Webinars & Video Releases

A pioneer in global health, Dr. Barry R. Bloom, Jack and Joan Jacobson Research Professor of Public Health, Dean Emeritus, Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, joined the Harvard Chan  India Research Center and Project SANCHAR, for a conversation on “Vaccines, Treatment and Managing the Pandemic”. With a wealth of experience and contributions to the fields of immunology, vaccines and global health policy, Dr. Bloom provided valuable insights into infectious disease perspective of the novel coronavirus. The discussion was moderated by Ms. Divya Rajagopal, Senior Assistant Editor, The Economic Times.

Dr. Bloom provided valuable insights into the status of the vaccine development around the world, major priorities and challenges. He stressed on the advantage of developing multiple vaccines against COVID-19 that are manufactured globally and reiterated that resources will be a major driver to determine the winning vaccine candidate. Some key points highlighted through his discussion were that the coronavirus pandemic will continue to prevail in times to come and that the scientific community yet does not completely understand the virus. Dr. Bloom called for global cooperation among the scientific community and governments to fight the deadly virus.

In collaboration with the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights, Government of India, the Harvard Chan India Research Center co-hosted a webinar on the “Health and Well-Being of children during the Corona outbreak” with eminent speakers, Dr. Karestan Koenen, Professor of Psychiatric Epidemiology, Department(s) of Epidemiology and Social and Behavioural Sciences and Dr. Archana Basu, Clinical psychologist, Massachusetts General Hospital and Research Associate from the Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health; joined by Dr. Shekhar Seshadri Senior Professor, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Associate Dean of Behavioural Sciences at the NIMHANS (National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro-Sciences). The webinar was hosted by Dr. Ananya Awasthi, Assistant Director, Harvard Chan India Research Center.

The faculty suggested some key strategies to ensure children’s well-being and health during the lockdown. These strategies included designating media free zones in the household for children; encouraging zero screen-time for children below the age of two years; and adapting to the unique temperament and personality of each child. Dr. Koenen emphasised on the need for providing realistic assurances to children and parents to focus on things they can control, given the norms of physical distancing. She added that policy solutions to address children’s wellbeing must account for their mental wellbeing contextualized in terms of the individual’s economic status Dr. Basu focused on the importance of managing family communications, developing age appropriate strategies for talking to children about the Coronavirus and shared tips for promoting mindfulness and wellbeing of parents during the pandemic. In the Indian context, Dr. Sheshadri drew our attention to the impact of the current crisis on vulnerable populations and their children, including migrant workers, children with developmental disorders and children who have faced abuse and trauma. Sharing India-based COVID-19 resources for supporting the mental wellbeing of parents and children, Dr. Seshadri also guided parents to maintain a healthy routine for children, allocate time for relaxation activities, and encourage peer support in times of the pandemic.

The Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health – India Research Center and Project SANCHAR, in collaboration with the Centre for Social and Behaviour Change (CSBC), Ashoka University, hosted a webinar on “Behaviour Change Post Lockdown: Staying Ahead of the Curve in a COVID-19 World”. In the absence of a vaccine and treatment to manage the pandemic, the webinar aimed to explore the role of public health communication and messaging strategies in translating measures such as social-distancing, hand and respiratory hygiene, and self-quarantine into widely acceptable norms post the lockdown. Dr. K. Viswanath, Lee Kum Kee Professor of Health Communication, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, was the keynote speaker and he was joined on the panel by Ms. Elizabeth Serlemitsos, Director, Breakthrough ACTION, Johns Hopkins Center for Communication Programs, Dr. Pavan Mamidi, Director, CSBC- Ashoka University, and Dr. Sanna Balsari-Palsule, Behavioral Scientist, Dalberg Asia.

Facebook Live Q&A with K. “Vish” Viswanath, Professor of Health Communication in the Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
Presented jointly by The Forum at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and The World from PRX & WGBH
Tuesday, May 26, 2020

A flood of evolving information, as well as potentially damaging misinformation, has accompanied the coronavirus pandemic. Amplified by social media, misinformation in particular can undermine critical public health efforts, fuel conspiracy theories and add confusion to the global conversation about how to curb the pandemic. In this Facebook Live Q&A,  K. “Vish” Viswanath, Professor of Health Communication in the Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, explored the pitfalls of COVID-19 misinformation as well as approaches to surfacing transparent and trustworthy information about the pandemic.

Part of: Coronavirus Pandemic Series.

Presented jointly by The Forum at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and The World from PRX & WGBH

The Coronavirus Pandemic

The webinar hosted Dr. Winnie Yip, Professor of the Practice of International Health Policy and Economics, Department of Global Health and Population, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, and Mr. Alok Kumar, IAS, Advisor (Health and Nutrition), at the National Institution for Transforming India, also known as NITI Aayog, premier policy ‘Think Tank’ of the Government of India. The webinar discussed the lessons learnt from how various global health systems have responded to the pandemic. Dr. Yip emphasised on the need for greater investment in health care delivered by the private sector in India while Mr. Kumar casted a spotlight on India’s policy response to the COVID-19 outbreak.

Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health – India Research Center, in collaboration with Project SANCHAR and Piramal Foundation, co-hosted a webinar titled ‘Partnerships to advance Public Health and the Economy in the COVID-19 era’. The webinar began with an opening address by Dean Michelle Williams, Dean of the Faculty, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, on the importance of leadership and building critical partnerships to manage the Corona pandemic. Joining on the panel were Mr. Amitabh Kant, CEO, NITI Aayog, premier policy ‘Think Tank’ for the Government of India, Dr. Swati Piramal, Vice Chairperson, Piramal Group, Prof. Howard Koh, Harvey V. Fineberg Professor of the Practice of Public Health Leadership, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, and Dr. Naveen Rao, Senior Vice President, Health Initiative, The Rockefeller Foundation.The webinar was moderated by Ms. Shereen Bhan, Managing Editor, CNBC-TV18 Media Group. Dr. K. Viswanath, Lee Kum Kee Professor of Health Communication, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, concluded the webinar by providing closing remarks and thanking the panelists for their time and inputs.

Webinar on Mental Health and COVID-19: Coping Strategies for Young People conducted under the COVID-19 Outbreak: On the Frontlines Series co-hosted by Harvard Chan India Research Center and Project SANCHAR.

This webinar was co-hosted with the U.S. Consulate General, Mumbai, India.

The panelists for this webinar included: Dr. Shekhar Saxena, Professor of the Practice of Global Mental Health, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Dr. Elizabeth Levey, Instructor in Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Ms. Padmini Somani, Founder Director, Salaam Bombay Foundation and Dr. Nimesh G. Desai, Director, Institute of Human Behaviour and Allied Sciences. The webinar was moderated by Ms. Divya Rajagopal, Senior Assistant Editor, The Economic Times.

Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health – India Research Center, in collaboration with Ambuja Cement Foundation (ACF), hosted a policy webinar to share the results of the baseline study conducted in Bhatinda, Punjab, India, led by Dr. Lindsay Jaacks, Adjunct Assistant Professor of Global Health, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, in collaboration with Ambuja Cement Foundation. The study focused on identifying populations in rural areas of India that are at high risk for developing diabetes and hypertension, with a focus on associated risk factors like diet, physical activity and use of tobacco and alcohol.

The keynote address was delivered by Dr. Vipul Aggarwal, Deputy CEO, National Health Authority, who spoke about the policy Implications of the study on India’s National Health Protection Scheme- Ayushman Bharat. Other speakers include Ms. Pearl Tiwari, CEO, ACF; Dr. Anil Goyal, Senior Medical Officer, CHC Goniana, Bhatinda, Punjab; Dr. Vinayak Sonawane, Vertical Head for Health Programs, ACF; and Dr. Ananya Awasthi, Assistant Director, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health – India Research Center.

Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health – India Research Center, in collaboration with Project SANCHAR and Google Research India, hosted a webinar on “Use of Artificial Intelligence for Public Health & Social Good”. The webinar was led by Dr. Milind Tambe, Gordon McKay Professor of Computer Science & Director Center for Research in Computation and Society (CRCS), Harvard University; and Director “AI for Social Good”, Google Research India.

The webinar hosted eminent researchers and leaders: Ms. Anna Roy, Advisor, NITI Aayog who led the development of the National Strategy for Artificial Intelligence; Dr. Rahul Panicker, Chief Innovation Officer, Wadhwani Institute of Artificial Intelligence; Dr. Aparna Hegde, Founder, ARMMAN; and Dr. Ben Zevenbergen, Research Scientist, Google. The webinar was moderated by Ms. Divya Rajagopal, Senior Assistant Editor, The Economic Times. The webinar highlighted the application of artificial intelligence based interventions while dealing with public health and social issues – including the ethical and policy considerations and learnings from the field during implementation.

Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health – India Research Center, in collaboration with Project SANCHAR, hosted a webinar on the “Response of the Non-Profit Sector to the COVID-19 Pandemic”. This webinar aimed to gain an insight into key learnings and successful strategies adopted by four renowned non-profit organizations as a response to COVID-19 in India.

The webinar hosted program leads for health: Mr. Aditya Natraj, Director, Piramal School of Leadership; Mr. HSD Srinivas, Head – Health, Tata Trusts; Ms. Priti Kibe, Senior Manager – CSR, Forbes Marshall; and Mr. Gaurav Arora, Vice-President – Projects (Skills & Sports), Salaam Bombay Foundation. The webinar was moderated by Ms. Divya Rajagopal, Senior Assistant Editor, The Economic Times.

