Delhi University to establish Public Health School under IoE scheme

The Delhi University plans to establish a Delhi School of Public Health (DSPH) under the Institution of Eminence scheme, the varsity said on Sunday.

It also announced a "Research Without Barriers" initiative under the banner of the Institution of Eminence (IoE) to define new contours of widening the research catchment, change the way research is perceived and carried out, and democratise and expand the research space.

The varsity said the School will be a major step to push its research effort on public health.

It will be headed by Prof R N K Bamezai, former vice chancellor, Shri Mata Vaishno Devi University. He is an acclaimed public health expert and a Padma Shri awardee, the Delhi University said.

An advisory council consisting of eminent professionals working in the field of public health has been constituted for planning, designing and managing the academic activities and programmes of the DSPH, it added.

The advisory council will be chaired by Prof K Srinath Reddy, president, Public Health Foundation of India and former head, the Department of Cardiology, AIIMS, New Delhi.

The Delhi School of Public Health aims to become a premier organisation in the country and globally to initiate research/teaching/outreach programmes in the field of public health by involving researchers from diverse backgrounds such as medicine, biomedical sciences, and social sciences, the varsity said.

The motto of the School will be development of better strategies and technologies and their social impacts to achieve "Health for All", it added.

The University of Delhi was accorded the special status of Institution of Eminence (IoE) by the HRD Ministry last year.

The IoE is part of a scheme of the HRD Ministry announced in 2018 to select 20 IoEs -- 10 public and 10 private -- that will enjoy complete academic and administrative autonomy.