MARCH 15, 2023
THE LATEST

Collaboration Agreement Signed! Indian Institute of Technology-Bombay and Johns Hopkins Sign Future Partnership Agreement

Johns Hopkins University, through the Gupta-Klinsky India Institute, has finalized a collaboration agreement with the Indian Institute of Bombay with the goals of conducting joint research in digital health and provide training opportunities that build capacity in interdisciplinary health science research.  
Pictured, from left to right: Nitish Thakor (Professor of Biomedical Engineering), Brian Hasselfeld, Kunal Parikh, Sridevi Sarma, Ritu Agarwal, Ganesh Ramakrishnan, and Melody McCoy.
The collaboration agreement was announced on Feb. 9, 2023, during a panel discussion at JHU’s Whiting School of Engineering. Prof. Ramakrishnan, Drs. Ritu Agarwal, William Polk Carey Distinguished Professor, Rama Chellappa, Bloomberg Distinguished Professor, Kunal Parikh, Research Associate, and Sridevi Sarma, Associate Professor, Vice Dean for Graduate Education, discussed the topic “Empowering Health for All – Exploring Digital Innovations for Health Equity.” Dr. Brian Hasselfeld, Senior Medical Director of Digital Health and Innovation acted as Moderator for the panel, and Melody McCoy, Executive Director for GKII, helped facilitate the event.
Check out our recording of the panel!
Richard Chaisson in the Spotlight
Professor of Medicine, Epidemiology, International Health
Director of the Johns Hopkins University Center for Tuberculosis Research
 
“There are literally billions of people in the world who are infected with TB already and are at risk of getting sick with it in the future. It’s a problem that will stick around for a long time to come, even if we developed the most perfect tools imaginable.”


A perfect vaccine. A perfect treatment. A perfect preventive program. Dr. Richard Chaisson notes that even with these, tuberculosis is going to be a challenge for years to come. Total elimination is a fantasy, especially within the next few years, he says. The key right now is to reduce the burden so that it’s not a public health catastrophe.
Meet our Student Intern: Ishir Sharma
Pursuing: Combined BS/MSC in Engineering

“Being an international student is a huge part of my identity.”

Ishir Sharma, a Bengaluru native, can easily be defined as a modern-day Renaissance man. He’s the treasurer for the Hindu Students Council, a member of the Johns Hopkins Biomedical Engineering Design Team, a digital health researcher at the Armstrong Institute, a patient support volunteer at the Johns Hopkins Hospital, a co-founder of the Art for Cancer project, and a student intern for the Gupta-Klinsky India Institute.
GKII IN THE NEWS
Johns Hopkins Biomedical Engineering: March 6, 2023

In the field of artificial intelligence, there are winters and there are springs—barren stretches followed by exhilarating bursts of innovation and funding. Right now, we find ourselves definitively in the midst of an AI spring, says Johns Hopkins engineer Rama Chellappa, a veteran of the industry for more than four decades.

“AI has this crazy life where it goes through cycles,” says Chellappa, a Bloomberg Distinguished Professor in electrical, computer, and biomedical engineering. “Some of the algorithms we’re using today have been around since the 1960s, but what’s happening now is due to the explosion of data we have available to drive our systems.”
Spotlight: February 27, 2023
By Elri Voigt

Dr. Vidya Mave, the Co-director of the Center for Infectious Diseases in Pune, India, told Spotlight that a four-month treatment course consisting of the drugs bedaquiline, pretomanid, moxifloxacin, and pyrazinamide (BPaMZ) did exactly what it was supposed to – kill TB.

She, however, also expressed concern over the high number of toxicity events. She suggested that using Pyrazinamide for four rather than the usual two months may have played a role, although more detailed study findings would be needed to see if this was indeed the case (the findings haven’t yet been published in a medical journal). Her comments are in step with a wider sense that, even though the BPaMZ regimen is too toxic to be a viable option for the treatment of drug-susceptible TB, much can be learnt from the study and a somewhat similar regimen may still have a future.
NEWS OF NOTE
Wishing You a Happy Holi

GKII celebrates the significance Holi and wishes a happy and colorful holiday for everyone!
March 24 We Recognize World TB Day

This annual event is a day to educate the public about the impact of TB around the world, with India accounting for more than 25% of the global burden.

Consider joining the 14th Annual George W. Comstock Lecture and World TB Day Presentation: Counting children with tuberculosis- A biosocial perspective.

Thursday, March 23, 2023 | 12pm - 1pm
Poems for Earthquake Victims

JHU Alumnus Nitish Dogra, who works in disaster management, has launched his first book of poetry, with all proceeds going to victims of the Turkey-/Syria earthquake.

The poems relate to finding lost love, the fragility of life, and everything in between. All proceeds from the book will go to the Turkey earthquake affected. The author has extensive lived experience in the country.
Congratulations!

Congratulations to Dr. Sunil Solomon on his promotion to Professor of Medicine! Dr. Solomon's work focuses on HIV, viral hepatitis, and other infectious diseases across India. A GKII steering committee member, he is also the Co-director of the Center for Infectious Diseases in India and serves as the head of YRGCARE. Check out our spotlight on him below!
EVENTS
CIDI at CROI
Vidya Mave, Co-Director of the JHU Center for Infectious Diseases in India (CIDI) and GKII steering committee member, paid a visit to the Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI) poster presentation by Vandana Kulkarni, MS, CIDI Laboratory Manager.
Dr. Amita Gupta was also present to moderate a panel at CROI.
OPPORTUNITIES
Global Health Systems Summer Institute
Happening: June 5-30, 2023
The Department of International Health at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health is hosting a Global Health Systems Summer Institute. The Institute is a great opportunity for early- to mid-career public health professionals to expand their skill sets and improve job performance. 

Topics include global health technology and innovation, health economics, primary health care, global health entrepreneurship, health systems strengthening, the private sector and global health, health systems management, health policy, health financing, and more.
Graduate Student Funding Opportunities
Johns Hopkins University has updated its repository of federal and private funding opportunities that are intended for graduate students. The opportunities are pre-sorted chronologically and alphabetically, and can be searched by funding amount and subject matter.
Looking for Student Support?
Johns Hopkins faculty who are seeking student support for India-related projects can now submit position descriptions. We will post them online and share in our email updates!