GKII Event Welcomes 140+ India-JHU Community Members

Our welcome event on October 4 was a resounding success! More than 140 Johns Hopkins University students, alumni, faculty, and staff joined us at Tamber’s Restaurant for our annual reception welcoming the incoming class of students from India and those interested in India. Thank you to the faculty, staff, and alumni who attended and spoke about your experiences, making this a meaningful night for everyone!

Global Women’s Issues Ambassador Rao Gupta and GKII's Neetisha Besra Join Women's Empowerment Meeting

U.S. Department of State, Sept. 10, 2024

At this first in-person gathering of the U.S.-India Alliance for Women’s Economic Empowerment, Alliance members discussed joint efforts to expand women’s corporate workforce participation, participation in STEM research and education, and entrepreneurship in India. U.S. Ambassador-at-Large for Global Women’s Issues Dr. Geeta Rao Gupta co-hosted a meeting between the Gupta-Klinsky India Institute at Johns Hopkins University, the Department of State, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), the U.S.-India Business Council (USIBC), and the American India Foundation.

GKII Deputy Director Neetisha Besra spoke about GKII's flagship Women in STEMM initiative. "Research, or Anusandhan, is an emerging priority for India, reflected in the establishment of the National Research Foundation, which aims to position India as a global R&D leader," she said. "It is essential that women scientists and researchers actively participate and thrive in R&D, reaching the global benchmark of 30 percent workforce participation. GKII is gearing towards launching a new initiative in this regard."

GKII Meets with Karnataka Delegation

We’re honored to have met with a delegation from the Government of Karnataka on Oct. 7, 2024, hosted by Johns Hopkins Carey Business School Dean Alexander Triantis. With Johns Hopkins leadership and faculty, we discussed higher education opportunities in India, workforce training, affordable education, and the public health training gap. The delegation also provided an overview of Karnataka’s new KHIR (Knowledge, Health, Innovation and Research) city near Bengaluru and the huge potential it provides.

Introducing Dr. Jitendra Chavan: Senior Consultant, TB-Free Schools Initiative

We are pleased to share that Dr. Jitendra Chavan has joined as a Senior Consultant for the TB-Free Schools Initiative, led by GKII. With over 14 years of public health experience, Dr. Jitendra is a national-level external assessor for Effective Vaccine Management and a NABH-certified assessor. He has developed training modules for healthcare professionals and received recognition from the Indian Medical Association for his contributions during the COVID-19 pandemic.

GKII ONEHOP MENTORING

Curiosity Conversations - How to Make Meaningful & Authentic Connections

"Mentoring" and "networking" can feel intimidating when we're not sure what to say or how to start a conversation, so GKII and the Life Design Lab are providing a "cheat sheet" to meaningful connections based on curious conversation starters! Join the OneHop group and respond with your authentic introduction!

EVENTS

Designing Your Career: International Student Edition (Undergraduate Track)

The Life Design Lab has created a hybrid, non-credit course for international undergraduate students, led by Life Design Educators. The course will create a supportive community, sharpen networking skills, connect with students with alumni, enhance job searches, explore alternative career paths, and navigate U.S. job culture.

Course Schedule:

• Get Curious: Tuesday, Oct 22, 6-7:15 PM EST (Imagine Center, Free Dive/hybrid)
• Imagine Possible Lives: Tuesday Oct 29, 6-7:15 PM EST (Imagine Center, Free Dive/hybrid)
• Experience More: Thursday Oct 31, 6-7:15 PM EST (Imagine Center, Free Dive/hybrid) and Thursday Nov 7, 6-7:15 PM EST (Imagine Center, Free Dive/hybrid)
• Craft Your Story: Career Clinics (exclusive to course participants): Friday, Oct 25 (Online) Monday, Nov 18 (Online)

OneHop Second Saturdays with JHU

When: Nov. 9, 2024

Johns Hopkins Students who have registered their free OneHop account can join Second Saturdays for a host of perks designed for career success and interviewing: Assistance updating OneHop Mentoring account profile, meetings with mentors and/or industry partners to get helpful insight and feedback, free professional headshots, info sessions, and lots of freebies!

