary Health Care Officers (PHCOs) in Mysuru, organised by the Rural Literacy and Health Programme (an NGO working on community development, health, and education). The morning session focused on non-communicable diseases, using participatory activities to discuss risk factors, gaps, and solutions within the NP-NCD programme including their individual level challenges. The afternoon session built soft skills through a role-play exercise, highlighting communication, empathy, time management, and intersectoral coordination. The PHCOs shared challenges around workload and time constraints, and discussed strategies for improving outreach to marginalised communities. The workshop helped surface practical, context-specific solutions such as better task prioritisation and stronger team coordination. During the post workshop debrief, a few participants expressed increased confidence in applying soft skills during field interactions. #IPHBengaluru #PublicHealth #IPHEvents #CapacityBuilding #PrimaryCare

📢 Check out our #COINCIDE November 2025 newsletter to know about our progress so far. projectcoincide.org/newslett… Follow for more updates from us! @India_Alliance @StJohnsResearch @thePHFI @CHART_TSB @_MAASTHI @SangathIndia @iphindia

Great to see distinguished #PublicHealth experts @doctorsoumya ma'am, Dr. Srinath Reddy sir @thePHFI , Dr. @prashanthns @iphindia & Dr. @hegde_aparna ma'am invited for Pre-Budget consultation. Hopeful for Budget 2026 announcements in #Health sector. @AnantBhan .

Kicked off Day 1 of the #RealistResearchBlendedCourse (Face-to-Face Phase) at @iimb_official The recap session explored whether research can ever be neutral, emphasizing that every method is grounded in its own philosophical roots. It revisited the philosophical foundations of realist research, highlighting realism as a bridge between the real world and the interpreted world. The session also underscored that people remain the driving force behind any programme. Dr. Prashanth N. S. led a session on concepts and terminology that explored how programmes and policies are ideas shaped by underlying assumptions and contextual factors. It also featured an interactive illustration, where participants contributed a policy or programme idea and collectively unpacked its assumptions and contextual elements. Dr. Pragati Hebbar used a variety of examples to explain how programme theories are developed, emphasizing the ontological layers. She also discussed why it is important to construct Initial Programme Theories (IPTs) and the different levels of programme theory. Although many possible programme theories exist, she pointed out that time and resource constraints force us to select only a few to address specific parts of the larger picture. Finally, Prof. Sara Van Belle unpacked CMO (Context-Mechanism-Outcome) configurations, discussed different approaches to causalityand generative causation, introduced alternative frameworks such as CIMO (Context-Intervention-Mechanism-Outcome) and ICAMO (Intervention-Context-Actor-Mechanism-Outcome), and explained its use for data analysis in realist research. @Chaudharyadit23 @AvishekHazra23, @commed_doc @MonicaShriv @punitrd @HiralkarSakshi #IPHBengaluru #TTNSoAS #RealistResearch2025 #IPHEvents #blendedlearning

Day 2 of the #RealistResearchBlendedCourse opened with a short recap from two volunteer participants, who shared their most important takeaways from Day 1 of the in-person session. This was followed by a session led by Dr. Prashanth N.S., who walked us through the steps of conducting a realist evaluation from theory development to empirical testing and finally theory refinement and synthesis. He emphasised the importance of developing a priori theories, which can be constructed using multiple sources such as literature reviews, programme documents, stakeholder interviews, hunches informed by field interactions, and empirical data. Dr. Brynne Gilmore led a detailed session on data analysis and synthesis in realist evaluation and unpacked its methodological aspects. She introduced the teacher–learner approach, theory-driven interviewing, and the importance of asking questions in the right way. She also discussed in depth the concept of retroductive analysis to identify hidden causal factors, which draws on a combination of induction, deduction, and insights from intuitive reasoning (abduction). After the session, participants worked in groups on a few casestudy examples to analyze data, refine the program theory, and apply their learnings. They then shared their insights with all participants.Professor Bruno Marchal demonstrated, through a variety of real-world examples, how realist methods can be applied across multiple levels of health systems. Finally, Professor Arnab Mukherji discussed a case study to illustrate how patterns emerging from data can shape development of initial program theory for realist research.  @Chaudharyadit23 @AvishekHazra23, @commed_doc @MonicaShriv @punitrd @HiralkarSakshi @brynne_gilmore #IPHBengaluru #TTNSoAS #RealistResearch2025 #IPHEvents #blendedlearning

Amazing experience facilitating this 5th edition of the Realist Research course with @prashanthns engaging with enthusiastic learners from across the country.

