The Jindal School of Public Health and Human Development (JSPH), in collaboration with the Jindal School of Government and Public Policy (JSGP), Jindal School of Psychology and Counselling (JSPC), and the Jindal School of Liberal Arts and Humanities (JSLH), hosted a day-long celebration to mark World Health Day 2025 at O. P. Jindal Global University.
With this year's theme, "Healthy Beginnings, Hopeful Futures". This event brought together a wide range of scholars, global health experts, policymakers, and students. Participants included experts from Harvard University (USA), University of Southampton (UK), BRAC University (Bangladesh), UNSW Sydney, and the state government of Haryana, along with UNICEF, PATH and PHFI.
The day commenced with a Welcome Address by the Deans of the organising schools. JSPH Dean Stephen P Marks outlined the key goals of World Health Day. JSLH Dean Kathleen Modrowski stressed the value of universities working together with the community in a dignified and respectful collaboration for better maternal and child health, citing the example of students' efforts in the Kundli area of Sonipat, where they learn from the community while giving back to society. JSGP Dean R. Sudarshan related his career in the United Nations to lessons in subsidiarity and experience with the successful implementation of the policy when those who implement are involved in the conceptualisation. JSPC Dean Derick Lindquist discussed the relationship between physical and mental health and the wide range of mental health issues facing women across the life cycle and the value of life skills training.
JGU's Founding Vice Chancellor Professor (Dr.) C. Raj Kumar welcomed the event on behalf of the university and explained the evolution of the degree programmes offered by JSPH, including the launch of a new online MSc in Global Health and Human Development and replacing the two-year residential Master of Public Health (MPH) with a one-year residential MPH programme under the National Education Policy 2020. He shared his ideas on policymaking in public health by bridging the gap between theory and practice, making aggressive efforts to address society's problems and the challenge of interacting with state-level governments.
Professor Sabu Padmadas, Professor of Demography and Global Health from the University of Southampton delivered a distinguished lecture on ‘Sustainability at Risk: The Looming Energy Crisis and Global Health’. The concluding distinguished lecture was delivered by Prof. Vikram Patel, Paul Farmer Professor and Chair of Global Health and Social Medicine at Harvard Medical School and Professor in Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health.