WHAT'S NEW IN RESEARCH

Lancet Series Launch: The Current and Future Outlook for Primary Health Care in South Asia On Demand

A new series published in The Lancet Global Health and The Lancet Regional Health Southeast Asia presents recommendations for improving primary health care in five South Asian countries: Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. At a Lancet launch event in October, study authors discussed their recommendations and explored what they learned through the analysis of primary health program implementation in those countries. The series is edited by Krishna Rao, PhD ‘04, MSc, associate professor in the Department of International Health at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

Partnering for Progress: Lessons Learned from Mental Health Assessment for Youth Living with HIV in India through Community-Based Participatory Research

Sannigrahi S, Seenappa B, Lakshmikanth P, Reddy S, Filian K, Raj MB, Ganapathi L, Shet A. Journal of Participatory Research Methods, Oct. 9, 2024

Two Girish and Himangi Rishi Student Travel Awards students, Siddhaparna Sannigrahi and Babu Seenappa, under the guidance of professor Anita Shet, have published this article from their travel and research. They found that given the scarcity of widely publicized models for health-related youth community-based participatory research (CBPR) in India, especially with vulnerable populations like youth living with HIV (YLHIV), this project operationalized CBPR principles within YLHIV mental health assessments, offering insights into YLHIV mental health and a potential template for other research studies on complex issues regarding youth.

Leveraging a Global Partnership to Address COVID-19-Related Mental Health Challenges

Pandian V, Sathiyaseelan M, Chang Chiu A, Ravindran V, Kverno K, Durai S, Wilson P, Sony A, Rodney T, Rediger K, Nirmal I, Seetharaman B, Regier NG, Charles HS, Docal M, Farley J, Sadan V, Reynolds NR. Journal of Psychiatric and Mental Health Nursing. Oct. 3, 2024

This perspective paper examines a collaboration between two schools of nursing in the United States and India to address these mental health challenges. According to the research, more than 11,000 nurses from 60 countries engaged, fostering a global platform for sharing evidence-based knowledge, experiences and strategies.

Persistently High HIV Incidence among Men who have Sex with Men and People who Inject Drugs Attending Integrated Care Centres in India: A Longitudinal Assessment of Clinic-based Data

McFall AM, Gunaratne MP, Ganapathi L, Srikrishnan AK, Vasudevan CK, Anand S, Celentano DD, Solomon SS, Mehta SH, Lucas GM. Journal of International AIDS Society. Sept. 27, 2024

While there was substantial geographic variability, men who have sex with men and people who inject drugs engaged in a free community-based clinic experienced persistently high HIV incidence (>2/100 PY). Key populations in low- and middle-income countries should be a focus when considering novel strategies such as long-acting pre-exposure prophylaxis to curtail incidence.

Application of Center for Disease Control and Prevention Standardized Antimicrobial Administration Ratio to an Indian Hospital

Sarma S, Borde K, Robinson M, Rawat N, Khurana P, Singh V, Singh P, Mehta Y. Antimicrobial Stewardship Healthcare and Epidemiology. Sept 25, 2024

Standardized antimicrobial administration ratio (SAAR) in our setting is 1.49, which is slightly higher than the National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN) benchmark. Antibiotic usage (AU) risk adjustment based on data from the NHSN might not be adequate for calculating SAAR for Indian hospitals.

Adapting Child Development Assessment Tools to the Rural Indian Context.

Chandrashekhar R, Dhaliwal BK, Rattani A, Seth R, Guruprasad S, Khanna H, Shet A. Children (Basel). Sept. 12, 2024

This process involved translating tests into the local language, back-translating them for accuracy, adapting them to the rural context via several iterations, and field-testing to refine and validate adaptation quality. This adaptation process may be beneficial for other researchers involved in adapting child development assessment tests to other settings.

Expanding Single-venue Services to Better Engage Young People who Inject Drugs: Insights from India

Ganapathi L, Srikrishnan AK, McFall AM, Gunaratne MP, Kumar MS, Lucas GM, Mehta SH, Solomon SS. Harm Reduction Journal, Sept. 14, 2024

Findings suggest that while Integrated Care Centers (ICCs) have expanded service availability, particularly in cities with emerging injection drug use epidemics, population-level reach to foster initial engagement among young people who inject drugs (PWID) can be optimized. Additionally, young PWID who do engage with ICCs experience gaps in substance use treatment receipt and retention, and experience barriers to receipt of ICC services that are distinct from those experienced by older PWID.

