WHO Representative to India Visits Dr RMLIMS; Discusses Public Health Policy, Research Translation and Postgraduate Training

Lucknow: Dr Yvan J.-F. Hutin, WHO Representative to India, visited Dr Ram Manohar Lohia Institute of Medical Sciences (Dr RMLIMS), Lucknow. During the visit, he held detailed discussions with the institute’s leadership, faculty members and resident doctors on strengthening public health policy, translating research findings into public health action, and enhancing the teaching and training of postgraduate medical students.

Dr Hutin was welcomed by Prof. (Dr.) C. M. Singh, Director, Dr RMLIMS. The meeting was also attended by the Head of the Department of Community Medicine, faculty members of the department and representatives of the World Health Organization’s Uttar Pradesh team.

The discussions focused on the important role of medical institutions in generating locally relevant evidence and ensuring that research findings are translated into practical interventions, health programmes and policies that benefit communities. The participants emphasised the need to strengthen collaboration among academic institutions, health departments, policymakers and development partners to effectively address present and emerging public health challenges.
Dr Hutin highlighted the importance of implementation-oriented research that goes beyond the generation of scientific evidence and supports measurable improvements in health services and population health outcomes. He also discussed opportunities for strengthening health systems through evidence-based planning, effective programme implementation, monitoring and evaluation.

A significant part of the visit was devoted to interaction with resident doctors and the teaching and training of MD Community Medicine students. Dr Hutin interacted with the residents and discussed their academic training, research activities and field-level public health experiences. He encouraged them to undertake meaningful and implementation-oriented research that could contribute to public health programmes and policy decisions.

The interaction emphasised the need to provide postgraduate students with practical exposure to public health programme management, disease surveillance, epidemiological investigations, health-policy development, implementation research and community-based interventions. The importance of developing future public health professionals capable of converting scientific knowledge into effective field-level action was also highlighted.

Prof. (Dr.) C. M. Singh shared the institute’s commitment to excellence in medical education, research, patient care and community health. He highlighted the potential for greater academic and technical collaboration with WHO in areas such as public health research, capacity-building, training, programme evaluation and the translation of research evidence into policy and practice.

The visit provided a valuable platform for the exchange of ideas and reaffirmed the shared commitment of WHO and Dr RMLIMS towards strengthening evidence-based public health practice, building institutional capacity and preparing skilled public health professionals.

The meeting concluded with a commitment to explore future avenues of collaboration in public health research, policy development, implementation science, teaching and capacity-building.