Partnering with NIHFW to Strengthen Public Health Training
A growing partnership advancing public health training, research, and workforce development in India
The National Institute of Health and Family Welfare (NIHFW) and Johns Hopkins University (JHU), through the Gupta-Klinsky India Institute (GKII), are collaborating on training and capacity development in India’s public health system.
GKII is building on the JHU’s existing partnership with NIHFW. In the early phase of this partnership, between October 2022 and August 2023, NIHFW and Johns Hopkins School of Nursing (JHSON) co-organized the Training of Trainers (ToTs) on Leadership in Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) for nursing professionals. The first five ToTs prepared 191 master trainers from every state and union territory. These trainers will cascade their learning to 4,578 nurses through 153 state-level training programs now being rolled out with State Nodal Agencies. NIHFW’s Department of Community Health Administration continues to coordinate with states and monitor progress to ensure.
Reflecting on the partnership, Professor Sara Bennett, GKII Co-Chair and Professor at the Bloomberg School of Public Health noted, “This collaboration reflects GKII’s long-standing commitment to strengthening India’s public health workforce through sustained institutional partnerships. By working with NIHFW, we are supporting national priorities while creating opportunities for innovation in training and systems strengthening.”
Expanding the Collaboration: Behavioural Science Workshop
On 31 July 2025, NIHFW hosted a workshop on “Decoding Health Behaviour: Why We Do What We Do,” co-organized with the Johns Hopkins Center for Communication Programs (CCP), the Center for Communication and Change–India (CCC-I), and GKII. Facilitated by Ms. Uttara Bharath Kumar (CCP) and Ms. Sanjeeta Agnihotri (CCC-I) , the session introduced behavioural science tools to understand how cognitive, social, and structural factors shape health decisions.
Uttara Bharath Kumar noted: “This workshop gave participants a chance to see health behaviour not just as individual choices, but as outcomes shaped by context, norms, and systems. By applying behavioural insights, and involving all stakeholders, we can design smarter, audience-centered solutions and interventions that resonate with people’s realities and achieve better public health outcomes.”
We see real value in introducing behavioural science frameworks into our training programs. Sessions like this enhance our ability to prepare public health professionals with the skills needed for today’s complex challenges.
Dr. Sunil Vilasrao Gitte, Director (Additional Charge), NIHFW
Participants described the workshop as engaging, practical, and deeply relevant to their training. Their reflections highlighted how the session connected theory to real-world application and encouraged critical thinking:
- “The session offered several important take-home messages — particularly the ability to accurately identify the core problem statement, the power of positive influence and persuasion for long-term change, and the practical application of behavioural insights in both professional and personal life.” — Dr. Suryaprakash, MD Student, NIHFW
- “Their approach to understanding health behaviours through a structured, evidence-based practice was practical and truly inspirational. One of the highlights was the assignment on a real-world behavioural challenge, which encouraged critical thinking and offered lessons that extend into day-to-day life.” — Dr. Jayalakshmi Hariharan, MPH Student, NIHFW
- “The session provided a clear understanding of the Social Ecological Model and the stages of behaviour change, and deepened my understanding of how and why behavioural change occurs in public health contexts.” — Vikash Kumar, MPH Student, NIHFW
This engagement sits at the heart of GKII’s broader strategy to build enduring interdisciplinary institutional partnerships in India. Alongside collaborations with the, Central TB Division, Indian Council of Medical Research, and the Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration, the NIHFW partnership reflects GKII’s mission to strengthen workforce capacity and public health systems at scale.
