The Ahmedabad University on July 16 announced that it has named its public health education division – the Bagchi School of Public Health – to honour renowned philanthropists Susmita and Subroto Bagchi.
Established in 2023, the Bagchi School of Public Health aims to revolutionise public health education and research in India, the university said.
Mindtree co-founder Subroto Bagchi donated Rs 55 crore to the university, which the varsity said, “will fuel the development of world-class physical, digital, and intellectual infrastructure”. “This investment empowers the school to become a global leader in public health education and research,” the Ahmadabad University added.
The Bagchi School leverages Ahmedabad University’s unique interdisciplinary environment and integrates research, education, and action. It will break new ground by prioritising rigorous structured Master’s and PhD programmes in specific core public health disciplines, the varsity said in a press release.
Speaking about the establishment of the school, Bagchi said, “COVID-19 opened our eyes to the huge gap in the sphere of public health education and research in India. We reached out to Ahmedabad University, as we had had several previous interactions with them that deeply impressed us with regard to their vision, ability to foster and execute innovations, and their holistic approach to education and research.”
The school’s flagship programme, a PhD in Epidemiology, will teach students the necessary advanced analytical as well as soft skills required to tackle complex public health challenges, both ongoing and unforeseen. Initial focus areas will include environmental health, analytical methods for health including biostatistics and data Science. This focus on specialisation and advanced analytical methods will address a critical gap in India’s public health education landscape, the varsity stated.