Health and Medicine

“Outdoor air pollution is the second leading risk factor for mortality in India. Nearly one million lives are lost prematurely in India to air pollution,” said Dr. Alexandra Karambelas, Postdoctoral Research Fellow, The Earth Institute, Columbia University. Her lecture at the Center in May drew linkages between energy emissions, air quality and health outcomes and emphasized the need for better monitoring of air quality in India in order to draw up appropriate mitigation strategies.

Nutrition not only improves the quality of life of children with cancer, but also increases their survival rates. Speaking at a public lecture organized by Columbia Global Centers | Mumbai in January, Professor Ladas said “Research has shown that poor nutrition of children has resulted in increase in length of their hospitalization and chances of re-admission, increased side effects of cancer therapy and could even result in them abandoning cancer therapy.”

Columbia Global Centers | Mumbai and the Mailman School of Public Health at Columbia University are pleased to announce a new initiative to advance science and improve public health outcomes in India enabled by a generous gift from the distinguished philanthropist, Dr. Yusuf Hamied. Through fellowships, public lectures, and the creation of pedagogical resources, the 'Yusuf Hamied Faculty Exchange Program in Health' will promote mutual learning and collaboration.

Beginning in June, 2016, the Mumbai Center partnered with the Mailman School of Public Health to introduce a practicum that enables graduate students to complete a planned, supervised and evaluated field experience in India. The Center reached out to multiple organizations to house four student interns. The three organizations that were selected include Society for Nutrition, Education, and Health Action (SNEHA), Khushi Baby in Udaipur, and Partners for Urban Knowledge, Action and Research (PUKAR).