Analysis of Cholera Risk in India: Insights from 2017-18 Serosurvey Data Integrated with Epidemiologic Data and Societal Determinants from 2015-2019

Kanungo S, Nandy RK, Talukdar R, Murhekar M, Azman AS, Hegde ST, Chatterjee P, Chakraborty D, Das M, Kamaraj P, Kumar MS; Dengue Serosurvey Group; Dutta S. Neglected Tropical Diseases. Sept. 3, 2024

The present study showed that cholera infection is present in all five regions across India. The states with high cholera vulnerability could be prioritized for targeted prevention interventions. Using the composite vulnerability index, the authors found Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, and West Bengal were the most vulnerable states in India in terms of risk of cholera.

JOHNS HOPKINS OPPORTUNITIES

Volunteer: Join The BESAFE Team

Deadline: Oct. 18, 2024

The BESAFE Team is looking for volunteers for the 2024 Symposium on Public Health Strategies for Combating Substandard and Falsified Drugs on November 12th and 13th, 2024, at the Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg Center in Washington, DC. Hosted by the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, this event will bring together global leaders to tackle the critical issue of substandard and falsified medicines. Volunteers will play a vital role in supporting event logistics, gaining firsthand experience in managing an international symposium. This is a unique opportunity to contribute to a meaningful cause while networking with leaders in the public health, regulatory and pharmaceutical sectors.

Information for MSPH Practicum Preceptors

The Department of International Health is offering a Master of Science in Public Health that is intended for students who wish to pursue a professional career in the field of public health. The MSPH degree provides foundational public health skills while allowing students to develop specialized skills in one four program areas and are completed in 1.5 to 2 years. Individuals and organizations are encouraged to join their network of practice partners and agencies hosting a student for a master's level practicum.

JOHNS HOPKINS FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES

Rishi Children's Fund Orphans and Vulnerable Children Travel Grant for JHU Graduate Students

Deadline: Nov. 7, 2024

The mission of the Rishi Children’s Fund at Johns Hopkins University is to advance research on how investments in children and youth from disadvantaged backgrounds can unlock their potential, leading to improved health outcomes and positive societal change. This travel grant provides funds for JHU graduate students to support travel to affiliated research sites for an 8-16 week global health research or practice experience related to this topic.

JHU Medical Student Global Health Travel Award

Deadline: Nov. 21, 2024

Medical student travel grants are available to Johns Hopkins medical students to facilitate clinical elective rotations, or research/project participation in low- and middle-income countries. We encourage applications from medical students with interests in global health. Elective rotations may be clinical, observation focused, or research-based in nature.

GKII Sunil Kumar and Sumati Murli Fellowship

Deadline: Dec. 16, 2024

The GKII Sunil Kumar and Sumati Murli Fellowship, supported by the Sunil Kumar and Sumati Murli Student Training and Mentorship Endowed Fund, is a merit-based award offered annually by the Gupta-Klinsky India Institute. Two $8,000 grants will be awarded to JHU PhD students from any JHU school or division. Funding supports India-related research projects and travel expenses to India.

Center for Global Women’s Health and Gender Equity Student Experience Award

Deadline: Dec. 20, 2024

The Center for Global Women’s Health and Gender Equity (CGWHGE) Student Experience Award is providing support up to $500-$1000 to current part-time and full-time JHU degree students across all divisions and schools for events or projects related to global women’s health and gender equity.

EXTERNAL OPPORTUNITIES

LlamA 3.1 Impact Grants

Deadline: Oct. 15, 2024

The LlamA Impact Grants program invites proposals focused on advancing research, innovation, and responsible AI development. It supports projects that leverage LlamA models to solve complex societal challenges, emphasizing inclusivity and ethical use of AI technologies.

2025 India Leadership Journey

Deadline: Oct. 25, 2024

WomenLift Health is seeking applicants for its 12-month, fully funded leadership development program, designed to provide mid-career women leaders in health with a safe space to explore leadership through vulnerability and reflection and an inclusive and diverse network of peers, mentors, and coaches.

