Regional Task Force: India
Publications of the India Task Force express the findings, results, and views of members of the India Task Force. They do not reflect the findings, results, and views of Commissioners not engaged on the Task Force or of the Lancet family of journals or other publication outlets unless explicitly specified. The India Task Force does not contribute to other publications or statements issued by the Lancet COVID-19 Commission or the Task Forces or to other publications in the Lancet family of journals or other publication outlets, unless explicitly specified.
Task Force members serve in their individual capacities, on an honorary basis. The Secretariat of the India Task Force is hosted by the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN) and the Center for Sustainable Development (CSD), Columbia University.
Task Force Publications:
Commissioned Papers:
The Lancet COVID-19 Commission India Task Force convened an experts group comprising leading paediatricians from India to examine the issue of paediatric COVID-19 in India. The India Task Force hosted two virtual round tables with leading paediatricians in the United Kingdom and the United States. Following these discussions, and sharing of resources, the experts group was commissioned to produce a paper outlining the state of paediatric COVID-19 in India, emerging lessons, protocols for clinical care, and recommendations for policy makers.
Members:
Ms. Chandrika Bahadur (Chair) Vice President of Education, SDSN; Director, SDG Academy (India)
Chandrika Bahadur is the Vice President of Education at SDSN and Director of the SDG Academy. From 2008-2011, she was an advisor to the Chairman and Managing Director at Reliance Industries, where she helped set up Reliance Foundation, a non-profit philanthropic foundation focusing on areas of education, health, rural development, and urban renewal. MORE
Prof. Srinath K. Reddy President, Public Health Foundation of India (India)
Prof. K. Srinath Reddy is presently President, Public Health Foundation of India (PHFI) and formerly headed the Department of Cardiology at All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS). He was appointed as the First Bernard Lown Visiting Professor of Cardiovascular Health at the Harvard School of Public Health in (2009-13) and presently serves as an Adjunct Professor of Epidemiology at Harvard (2014-2023). MORE
Dr. Giridhara R Babu Head, Life course Epidemiology, Public Health Foundation of India (India)
Giridhara has a medical degree (MBBS) from Kasturba medical college Manipal and has completed MPH and PhD from UCLA (University of California Los Angeles). He has two decades of experience in public health research, practice and academics. He began his career at the Center for Community Medicine of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi as a Junior Resident. MORE
Dr. Nirupam Bajpai Senior Advisor, Sustainable Development and Director, South Asia Program at the Center for Sustainable Development at Columbia University (USA)
Over the last three decades, Dr. Bajpai has been working at different U.S. universities beginning at the Department of Economics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in 1992; Harvard University from 1995 to 2002 and since July 2002 at Columbia University. MORE
Prof. Malay Bhattacharyya Assistant Professor, Machine Intelligence Unit, Indian Statistical Institute, Kolkata (India)
Malay Bhattacharyya is currently an Assistant Professor of Machine Intelligence Unit at Indian Statistical Institute, Kolkata and an Associate Member of Centre for Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning in the same institute. He is a certified Design Thinker from MIT Sloan School of Management and holds a doctorate in CS from Indian Statistical Institute. MORE
Dr. Dhruva Chaudhry Senior Professor & Head, Dept of Respiratory Medicine & Critical Care at PGIMS, Rohtak (India)
Dr. Dhruva Chaudhry is presently Professor & Chair, department of Pulmonary & Critical Care Medicine, Pt BDS Post Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences (PGIMS), University of Health Sciences Rohtak, Haryana, India. He is alumnus of PGIMER Chandigarh & PGIMS, Rohtak. He was awarded prestigious Commonwealth Academic staff fellowship in Pulmonology in 2009. MORE
Prof. Jishnu Das Professor, Georgetown University; Senior Visiting Fellow at the Centre for Policy Research, Delhi (USA)
Jishnu Das, is a professor at Georgetown University and a senior visiting fellow at the Centre for Policy Research, Delhi. His research focuses on new innovations to measure and improve the quality of healthcare and education outcomes around the world. MORE
Dr. Sapna Desai Associate, Population Council, New Delhi (India)
Sapna Desai is based at the Population Council, New Delhi, where her work focuses on women’s health and well-being, particularly community-based interventions, health systems, and sexual and reproductive health. Sapna has a longstanding interest in improving the health system response to gynaecological morbidity and interventions to address women’s health through the life cycle. MORE
Dr. Raman Gangakhedkar Dr. C.G. Pandit National Chair, Indian Council of Medical Research (India)
