India Tour 2024: An Overview

In November 2024, a Johns Hopkins delegation led by President Ron J. Daniels traveled across four cities in India — New Delhi, Bengaluru, Pune, and Mumbai. The delegation announced significant university investments in programs aligned with India’s national priorities, focusing on accelerating tuberculosis elimination, advancing gender equality in STEMM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and medicine), and expanding palliative care access in rural communities. Check out the highlights from the trip in this video!

Launching the TB Free Schools Initiative

The TB-Free Schools Initiative launched by JHU aims to tackle the tuberculosis epidemic among school children in India. With a $3 million commitment from the Gupta-Klinsky India Institute, this three-year program will scale efforts to reach more than 10,000 children across Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, and Tamil Nadu. The initiative builds on the success of a pilot program in Himachal Pradesh, which demonstrated an 87% reduction in TB cases through education, screening, treatment, and preventive therapy. In collaboration with India’s National TB Elimination Program and other partners, the program seeks to significantly reduce the burden of TB among children, who account for 6% of India’s reported TB cases but often go undiagnosed.

Focusing on Indian Women in STEMM

The Women in STEMM Fellowship, launched under the US-India Alliance for Women’s Economic Empowerment, seeks to advance women’s leadership in science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and medicine (STEMM). Designed by GKII, this 12-month program will offer mentorship to 40 early-career women scientists annually, offering training in technical research, leadership development, and experiential learning. While women comprise 43% of STEMM graduates in India, they account for just 17% of India’s research workforce. This initiative aims to address systemic barriers such as gender bias, mentorship gaps, and limited access to research funding.

Johns Hopkins at Bengaluru Tech Summit 2024

Collaborating for Impact: U.S.-India Higher Education Partnerships

JHU President Ron Daniels delivered the keynote speech for this panel discussion, which was moderated by Vikram Chandra, Founder of Editorji and former CEO, NDTV. The event explored how external universities moving into India present an opportunity for collaborations for impact in technology.

JHU Research in India: Poster Session

Four poster sessions highlighted the impact of JHU-India collaborations:

• Saving Lives in Early Childhood by Mathuram Santosham (Director Emeritus of the Center for Indigenous Health at the Johns Hopkins University)
• Strengthening Health Systems in India by Somesh Kumar (Senior Director at Jhpiego and Associate Faculty at Johns Hopkins University)
• Comprehensive Social and Behaviour Change (SBC) Strategy for Thotraa Noyi Illaa Thamizhagam (NCD-Free Tamil Nadu) 2021-2024 by Uttara Bharath Kumar (Senior Program Officer at the Johns Hopkins Center for Communication Programs) & Arushi Bhatnagar (Senior Economist, World Bank)
• Overview of Center for Infectious Diseases in India by Vidya Mave (Co-Director of Johns Hopkins Center for Infectious Diseases in India)

WHAT'S NEW IN RESEARCH

Changes in sex composition of births across regions and subgroups in India from an analysis of birth histories from National Family Health Surveys

Mohan D, Eschliman EL, Malhotra A, Kaufman MR. Scientific Reports, December 28, 2024.

India has consistently had one of the highest birth sex ratios (i.e., most males per female) globally. This analysis seeks to describe the sex composition of live births over the past decades among subgroups of the Indian population considering ongoing efforts to mitigate sex selection practices. The proportion of male births elicited through birth histories in India has trended downward influenced by demographic changes but the decrease was not uniform across regions and sub-groups, possibly influenced by antenatal sex selection practices.

Measles and rubella seroprevalence in adults using residual blood samples from health facilities and household serosurveys in Palghar District, Maharashtra, India, 2018 – 2019

Prosperi C, Hasan AZ, Winter AK, Chaaithanya IK, Salvi NR, Chauhan SL, Kulkarni RN, Lachyan A, Gawali P, Kapoor M, Bhatt V, Kaduskar O, Deshpande GR, Esteban I, Ramasamy S, Kumar VS, Truelove SA, Kumar MS, Thangaraj JWV, Sangal L, Mehendale SM, Sapkal GN, Gupta N, Hayford K, Moss WJ, Murhekar MV. Epidemiology and Infection, December 6, 2024.

