National Seminar on “Collaborations in Public Health Research: The Post Pandemic Priorities”

The KIIT School of Public Health (KSPH), KIIT deemed to be University, hosted a national seminar titled “Collaborations in Public Health Research: The Post Pandemic Priorities” on January 13th, 2024. The objective of the seminar was to convene experts, researchers, practitioners, and policymakers in the field of public health to deliberate on the challenges and opportunities for collaboration in the post-pandemic era. The seminar was formally inaugurated by the Hon’ble Vice Chancellor, Prof Saranjit Singh in the presence of esteemed guest of honor Dr. Bijaya Kumar Mohapatra, Director of Health Services (DHS), Department of Health and Family Welfare, Government of Odisha and senior dignitaries as Prof. Gopal Chandra Kundu, Director of Research and Development, KIIT-DU; and Prof. Bhuputra Panda, Director, KSPH. Keynote speaker, Prof. So Yoon Kim, President (Elect.) of APACPH and a Professor at Yonsei University College of Medicine in Seoul, South Korea, participated virtually.

Over 150 participants from KSPH, KINS, KIMS, AIIMS-Bhubaneswar, Regional Medical Research Center(RMRC-ICMR)-Bhubaneswar and PHFI-IIPHB attended the seminar. Distinguished speakers from various institutions, including RMRC-Bhubaneswar, NIT-Rourkela, Indian Institute of Public Health (IPHB-PHFI) Bhubaneswar, Centurion University of Technology and Management (CUTM)-Bhubaneswar, and KIIT-School of Law, KIIT-DU, contributed to the seminar.

Prof. Bhuputra Panda, Director, KSPH offered the welcome address and introduced the seminar’s theme and objectives, extending a warm welcome to the participants and distinguished speakers. He emphasized upon the need for international collaboration in public health / healthcare research for awakening of collective consciousness.

Prof. G.C. Kundu, Director of Research and Development, KIIT DU, discussed the research requirements for pandemic preparedness and response, highlighting the evolving research landscape and proposing priority areas for future studies. He also underscored emerging domains such as AI and digital health, emphasizing the necessity of joining hands in these cross-cutting areas.

Dr. B.K. Mohapatra, DHS, Dept. of H & FW, Odisha, emphasized upon the significance of global and local collaborations in pandemic containment. He drew attention to the lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic and stressed about the need to strengthen health systems and surveillance mechanisms. Furthermore, he highlighted the role of media houses, international organizations, and networks in facilitating the exchange of information, resources, and best practices among countries.

Prof. Kim, President of APACPH, delivered her keynote speech virtually, discussing how the pandemic has influenced the global public health research landscape; and offered insights into future perspectives for global collaborations. She also provided an overview of ongoing research efforts in South Korea related to pandemic response. She briefed about the need of APACPH to expand activities in the Indian region, which was reciprocated by the Director, KSPH.

Prof. Saranjit Singh, Hon’ble Vice Chancellor of KIIT – DU being the presiding officer of the Seminar in his speech welcomed all the participants and expressed his gratitude for their interest and involvement in public health research. He emphasized upon the significance of community awareness and engagement in preventing and controlling pandemics, providing examples of KIIT University’s use of social media platforms such as podcasts to disseminate health messages and educate the public on various health issues. Vote of thanks was offered to all dignitaries by Prof. Bhuputra Panda, Director of KSPH.

During the technical sessions, all distinguished speakers delivered presentations on various topics including the role of public health in shaping the global response to future pandemics, best practices and success stories during COVID-19, opportunities and challenges for international cooperation in public health research, emerging challenges in pandemic response, future research priorities in public health, evolving telemedicine regulations in the post-pandemic era, and medico-legal and ethical implications of healthcare research/services. Prof So Yoon Kim (Seoul), Prof Jalandhar Pradhan (NIT Rourkela), Prof Ambarish Dutta (PHFI-IIPHB), Dr Ira Praharaj (ICMR-RMRC), Prof Soumya Jal (Centurion University of Technology and Management), Dr Ranjit Dehury (University of Hyderabad), Dr Shreya Chatterjee and Ms Sambhabi Patnaik (KIIT School of Law School) were among the distinguished speakers for the Seminar.