Day 2 of the blended #AnnualPhDWorkshop2025 – “Smarter with AI, Deeper with Art” opened with an immersive arts-based session facilitated by @shrirupa Sengupta and Siddharth Chaitanya from Swasti’s Centre for Strategic Communications for Public Health.  Through icebreakers, identity-mapping exercises, and emotion-based movement activities, participants reflected on how their identities and feelings shape their research practice. After sharing personal insights, they were encouraged to express their research questions creatively—using any medium of their choice—supported by short creativity-boosting exercises. This session invited participants to tap into imagination and affect, expanding how research can be understood, felt, and communicated. This was followed by a session on applied theatre for research led by @MPutturaj from the Institute of Public Health, Bengaluru. Meena introduced participants to forms such as image theatre and playback theatre, illustrating how embodied practices can support different stages of the PhD journey. Through hands-on activities, scholars experienced how theatre can deepen inquiry, bring new perspectives to complex questions, and strengthen knowledge mobilisation. The day concluded with a session on storytelling for science communication led by Siddharth Kankaria , Independent Consultant. Participants explored how storytelling humanises science, strengthens connection with audiences, and helps counter misinformation. Through group reflections, they examined themes of lived experience, emotion, vulnerability, and cultural sensitivity—recognising storytelling as a powerful tool for building trust, enhancing comprehension, and communicating research with impact. #AnnualPhDWorkshop #TTNSoAS #IPHBengaluru #ResearchTraining #ResearchEthics #PublicHealth #IPHEvents #PublicHealthEvents

We are excited to mark the milestone of completing the online phase of our three-week Realist Research Blended Course, thanks to 18 participants from richly diverse backgrounds. Over the past few weeks, we explored the foundations of Health Policy & Systems Research for realist inquiry, delved into the philosophical underpinnings of realist research, and unpacked what realist evaluation and realist synthesis mean. Alongside self-paced learning on Moodle, we held two live Zoom sessions: one to kick things off with a “realist magic-box” activity and a syllabus walkthrough, and another where facilitators reflected and answered participants’ insightful questions. Now, with momentum on our side, we're thrilled to take the next step together into the in-person phase!! #IPHBengaluru #TTNSoAS #RealistResearch2025 #IPHEvents #blendedlearning

Building Capacity in Global Mental Health Assessment A two-day training and workshop on the Global Mental Health Assessment Tool – Primary Care (GMHAT-PC) was successfully organized by Project SAMASTH on 6th and 7th November, hosted at @NIMHANS_BLR . GMHAT-PC is a web-based tool designed to support the comprehensive screening of common mental health conditions in primary care settings. The tool can be effectively administered by trained community health professionals, offering a quick yet structured approach that complements clinical case assessments. Built on a dynamic adaptive platform, GMHAT-PC tailors question flows based on user inputs, ensuring efficient and thorough screening across a range of mental health domains. Importantly, the tool has been validated in several Indian languages, including Hindi and Kannada, enhancing its accessibility and cultural relevance. The training sessions were facilitated by: Prof. Vimal Sharma, Professor of Global Mental Health, University of Manchester Prof. Murali Krishna TN, Senior Research Fellow, Institute of Public Health, Bengaluru Dr. Soumya Krishna, Consultant and Founder, The Green Oak Initiative Prof. Catherine A. Robinson, University of Manchester Dr. Anish Cherian, Co-PI of SAMASTH, Department of Psychiatric Social Work, NIMHANS, Bengaluru. The sessions were attended by Team SAMASTH, staff Arnold Abel G, Santhosh N, Ramya M C, Geeta M, Madhukar Shetty, Rajesh M S and intern Aruna, as well as SAMASTH CRTP Fellows — Ajith J S, Sophiya K, and Nagabharana T K. Participants also included NIMHANS staff — Gayathri, Jishma Joshy, Ayona, Athira, Reshma, Mahendra. This collaborative initiative marks another step toward strengthening primary care mental health systems through evidence-based digital tools and capacity building in mental health assessment. #MentalHealth #GMHATPC #GlobalMentalHealth #NIMHANS #SAMASTH #PrimaryCare #DigitalMentalHealth #CapacityBuilding #PublicHealth #CommunityCare #Taskshifting #Evidencebasedmentalhealthtools #Digitialassessementtoinformsuicideprevention