Health Systems Strengthening (HSS) Activity Grant

Deadline: Oct. 29, 2024

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID/India) is seeking concept papers for a Fixed Amount Cooperative Agreement from qualified entities to implement the “Health Systems Strengthening (HSS) Activity.” Eligibility is open to all U.S., local, and international non-governmental organizations. USAID intends to make an award to the applicant(s) who best meets the objectives of this funding opportunity based on the merit review criteria described in this NOFO, subject to a risk assessment.

Artificial Intelligence Powered Approaches for T1D Cell Therapy Proposal

Deadline: Nov. 5, 2024

This funding opportunity by Breakthrough T1D is designed to accelerate research and development of next generation beta cell replacement therapies for type 1 diabetes (T1D) by leveraging advancements in artificial intelligence and machine learning. This initiative will award grants to academic investigators and industry partners of up to $750,000 over three years.

AIIS Fellowship Competition

Deadline: Nov. 15, 2024

Applications are now open for the American Institute of Indian Studies 2024 fellowship competition. Junior Fellowships are available for PhD candidates to support doctoral research in India for up to eleven months, and Senior Fellowships are available to support those who currently hold a PhD degree to conduct research in India for up to nine months. AIIS welcomes applicants from a wide variety of disciplines and especially encourages applicants in the fields of Development Studies, Natural Resources Management, Public Health, and Regional Planning.

Action for Women’s Health Open Call

Registration Deadline: Dec. 3, 2024

Application Deadline: Jan. 10, 2024

Action for Women’s Health is a $250 million global open call launched by Pivotal, a Melinda French Gates organization, that will fund organizations around the world that are improving women’s mental and physical health. Each awardee will receive flexible funding between $1 million and $5 million USD. Applications should center equity in their approach and be poised to scale their work to strengthen the health of more women.

JOHNS HOPKINS NEWS

Johns Hopkins No. 16 in 'Times Higher Education' World University Rankings

The Hub, Oct. 11, 2024

Johns Hopkins University is ranked No. 16 in the world in the Times Higher Education World University Rankings for 2025. The rankings compare 2,092 institutions from 115 countries and territories, evaluating them based on 18 key performance indicators designed to assess teaching, research quality, and research influence, among other factors.

Johns Hopkins rises to No. 6 in 'U.S. News' best colleges rankings

The Hub, Sept. 24, 2024

Johns Hopkins University rose to No. 6 among national universities—its highest-ever position in the U.S. News & World Report rankings of the nation's best colleges for undergraduates.

NEWS OF NOTE

Nearly 50% of researchers quit science within a decade, huge study reveals

Nature, Oct. 3, 2024

According to this study in Nature, women were around 12% more likely than men to have left science after five or ten years. By 2019, only 29% of women in the group were still publishing, compared with nearly 34% of men. In some scientific disciplines there were even starker differences-- in biology, the likelihood of women leaving science after ten years was 58%; for men, it was nearly 49%.

Why a megacity in India is reviving the humble water well

The World, Oct. 3, 2024

In the Indian tech hub of Bengaluru, water has become a precious commodity. Now, the Million Wells for Bengaluru projects is leveraging an age-old, well-digging technique to help residents tap into a forgotten source.

Our new doctors have no clue about leprosy’: experts sceptical of India’s target to eliminate the disease by 2027

The Guardian, Sept. 30, 2024

There are more than 200,000 new leprosy cases reported each year, with 60% of them just in India. In January 2023, the Indian government launched the Leprosy Mukt Bharat campaign, promising to make the country free of leprosy by 2027 – three years earlier than the World Health Organization’s target. After huge gains by 2005, efforts to wipe the disease out in India, which has most of the world’s cases, stalled. But the new campaign is seen as a political move without resources.

Motwani Jadeja US-India Dialogue Series | The United States and India: Milestones Reached and the Pathway Ahead

Hudson Institute, Sept. 16, 2024

For nearly 25 years, the United States and India have achieved historic progress in deepening bilateral ties across domains. But important work that could shape global prosperity and security in remains ahead. The Hudson Institute’s Dr. Aparna Pande and Deputy Secretary of State Richard R. Verma, the former US ambassador to India recently held a conversation on the progress the US and India have made.

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