‘कोरोना काल में संक्रामक रोगों का प्रबंधन’विषय पर हार्वर्ड टी.एच.चैन स्कूल ऑफ पब्लिक हेल्थ के इंडिया रिसर्च सेंटर और प्रोजेक्ट ‘संचार’ की ओर से ये वेबिनारआयोजित किया गया। विशेषज्ञ वक्ता रहे आईसीएमआर (ICMR)- रीजनल मेडिकल रिसर्च सेंटर (RMRC), गोरखपुर के निदेशक डॉ. रजनी कांत श्रीवास्तव, ICMR की नई दिल्ली स्थित नेशनल इंस्टीट्यूट ऑफ पैथोलॉजी (NIP) की निदेशक रही डॉ. पूनम सलोत्रा और अखिल भारतीय आयुर्विज्ञान संस्थान (AIIMS), पटना में एसोसिएट प्रोफेसर और बर्न एंड प्लास्टिक सर्जरी विभाग की प्रमुख डॉ. वीणा सिंह।

इन विशेषज्ञों ने इस बात पर जोर दिया कि कोरोना से निपटने के साथ ही हमें दूसरी संक्रामक बीमारियों के खतरे पर भी पर्याप्त ध्यान देना होगा। इन्होंने बताया कि कोरोना के दौर में वेक्टर जनित बीमारियों के प्रसार को किस तरह सीमित किया जा सकता है। कार्यक्रम का संचालन वरिष्ठ पत्रकार मुकेश केजरीवाल ने किया।

COVID-19 is a watershed moment in the evolution of Indian healthcare and, across industries, companies should act now to protect their employees and customers—and prepare for the world beyond the pandemic.

Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health – India Research Center, Project SANCHAR and Bombay Chamber of Commerce and Industry co-hosted a webinar on “COVID-19 and Public Health: Reimagining the Role of Public and Private Sector Partnerships” on January 28, 2021.

Through this webinar, we aimed to understand and reimagine the role of public and private sector partnerships in responding to the pandemic. On the panel were leaders and experts from the corporate, medical, academic, and public sectors who drew from their learnings and experiences in responding to the pandemic.

Joining the panel were Dr. Swati Piramal, Vice Chairperson, Piramal Group; Mr. Suresh Kakani, Additional Municipal Commissioner (Western Suburbs), Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC); Dr. K. Viswanath, Lee Kum Kee Professor of Health Communication, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health; Dr. Abhay Bang, Founder Director, Society for Education, Action and Research in Community Health (SEARCH); and Dr. Shashank Joshi, Endocrinologist and Member, COVID-19 Task Force, Maharashtra

The discussion was moderated by Mr. Ranjit Shahani, Member – Advisory Council, Harvard Chan India Research Center, Past President of Bombay Chamber of Commerce & Industry and Former Managing Director and Vice Chairman at Novartis India Ltd.

Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health – India Research Center and Project SANCHAR organised a webinar on ‘Building Public Confidence in Vaccination’ (“कैसे बढ़ाएं टीकाकरण पर भरोसा?) on February 10, 2021.

The panelists for the webinar included: Dr. Renu Swarup, Secretary, Department of Biotechnology, Govt. of India, Dr. Vinod Kumar Paul, Member – NITI Aayog, Dr. N.K. Arora, Executive Director, INCLEN Trust international, and Prof. K. Viswanath, Lee Kum Kee Professor of Health Communication, Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health. The webinar was moderated by Mr. Mukesh Kejariwal, Head – National Integrated Bureau, Rajasthan Patrika.

Vaccines save millions of lives each year. Vaccines work by training and preparing the body’s natural defences – the immune system – to recognize and fight off the viruses and bacteria they target. Apart from reducing the tragic loss of life and helping to get the COVID-19 pandemic under control, global equitable access to a vaccine, particularly protecting health care workers and those most-at-risk is the only way to mitigate the public health and economic impact of the pandemic. Listen in to this webinar co-hosted by The Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health – India Research Center and Project SANCHAR to hear from global experts on challenges and opportunities that are arising from the ongoing global COVID-19 vaccine drive.

Panelists:
Dr. Barry Bloom, Joan L. and Julius H. Jacobson Research Professor of Public Health and Former Dean, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
Dr. Swati Piramal, Vice Chairperson, Piramal Group, and
Mr. Luigi D’Aquino, Chief of Health, UNICEF India Moderator: Dr. K. Vish Viswanath, Lee Kum Kee Professor of Health Communication, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health

Uttar Pradesh (UP) is one of the largest and most populous states in India which has 77% of its population living in rural areas. Preparing the largest state health system for COVID vaccines, with more than 200 million people residing in UP, is a daunting task. With respect to the COVID-19 vaccination drive, within India, while UP continues to lead the country with several million vaccine doses administered, however the state still requires targeted focus due to its large population base.

