Data sharing will help India address public health challenges

Michelle Williams and Vish Viswanath
Dean Williams at the Harvard Chan School India Research Center in Mumbai, with its Director K. “Vish” Viswanath, Lee Kum Kee Professor of Health Communication

Strengthening the collection of population health data in India, if done securely and transparently, will help address public health challenges in the country such as maternal health, antibiotic resistance, and non-communicable diseases, according to Dean Michelle Williams of Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. She recently spoke to The Times of India about the work of the School’s new research center in Mumbai, which includes among its goals data collection and analysis.

Ashish Jha and Ananya Awasthi
Ashish Jha, senior associate dean, research translation and global strategy,
and director, Harvard Global Health Institute, with Ananya Awasthi, assistant director,
India Research Center

Part of the center’s task, she said, would be to further understanding about public health. “People only think of public health when there is a Zika or a chikungunya outbreak. So we have to explain the benefits of investing in prevention.”

Some of the other areas where the center is working with Indian partners include capacity building in mental health, the impact of climate change on health, and trauma and resilience.

Read Times of India article: ‘Data-sharing is vital to address public health issues’

Photos: Gaurav Karia