Maternal and Child Health Center India
Click here for more info and to register for the COVID-19 course.
Child health has improved tremendously in recent decades. India's national under-5 mortality rate declined from 111 per 1,000 live births in 1990 to 39 per 1,000 lives births in 2018. India continues her steady march towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals related to maternal and child mortality.
In early 2020, The International Vaccine Access Center (IVAC) at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health launched a new partnership with several Indian institutions with support from the Pradip and Kumkum Ghosh Family Foundation. The Johns Hopkins Maternal and Child Health Center was established to improve public health capacity in maternal and child health in West Bengal and in India.
The new center focuses on enhancing women’s health, saving newborn lives, ensuring quality care, addressing vaccine-preventable diseases, meeting the needs of children who live in urban and rural areas that are marginalized and hard to reach, and strengthening public health capacity in India.
The program’s priority areas for research, courses, and additional learning opportunities will be identified through consultation with the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of West Bengal, and key partners and stakeholders in West Bengal and India.
Director's Message
Improving the Health of Women and Children in India
The disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic to primary health services and immunization programs have deeply affected the most vulnerable groups, especially women, adolescent girls, and children. In response, Dr. Anita Shet, the Director of the Johns Hopkins Maternal and Child Health Center India, shared a powerful message about the potential for innovative partnerships and public health to improve the health of women and children in India.
Our Work
The MCHI Center conducts multiple projects that you may view here.
Download the Maternal and Child Health Center India Annual Report 2020
Registration for Free Online Course
The COVID-19 Response in India: Impact on Women and Children’s Health and Wellbeing
After a successful first launch in December 2020, we are very excited to re-release a new and revised version of our jointly offered course titled “The COVID-19 Response in India: Impact on Women and Children’s Health and Wellbeing.” The course is offered in collaboration with the Indian Council of Medical Research-National Institute of Cholera and Enteric Diseases (ICMR-NICED) and the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT-Kharagpur). The course launches June 15th.
This course addresses India’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic and its effects on maternal and child health, and also highlights the role of women in the COVID-19 response. The second iteration features additional content on India’s role in vaccine development both domestically and abroad, the vaccine rollout within India and the continued battle and ongoing response as India faces the “second wave.”
The content is designed for public health professionals in India, and anyone interested in improving global health outcomes. Drawing from a wealth of insights from experts across the disciplines of child and maternal health and facing a once-in-a-century global pandemic, this course features the following faculty:
- Dr. Sangeeta Bhattacharya, MD India Institute of Technology, Kharagpur
- Dr. Shanta Dutta, MD, PhD ICMR- National Institute of Cholera and Enteric Diseases
- Dr. Meike Schleiff, DrPH, MSPH Johns Hopkins University
- Dr. Anita Shet, MD, PhD Johns Hopkins University
And the voices of prominent experts across India, including:
- Dr. K. Srinath Reddy, MD, DM, MSc - Public Health Foundation of India
- Dr. Soumya Swaminathan, MD, DNB - World Health Organization
- Dr. Madhu Gupta, MD, PHD - Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research at Chandigarh
- Dr. Gagandeep Kang, MD, PhD, FNA, FASc, FRS - Christian Medical College (CMC), Vellore
- Dr. Jayaprakash Muliyil, MD, PhD - Christian Medical College, Vellore
- Professor Nirmal Kumar Ganguly, MD – JIPMER
- Dr. Samir Narayan Chaudhuri, MD - Child in Need Institute (CINI)
- Dr. Raches Ella, MBBS, MD – Bharat Biotech
- Dr. Rajeev Seth, MD, FIAP, FAAP - Bal Umang Drishya Sanstha (BUDS)
- Dr. Sanjay Zodpey, MD, PhD – Public Health Foundation India (PFHI)
- Dr. Anita Jain, MD, MA – British Medical Journal (BMJ)
- Dr. Nivedita Gupta, MBBS, PhD – Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR)
- Dr. Brian Wahl, PhD, MPH - Johns Hopkins University
This course is hosted through an online learning platform called CoursePlus. You can access a brief tutorial on creating a free account through CoursePlus here.
Meet Our People
MCHI Updates
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Our Vision
A world in which every mother and child in India experiences optimal health and well-being, so that every family benefits, now and for future generations
Our Mission
To accelerate research in maternal and child health, reduce gaps in knowledge translation through capacity strengthening, and measure the impact of public health interventions that will reduce disparities and improve the lives of mothers and children in India
Core Values
The MCHI’s core values are guided by our commitment to achieve health equity and conduct our work in an ethical manner.
Commitment to excellence
We strive to develop talent and utilize technology, increase knowledge, and focus on work quality to improve health, through innovation, teamwork and pragmatism.
Collaboration
We operate in a spirit of equitable collaboration and inclusiveness by facilitating learning and research opportunities within India and internationally through equitable partnerships and utilization of community-based research methods and engagement.
Progress
We monitor, evaluate and refine our programs on an ongoing basis to ensure appropriate progress to achieve our mission.
Integrity and Ethics
We assure ethical and transparent operating procedures incorporating fiscal responsibility and accountability in all our activities; and we utilize research and teaching methods with the highest level of integrity.
Responsiveness
We remain responsive to regional and community needs, with strong emphasis for development for future growth.
Sustainability
We seek approaches that promote sustainable solutions to maternal, newborn and child health problems.