In October 2025, the Centre for Commercial Determinants of Health (C-CDoH) jointly organised workshops in Chennai on "Introduction to CDOH" at the Cancer Institute (WIA), Adyar (@CI_WIA) and the School of Public Health, @SRM_Univ #CDoH @UpendraBhojani @India_Alliance

🎉 The Karnataka Birth Cohorts Consortium (KBCC) has finalized its official logo! Grateful to our members for their valuable feedback and to our talented interns Suraj & Vishrutha for their creative designs. Extra special that this milestone coincides with #KarnatakaRajyotsavaDay

Registrations are now extended for the third edition of our Annual PhD Workshop, now in an exciting new format exploring AI and arts-based inquiry! Who Should Attend PhD scholars, early-stage researchers, and aspiring doctoral candidates in public health, social sciences, and related disciplines. What you’ll gain: • Leverage AI for data collection, visualization & analysis • Engage ethically and reflectively with AI outputs • Explore arts-based methods to humanize research • Connect and collaborate with a supportive peer community Dates: Online Phase: 27 Oct – 14 Nov 2025 In-person Phase: 17–18 Nov 2025 (Bengaluru) Call for Posters: Present your PhD work during the in-person phase! Fee: ₹20,000 (Limited scholarships available) Apply by: 25/10/2025 Location: @SamagataFoundation, Bengaluru, Karnataka Register here: docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F… Queries: phdworkshop@iphindia.org | 91-8123865302 More details: lnkd.in/dc9tevSY #PhDWorkshop #AIinResearch #ArtsInResearch #Interdisciplinary #PublicHealthplease @India_Alliance @prashanthns @dr_hebbar @UpendraBhojani @AgavaneVaibhav

Join us for the third episode of our webinar series, ‘Conversations on CDOH’, where Dr. Varadesh Hiregange, Founding Director of the Gandhian Centre for Philosophical Arts and Sciences @MAHE_Manipal, shares his inspiring journey. With a rich background in journalism, philosophy and environmentalism, he brings a deeply humanistic perspective to reimagining society. Episode 3: “Gandhi: Rethinking Health in the Age of Commerce” This episode will explore how commercial interests shape people’s health and inequities, and reflect on Gandhian perspectives for more equitable futures. 🗓️Date: October 21, 2025 (Tuesday) 🕒Time: 3:00 PM – 4:30 PM (IST) 🔗Register Now: zoom.us/meeting/register/Hzd… (or) scan the QR code below! Moderator: Dr Upendra Bhojani, Centre for Commercial Determinants of Health, Institute of Public Health, Bengaluru The series ‘Conversations on CDOH', brings together scholars, practitioners and thinkers from India and beyond for meaningful and reflective dialogue on the Commercial Determinants of Health (CDOH). This series is supported by @India_Alliance @IICAOfficial @PartnersinChang @CCDH_GWSPH @DeptHealthRes @ICMRDELHI @baumfran @dadhichgarima1 @HIA_NCD @H_S_Global @prashanthns #CDOH #PublicHealth #Gandhi #HealthEquity