Although measles seropositivity was slightly higher among adults attending the facilities, both facility and community measles seroprevalence estimates were 95% or higher. The similarity in measles and rubella seroprevalence estimates between the community-based and facility serosurveys highlights the potential value of residual specimens to approximate community seroprevalence.

Discordance of 3rd and 4th generation QuantiFERON-TB Gold assays by pregnancy stages in India

Kulkarni V, Alexander M, Bhosale R, Jain D, Deshpande P, Gitlin ES, Vaidyanathan A, Chalem A, Naik S, Gupte N, Nawani N, Gupta A, Mathad J. Journal of Clinical Tuberculosis and other Mycobacterial Diseases, December 4, 2024.

Pregnancy and HIV affect CD4+ T lymphocytes and impact performance of QuantiFERON-TB Gold (QFT). We compared the results of QFT with QuantiFERON-TB Gold Plus (QFT-Plus), which also measures CD8+ responses to TB antigens, during pregnancy and postpartum. Performance of QFT-Plus was consistent across pregnancy, including at delivery when QFT positivity is lower. QFT-Plus may enhance antenatal TBI detection among pregnant women.

Trajectories of medication for opioid use disorder and their impact on HIV testing among people who inject drugs in India: A longitudinal assessment of clinic-based data

McFall AM, Ganapathi L, Gunaratne MP, Srikrishnan AK, Vasudevan CK, Anand S, Solomon SS, Mehta SH, Lucas GM. Addiction, November 27, 2024.

Nearly 70% of clients initiating medication for opioid use disorder (MOUD) at integrated care centers (ICCs) in India stop MOUD use within 1 year, with trajectories characterized by the rate of decline in engagement. Clients with better MOUD adherence appear to return more frequently for HIV testing at the ICCs, underscoring the value of integrated care models.

Increased measles and rubella seroprevalence in children using residual blood samples from health facilities and household serosurveys after supplementary immunization activities in two districts in India

Prosperi C, Hasan AZ, Winter AK, Chaaithanya IK, Salvi NR, Sharma S, Bansal AK, Chauhan SL, Kulkarni RN, Lachyan A, Gawali P, Kapoor M, Shrivastava AK, Chonker SK, Bhatt V, Kaduskar O, Deshpande GR, Esteban I, Sabarinathan R, Saravana Kumar V, Truelove SA, Kumar MS, Thangaraj JWV, Sangal L, Mehendale SM, Sapkal GN, Gupta N, Hayford K, Moss WJ, Murhekar MV. Epidemiology and Infection. November 18, 2024.

Residual blood specimens provide a sample repository that could be analyzed to estimate and track changes in seroprevalence with fewer resources than household-based surveys. We conducted parallel facility and community-based cross-sectional serological surveys in two districts in India. Despite challenges with representativeness and limited metadata, residual specimens can be useful in estimating seroprevalence and assessing trends through facility-based sentinel surveillance.

JOHNS HOPKINS RESOURCES

Foundations in Clinical Infectious Diseases Course

Dates: February 28 – March 2, 2025

The Johns Hopkins Division of Infectious Diseases is convening a course in Chennai, India, for primary care providers that covers various infectious diseases commonly encountered in primary care settings. Through eight comprehensive online modules and a 2.5 day in-person conference, healthcare professionals will develop knowledge and skills needed to effectively address, manage, and prevent infectious diseases, while promoting optimal patient outcomes.

Travel Workshop for International Students

The Office of International Services (OIS) previously hosted a travel workshop where they spoke on general issues around travel/re-entry and visa issuance. Learn about this workshop and other upcoming OIS workshops on their website.