This webinar hosted subject and policy experts to gain an insight into the progress and challenges of the COVID-19 vaccination drive in UP.

Dr. Manoj Kumar Shukul, General Manager – Routine Immunizaion, National Health Mission, Government of Uttar Pradesh

Dr. Ajay GhaiState Immunization Officer, Government of Uttar Pradesh

Dr. Amita JainProfessor & HoD, Microbiology, King George’s Medical University, Uttar Pradesh

Dr. Zeeba Zaka – Ur – RabProfessor, Department of Pediatrics, Aligarh Muslim University, Uttar Pradesh

Media has played a critical role in shaping the public perception on the COVID-19 vaccine roll-out. Project SANCHAR, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health – India Research Center & Factly co-hosted a webinar in Telugu and English with policy & health experts to discuss strategies to increase the vaccine uptake and support journalists in undertaking fact-checking to battle vaccine related hesitancy. The webinar was hosted in collaboration with the US Consulate General of Hyderabad. Mr. Joel Reifman, US Consul General of Hyderabad, delivered the opening remarks for the webinar,

The panelists for the webinar were Dr. Sangita Reddy, Joint Managing Director, Apollo Hospitals Group, Dr. K. Viswanath, Lee Kum Kee Professor of Health Communication, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Dr. Mangayakarasi V., Microbiologist, AIIMS Mangalagiri and Dr. Sai Praveen Haranath, Consultant Intensivist and Pulmonologist, Apollo Hospitals, Hyderabad. Ms. Manju Latha Kalanidhi, Senior Assistant Editor, The New Indian Express Hyderabad moderated the webinar.

This webinar on ‘Mitigating COVID-19: Role of the Private Sector’, explored how the private sector has been augmenting the response to COVID-19 and meeting the community’s requirement for resources. The webinar was co-hosted by Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health – India Research Center, Harvard Business School India Research Center and Project SANCHAR. Webinar Panelists included:

1. Prof. Rohit Deshpande, Sebastian S. Kresge Professor of Marketing, Harvard Business School
2. Prof. Joseph G. Allen, Associate Professor of Exposure Assessment, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
3. Dr. Rohini Shridhar, Chief Operating Officer, Madurai Division of Apollo Group of Hospitals
4. Mr. Ruzbeh Irani, President – Group Human Resources & Communications; Member of the Group Executive Board, M&M Ltd at Mahindra Group

The webinar was moderated by Ms. Divya Rajagopal, Senior Assistant Editor, Economic Times.

As India experienced substantive health and socioeconomic consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic, the webinar focused on emerging COVID-19 variants, how vaccines can adapt to these new variants, and how India can mitigate a potential third wave. Through the webinar organized by Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health – India Research Center, Project SANCHAR, and The Lakshmi Mittal and Family South Asia Institute, Dr. William Hanage, Associate Professor of Epidemiology at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, and Dr. Chandrakant Lahariya, Physician-Epidemiologist and Public Policy and Health Systems Expert, discussed the steps India can take to return to normal.

The discussion was moderated by Ms. Divya Rajagopal, Former Senior Assistant Editor, Economic Times.

This webinar on “Pandemic to Endemic: What does it mean for Public Health Practice and Policy?” explored the impact of the Omicron variant in India and across the world, how to prepare for life with the pandemic in the near future, and what the implications are for public health practitioners and policymakers. The webinar was organized by Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health – India Research Center and Project SANCHAR.

Webinar panelists included:

1. Dr. William Hanage, Associate Professor of Epidemiology, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
2. Dr. Gagandeep Kang, Professor of Microbiology, Christian Medical College, Vellore
3. Dr. CS Pramesh, Director, Tata Memorial Hospital

The discussion was moderated by Ms. Divya Rajagopal, Senior Health Journalist.

Our first episode features Prof. K. Vish Viswanath, Lee Kum Kee Prof. of Health Communication, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health wherein he talks to Mr. Mukesh Kejriwal on what stakeholders such as scientists, journalists, healthcare workers and corporate companies can do to combat misinformation around COVID-19 vaccines. The video is subtitled in Hindi.

Our second episode features Dr NK Arora, Executive Director, INCLEN Trust International and Chair, COVID-19 Subcommittee of National Technical Advisory Group for Immunization (NTAGI) Government of India. He discusses the development and regulatory process of COVID-19 vaccines in India, herd immunity, side-effects of COVID-19 vaccines, and how we are learning from India’s experience with vaccination programs. This video is in Hindi.

Our third episode features Dr. Shahid Jameel, Director, Triveni School of Biosciences, Ashoka University and renowned virologist. He discusses the virology of COVID-19 and the COVID-19 vaccines. This video is in Hindi.