University of Melbourne aims to improve public health training and education in India

24 February 2015

Training in public health policy and leadership, improving disability programs and lessons from Australian in tobacco plain packaging policies are some of the collaborative projects in a new Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the University of Melbourne and the Public Health Foundation of India (PHFI).

University of Melbourne Public Health School
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University of Melbourne Deputy Provost and Deputy Vice Chancellor (International)  Professor Sue Elliott said the agreement was a great opportunity for sharing of expertise between the institutions.
“This agreement builds on a history of effective public health collaborations between the university, through the Melbourne School of Population and Global Health including the Nossal Institute for Global Health and the Public Health Foundation of India. We can expect further great things to come of this agreement as we consolidate and renew ideas for the future,” she said.
The Public Health Foundation of India is an independent institution that aims to strengthen training, research and policy development in the area of public health.
Professor Elliot and Professor KS Srinath Reddy, the President of PHFI, signed the MoU and outlined the way forward at a showcase event on Feb. 16 in New Delhi. The Deputy High Commissioner from the Australian Consulate Mr Bernard Philip, was a chief guest.
The MoU will facilitate new collaborative agreements around particular public health projects that were be showcased at the event. The event celebrated the existing collaborations and strengthen the links between leading Australian and Indian educational institutions.
Current collaborations covered under the MoU:

  • A three-year Australian Aid program to help train the public health workforce in leadership. This will feed into establishing a State Institute of Health and Family Welfare in Uttarakhand and a flagship course on public health leadership.
  • Measuring disability in India. This tool was developed by the University of Melbourne and is being trialled by PHFI and the Community Health and Global Network (CHGN) Uttarakhand Cluster in India. It is hoped that this tool will inform the development and evaluation of disability programs and policies in India.
  • Collaborative research, academic exchange visits, collaborative teaching and seminars and collaborative association in regional and global forums.
  • US National Institutes of Health Training Program involving faculty and trainees from PHFI, mainly the Centre for Chronic Disease Control (CCDC) to train researchers on global health.
  • Leveraging Australia’s experience to work towards plain packaging of tobacco products in India. This builds on a substantive three-year collaboration between experts in India and Australia.

Public Health at the Melbourne School of Population and Global Health

The Melbourne School of Population and Global Health aims to strengthen the understanding, capacity and services of society to meet population health needs and to improve the quality and equity of health care. The population health approach recognizes that health is a capacity or resource rather than a state, a definition which corresponds more to the notion of being able to pursue one’s goals, to acquire skills and education, and to grow. This broader notion of health recognizes the range of social, economic and physical environmental factors that contribute to health (Public Health Agency of Canada).
Program: Master of Public Health
Location: Melbourne, Victoria
Semester intake: February/March
Duration: 1.5 – 2 years (depending on background of candidate)
Application deadline: While there is no set application deadline for this program, applicants are strongly encouraged to submit their applications a minimum of three months prior to the program’s start date.

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Learn more about the Master of Public Health at the University of Melbourne. Contact OzTREKK’s Australian Public Health Schools Admissions Officer Rachel Brady by emailing rachel@oztrekk.com or call 1866-698-7355. Find out how you can study in Australia!

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