PUBLIC HEALTH ON CALL, December 11, 2023
Tuberculosis is one of the oldest diseases on earth—taking more than 1 billion lives throughout history. Dr. Richard Chaisson, director of the Johns Hopkins Center for Tuberculosis Research, talks with Dr. Josh Sharfstein about how TB continues to be a significant threat to global public health, what progress is being made in treatment and prevention, and why research will be needed until the day the last case is treated.
FORBES, November 30, 2023
Nov. 30 was the one-year anniversary of the launch of ChatGPT. After the launch, the hype quickly took over. “AI” became the nuclear power of the 21st century, a potentially humanity-ending technology that required the instant attention of regulators around the world … and lots of funding from FOMOed venture capitalists. Rama Chellappa, SAIS Bloomberg Distinguished Professor is quoted.
INDIA EDUCATION DIARY, November 15, 2023
The inaugural edition of the India Philanthropy Forum 2023 (IPF), anchored by Dasra in collaboration with The British Asian Trust and Indiaspora, is scheduled to take place on November 13, 2023 at Saddlers’ Hall in London. One of the distinguished speakers was Dr. Amita Gupta, discussing healthcare equity in India.
JOHNS HOPKINS INFECTIOUS DISEASES, November 14, 2023
The Division worked with the JHM Video Production Team on a 5-video series that offers an overview of the division and that highlights their commitment to excellence across their institutional mission. It features the contributions of several GKII affiliated faculty across the division who gave their time and perspectives to the project.
CAREY SCHOOL OF BUSINESS, November 02, 2023
The Maryland Department of Commerce announced that it has awarded $1 million in support of the Center for Digital Health and Artificial Intelligence, also known as CDHAI, housed at the Johns Hopkins Carey Business School. That award was matched by $1.97 million in qualified donations.
"AI is poised to be truly transformational, affecting all aspects of business and society," said Wm. Polk Carey Distinguished Professor and CDHAI Co-director Ritu Agarwal. "CDHAI's research, focused on developing safe, effective, and responsible AI for health care, supports the broader university goals of conducting leading-edge research in AI and data science."
SCIENCE, October 26, 2023
A team led by Anna Durbin, an infectious disease specialist at the Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health, recently recruited 31 volunteers to see whether a compound developed by Johnson & Johnson could become the first drug to prevent infections from dengue virus, a mosquito-borne pathogen that causes what’s sometimes called break-bone fever.
WHITING SCHOOL OF ENGINEERING, October 16, 2023
Rama Chellappa, Bloomberg Distinguished Professor in electrical and computer engineering and biomedical engineering, has been selected to receive the Distinguished Researcher Award from IEEE Computer Society’s Pattern Analysis and Machine Intelligence Technical Committee.
AMFAR, October 13, 2023
Researcher Smita Nimkar discusses how an amfAR-directed data science mentorship program is helping her help children living with HIV in India and the Asia region.
SUSHASAN, October 09, 2023
Dr. Rakesh Gupta, currently serving as Additional Secretary to the President of India, and the Former Additional Principal Secretary to CM Haryana, Former Project Director of the CMGGA Programme, and the Former Nodal Officer for 'Beti Bachao Beti Padhao' in Haryana, sheds light on how his PhD transformed his career trajectory.
HEALTHY LONGEVITY, October 08, 2023
Nakul Shekhawat, M.D., M.P.H.; Kunal Parikh, PhD; Rama Chellappa, PhD of Johns Hopkins University were awarded a Catalyst Prize to develop a smartphone-based platform for screening and diagnosis of cataracts in the nursing home setting.
"Our algorithm will incorporate several innovations including bias mitigation, domain adaptation, and incorporation of clinical metadata to improve diagnostic performance."
THE HUB, October 02, 2023
Researchers led by Nilanjan Chatterjee, Bloomberg Distinguished Professor of biostatistics and genetic epidemiology at Johns Hopkins, have developed a new method with significant potential to improve the performance of polygenic risk scores in minority populations. The method, called CT-SLEB, is detailed in a paper published in Nature Genetics.