As Head of ECD, managed research & contributed to public health response in recent outbreaks of Nipah, Zika and COVID 19. He is a member of the National Taskforce on COVID 19. And also a member of Clinical Research Group, and Epidemiology & Operational Research Group on COVID 19. MORE
Prof. Suneela Garg Professor of Excellence; Dir.Professor HAG MAMC Community-Medicine (India)
With more than 40 years of professional & research experience, Dr Garg brings together a wealth of knowledge in the public health space. She has received the WHO, ODA fellowship, IPHA Fellowship, Awarded State Doctors Award For Meritorious Services. Awarded State AIDS Award For contribution in field Of HIV/AIDS. MORE
Dr. Sheela Godbole Scientist F & Head of Division, Epidemiology, ICMR NARI (India)
Experienced Biomedical Scientist, Clinical-Epidemiologist with a demonstrated history of working in HIV Prevention and Treatment Trials, Surveillance, HIV-HPV epidemiology and other viral co-infections, Sexually Transmitted Infections, HIV and Cancer. Skilled in Epidemiology, Clinical Trials, Program/Impact Evaluation, Surveillance, Treatment as Prevention, Global Health, Women's Health. MORE
Dr. Sandeep Juneja Senior Professor and Dean, Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Mumbai, Maharashtra (India)
Sandeep is a senior professor and currently the Dean at the School of Technology and Computer Science in Tata Institute of Fundamental Research in Mumbai. His research interests lie in applied probability including in sequential learning, mathematical finance, Monte Carlo methods, and game theoretic analysis of queues. MORE
Prof. Rajan Khobragade Principal Secretary Health & Family Welfare Government of Kerala (India)
Mr. Sampath Kumar Principal Secretary to Health and Family Welfare Department, Government of Meghalaya (India)
Sampath Kumar is presently the Principal Secretary to Health & Family Welfare Department at Government of Meghalaya. He is also serving as the Principal Secretary to the Programme Implementation & Evaluation Department, the Social Welfare Department and the Community & Rural Development Departments at the Government of Meghalaya. MORE
Mr. Oommen C. Kurian Senior Fellow and head, Health Initiative, Observer Research Foundation (India)
Oommen C. Kurian is senior fellow and head of the Health Initiative at the Observer Research Foundation (ORF), an Indian think tank. He studies India’s health sector reforms within the broad context of the Sustainable Development Goals, with a focus on financing and governance structures. MORE
Dr. Partha Mukhopadhyay Senior fellow, Centre for Policy Research (India)
Partha Mukhopadhyay joined CPR in 2006. He was previously part of the founding team at the Infrastructure Development Finance Company (IDFC), focusing on private participation in infrastructure. In previous positions, he has been with the Export Import Bank of India, and with the World Bank in Washington. MORE
Ms. Kavita Narayan Technical Advisor, HRH for Health systems at Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, GoI (India)
As one of the youngest and first Indian Fellows of The American College of Healthcare Executives (ACHE), Kavita has more than eighteen years of combined experience as a hospital and health systems architect and thought leader in the United States and India. MORE
Dr. Daksha Shah Deputy Executive Health Officer — Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai (MCGM) (India)
Dr. Daksha Shah is a Public health expert working in MCGM for 25 years and currently engaged in the Covid-19 response in Mumbai. She has been involved in field monitoring and implementation of preventive strategies, support in reporting systems, Media briefings, as well as home isolation programme for Covid 19. MORE
Mr. Rohit Kumar Singh Additional Secretary to the Government of India (India)
An IAS officer of the Rajasthan cadre, Rohit has worked extensively in State Government of Rajasthan and Government of India across sectors like Medical & Health, Finance, Infrastructure, Info Tech, Rural Development, Urban Development and Taxation. In 2020, as the Health Secretary of Rajasthan, Rohit was responsible for the Bhilwara Model known for “ruthless containment” to manage the spread of Covid 19. MORE
Mr. Mohammed Suleman Principal Secretary at Government of MP, Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh (India)
Prof. Chinmay Tumbe Assistant Professor, Economics, Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad (India)
Chinmay Tumbe loves to laugh and learn. He is passionate about migration, cities and history, and is currently a faculty member in the Economics Area at the Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad. An alumnus of the London School of Economics and Political Science, the Indian Institute of Management Bangalore; Ruia College, Mumbai; and Rishi Valley School, Madanapalle. MORE
Dr. Shweta Khandelwal Program Manager, India Task Force, Lancet COVID-19 Commission, and Head, Nutrition Research at the Public Health Foundation of India (PHFI) (India)
Dr Shweta Khandelwal is the Program Manager, India Task Force, Lancet COVID-19 Commission, and Head, Nutrition Research at the Public Health Foundation of India (PHFI), Delhi and Head, Nutrition Research at the Public Health Foundation of India (PHFI), Delhi. She is a trained and experienced public health nutrition researcher working in the maternal child health and nutrition space in India for the last 16 years. MORE