PHFI

The Public Health Foundation of India (PHFI) from its inception is mandated to establish a strong national research network of public health and allied institutionswhich would undertake policy and programme relevant research that will advancepublic health goals in prioritized areas - with suitable international partnershipswherever useful and appropriate.In this direction, the research wing at PHFI has been undertaking projects in multipleareas of public health importance.

PHFI acknowledges that scientific curiosity is fundamental to the conduct of research. Institutions like PHFI are dedicated to the discovery, transmission, and advancement of knowledge and understanding. PHFI therefore, endeavors to support and encourage scientific curiosity and freedom of inquiry for faculty, staff, and students to the end that they may responsibly pursue these goals through teaching, training, research, discussion, and publications. An environment of free inquiry is the foundation that supports continued development and vitality.

Research Strength of the Team

To lead, manage, and support such diverse projects, PHFI has amultidisciplinary team of researchers, with medical and nonmedical backgrounds (management, psychology, economics, finance, statistics, social work, pharmacy), who specialize intechnical areas such as health economics, health systems andfinancing, policy analysis, epidemiology, clinical research, genetics, nutrition, biostatistics, demography and some others. Our researchers also work on adolescent health, equity issues,urban health, community-based initiatives, women’sempowerment, mental health, oral health and climate change. Currently, there are more than a 100 faculty and research staff (30+ PhD fellows) working on multiple projects of public health concern rangingfrom junior and middle to senior level.

Research Funding at PHFI

Research projects are done in collaboration with central and state government partners, national and internationaluniversities and institutions, and enable provision of direct and indirect inputs into national and state level policy making.

Major national funding agencies/partners include Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW), Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), Department of Science and Technology (DST), and some State level organizations. PHFI has won several competitively adjudged research and project grants from international agencies including WellcomeTrust, National Institutes of Health, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Norwegian Government, Bloomberg GlobalInitiative, World Health Organization, World Bank, USAID, and UNICEF.

To ensure ethical aspects of research, an Institutional Ethics Committee (IEC) has been established at PHFI to review allresearch proposals. The IEC provides guidance and promotes ethical conduct in all research conducted by researchers at PHFI.