INDIAN EXPRESS, September 15, 2023
Dr. Vidya Mave, principal investigator from Johns Hopkins University, India programme, said the study can provide an evidence base for designing strategies to identify recurrent TB. “This trial is part of the government’s effort to develop strategies to find patients who have been cured and identify, who are at most risk of a relapse,” she said.
GLOBE ECHO, September 08, 2023
“I don’t want to call it a mystery of the system, but it’s certainly a slightly paradoxical aspect,” said Pravin Krishna, a professor in international economics at Johns Hopkins University’s School of Advanced International Studies.
“On the one hand, the government has shown keen interest in international investment, and manufacturing being set up in India on the one hand, and to provide a set of incentives for these players to come in,” he added.
“There’s also been this creeping increase in protectionism — some of it have been random. You don’t understand why they’ve done it and these are not necessarily powerful industries,” Krishna said.
The new regulations — released on Aug. 3 — restrict the imports of laptops, tablets, “all-in-one” personal computers and “ultra small form” factor computers and servers. They were initially effective immediately, but later delayed to November.
SPAN MAGAZINE, August 31, 2023
TAAL (Treatment, Adherence, Advocacy and Literacy) was launched in 2006, as a peer-led community pharmacy to provide high-quality and affordable HIV diagnostics, treatment and peer counseling services to people living with HIV. In 2020, with support from USAID, TAAL transitioned from a community pharmacy to TAAL+, an integrated health center. It launched an e-pharmacy in February 2023.
SPAN MAGAZINE, August 31, 2023
The orphans and vulnerable children program—which serves children and adolescents who are at risk of infection, live with HIV or with HIV-positive caregivers—provide peer-led and family-centric care. One such USAID project, ACCELERATE, implemented by John Hopkins University, works closely with national and regional stakeholders to offer HIV-infected and affected children and adolescents consolidated care, including educational support, nutrition-related items, counseling and awareness campaigns on menstrual hygiene, sanitary pads distribution; and life skills education, says Sukhvinder Kaur, project management specialist at USAID India.
SPAN MAGAZINE, August 31, 2023
According to estimates by the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) in 2021, 60 percent of HIV positive children and adolescents in South Asia live in India. USAID, with support of the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), set up Adolescent-Friendly Health Centers (AFHCs) through its flagship program, ACCELERATE, led by Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, to support 10-17-year-old HIV positive adolescents with comprehensive health care and services.
SPAN MAGAZINE, August 31, 2023
At-risk HIV communities reluctant to access in-person services are often unaware of online resources, where they have the advantage of anonymity. Safe Zindagi, an online portal funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan For AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), provides HIV care and services to hard-to-reach populations in India. The platform is implemented through Project ACCELERATE, in partnership with India’s National AIDS Control Organization.
THE TIMES OF INDIA, August 22, 2023
Raj L. Gupta became one of the first Indian Americans to head a global MNC when he was appointed chairman and CEO of Rohm and Haas in 1998. He has since served on the boards of several global companies and is a prominent business leader. Gupta, whose work extends beyond corporate leadership to active engagement with educational institutions and philanthropic contributions, spoke to Ishani Duttagupta on a range of topics including his strong ties with Ivy League universities in the US as well as IIT-Bombay, his alma mater.
The Hub, August 03, 2023
Johns Hopkins University announced a major new investment in data science and the exploration of artificial intelligence, one that will significantly strengthen the university's capabilities to harness emerging applications, opportunities, and challenges presented by the explosion of available data and the rapid rise of accessible AI.
The Indian Express, July 17, 2023
Doctors and researchers are keeping their fingers crossed on a five-year clinical trial, which commenced in two Pune hospitals in 2021, that aims to tackle a crippling triple burden among TB patients: HIV, TB and alcohol-use disorder — a combination that, they say, is disastrous for an already weakened immune system.
Funded by US-based National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, the Hybrid trial for Alcohol reduction Among people with TB and HIV in India (HAATHI) is being conducted at B J Government Medical College & Sassoon General Hospital, and Dr D Y Patil Medical College, Hospital and Research Centre.
The Indian Express, July 30, 2023
Doctors and researchers in Pune are confident that a new study conducted at B J Government Medical College and Sassoon General Hospital will go a long way in preventing the occurrence of tuberculosis (TB) among those at most risk – from those affected with HIV or children exposed to TB patients at their homes.