JOHNS HOPKINS FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES

GKII Girish and Himangi Rishi Student Travel Awards

Deadline: February 6, 2025

The GKII Girish and Himangi Rishi Student Travel Awards (GHRSTA) supports JHU masters students from any JHU school, division, department, or center traveling to India through the Center for Global Health (CGH) Global Health Established Field Placements (GHEFP) program for the purpose of research, field practicums, internships, or capstone projects at India placement sites. Each travel award offers a $3,500 grant per awardee. GKII will support up to 10 JHU students in the 2025 GHRSTA award cycle. CGH is also hosting an info session on January 17 to answer application questions.

Catalyst Awards

Deadline: February 14, 2025

The Johns Hopkins Catalyst Awards support promising research and creative endeavors of early career faculty with the goal of launching them on a path to a sustainable and rewarding academic career. These grant awards of up to $75,000 are available to faculty between three and ten years from their initial faculty appointment.

Discovery Awards

Deadline: February 14, 2025

The Johns Hopkins Discovery Awards provide grant awards to cross-divisional teams in order to spark new, synergistic interactions between investigators across the institution. These grants of up to $100,000 are available to teams of faculty and/or non-faculty members representing at least two separate divisions of the university.

Grant Accelerator Program for Junior and Midlevel Faculty

Deadline: February 15, 2025

The Grant Accelerator Program will provide onetime grants of $5,000–$15,000 to junior and midlevel faculty members to help them overcome barriers to successful grant submissions. These small awards provide a way to rapidly fund data acquisition and analysis that investigators need as part of their grant applications. The funds may be spent at any of the Cores

JOB OPPORTUNITY

YRGCARE District Coordinator - TFSI

Deadline: January 28, 2025

The District Coordinator will be responsible for implementing, coordinating, and monitoring the TB Free Schools Initiative at the district level. This role involves building relationships with schools and local stakeholders, supervising field staff, and ensuring the initiative's objectives are met. The ideal candidate is a dynamic, results-driven professional who is passionate about improving public health and education outcomes. Locations include Pune, Satara, Chennai, and Gorakhpur.

EXTERNAL FUNDING OPPORTUNIT

Burroughs Wellcome Fund Climate + Health Excellence Centers

Deadline: February 4, 2025

The Burroughs Wellcome Fund announced the $10,000 Climate + Health Excellence (CHEX) Centers award. This grant supports new discovery toward defining the health impacts of climate change, developing potential interventions, translating discovery science into practical application, and outward-facing work that can help public understanding of Climate + Health or strengthen connections between research and communities whose health has been harmed by climate change.

JHU IN THE NEWS

The Role of AI and Technology in Innovating India's Healthcare

YourStory, January 15, 2025

In this op-ed, Whiting School of Engineering Dean Ed Schlesinger discusses how physicians utilizing artificial intelligence and data science can democratize healthcare and make a more accurate, affordable, and equitable system.

Fighting Active and Latent TB in Schools: A Keystone in India's TB Elimination Strategy?

Healthworld, January 6, 2025

Amita Gupta, GKII faculty co-chair and Director, Division of Infectious Diseases Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and Dr. Padmapriyadarsini Chandrasekaran, Director (Former), ICMR-National Institution for Research in Tuberculosis explain focusing on early interventions could reduce TB burden, improve overall treatment outcomes and school attendance rates, and prevent progression from latent infection to active disease in this op-ed.

A Nurse’s Vision: From TB-Free Villages to a TB-Free India

Johns Hopkins Nursing, December 4, 2024

Achieving a TB-free India is no small task. According to the World Health Organization, in India, two people die from TB every three minutes, and the country accounts for around 27 percent of total TB cases worldwide. Yet this ancient disease is both preventable and treatable.

NEWS OF NOTE

India Takes Out Giant Nationwide Subscription to 13,000 Journals

Science, December 2, 2024

India was the third largest producer of research papers globally last year—yet thousands of Indian students and researchers cannot access many of them because their institutions can’t afford subscriptions to the journals in which many appear. But that is about to change: Science reports that the Indian government has announced a deal with multiple publishers that will allow an estimated 18 million students, faculty, and researchers free access to nearly 13,000 journals through a single portal.

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