The Hindu, July 11, 2023
By Brian Wahl: Wastewater surveillance for known or new health threats offers many benefits for enhancing public health efforts.
The Economist, July 01, 2023
Having just surpassed China as the world’s most populous country, India contains more than 1.4bn people. What’s more, its migrants are both more numerous and more successful than their Chinese peers. The Indian diaspora has been the largest in the world since 2010, and is a powerful resource for India’s government. Starr Foundation Professor of South Asian Studies Devesh Kapur and SAIS MA '24 Aditi Mahesh were quoted.
Survivors Against TB, June 26, 2023
A video shedding light on pediatric TB in India.
The Indian Express, June 25, 2023
Last year, based on Shorter Treatment for Minimal Tuberculosis in Children (SHINE) research, the WHO strongly recommended shortening the TB treatment duration in non-severe paediatric TB cases from six-four months.
Scroll.IN, June 21, 2023
Alcohol, India’s most commonly consumed substance, can impede treatment and recovery. Integrating behavioural therapy in patient care can help with recovery.
The Hindu, June 13, 2023
Recent studies have found that the length of time tuberculosis patients need to stay on their regimen can be reduced from six to four months.
The Indian Express, March 21, 2023
Dr Sanjiv Thakur, Dean of BJ Government Medical College said that for decades, the college has been conducting many clinical research studies among people affected by TB and HIV.
The Times of India, June 03, 2023
Only if health is on the concurrent list can states tackle information asymmetry between service-providers and patients, and regulate the healthcare sector. India faces a monumental task to ensure equitable and quality healthcare for all. On almost all health indicators, we rank last among G20 countries.
American Society for Microbiology, May 17, 2023
India’s efforts to control the spread of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) can be split into 2 eras: before the work of Suniti Solomon, M.D. (1939-2015), and after. The country’s response in the “before” era is easy to summarize—it didn’t exist. In fact, at the dawn of the 1980s when HIV was ravaging populations in the West, many considered the virus’s presence in India an impossibility.
Program ACCELERATE, May 10, 2023
Earlier this month, health professionals in India gathered with experts from the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, The Fenway Institute, and USAID to learn about the latest evidence-based practices for HIV prevention. While there has not yet been a public sector rollout of PrEP or PEP in the country, there is demand. Through the support of PEPFAR and USAID, ACCELERATE develops novel models for HIV prevention strategies for at-risk populations that can help inform the local, state, and national HIV response.
ASSOCIATION OF AMERICAN UNIVERSITIES, April 07, 2023
The Association of American Universities has appointed members and co-chairs to a new task force to study expanding research and higher education partnerships between the United States and India. The co-chairs of the AAU Task Force on Expanding United States-India University Partnerships include The Pennsylvania State University President Neeli Bendapudi, University of Illinois Urbana-Campaign Chancellor Robert J. Jones, University of California San Diego Chancellor Pradeep K. Khosla, University at Buffalo President Satish K. Tripathi, and current Johns Hopkins University Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs Sunil Kumar (who is set to become president of Tufts University on July 1).
THE HUB, February 07, 2023
Chellappa, a Bloomberg Distinguished Professor in electrical and computer engineering and biomedical engineering at Johns Hopkins, is among 106 new members and 18 international members selected.
Johns Hopkins Medicine, January 19, 2023
“A unique aspect of nanofibers is that they mimic the natural extracellular matrix that cells are around all the time,” says Kunal Parikh. “We're no longer just make mats, but now we're making all sorts of different embodiments that can have a big impact, primarily because of the way that cells interact and integrate with these types of nanofiber-based devices,” he says.
THE HUB, January 12, 2023
Sara Bennett, a professor in the Department of International Health at the Bloomberg School of Public Health who focuses on health policy and systems in low and middle-income countries, has been appointed as the new faculty co-chair. Melody McCoy, former vice president of global engagement and communications for Jhpiego has been appointed as the institute's inaugural executive director. Both Bennett and McCoy bring a wealth of knowledge and experience to GKII.
JACC: ADVANCES, January 11, 2023
In this issue of JACC Advances, Dr. Jaideep Patel and his team evaluated the association of disaggregated Asian racial data as it relates to f obstructive coronary disease.