SIT India Academic Director Azim Khan at Yale, Williams this month

Announcement Date: April 4, 2019

Dr. Azim Khan, Academic Director for the SIT Study Abroad program India: Public Health, Gender, and Community Action, will be at two New England institutions this month.

His first stop is Yale University for the Global Health and Innovation Conference April 13-14, where Khan will present a paper, “Comprehensive Community-Based Maternal and Child Healthcare Model in Rural Bahraich in Uttar Pradesh, India,” based on a model that he and two community health leaders developed for 10 villages.

The second event is at Williams College on April 17, where Khan will speak to The Public Health Class of 1960 Scholars Program. His talk, “Indian Health System: Challenges and Opportunities,” takes place at 7:30 pm in Griffin 6 and is open to the public.

Khan’s lecture will address the public health structure in India and trace the evolution of the major health programs and initiatives, with a focus on primary health care. “In any country, health systems and polices play a critical role in determining the way preventive, curative, rehabilitative and promotive health services are delivered,” he notes. “In India, the final prerogative on implementation of the initiatives lies with the states.”

Khan’s semester-long study abroad program for undergraduates explores public health in India and Thailand, examining Indian systems of medicine including Ayurveda and yoga, health equity, and public health challenges including water, sanitation, and the environment. He also directs a summer program that explores how India maintains its vibrant traditional medicine systems while experiencing rapid economic growth and modernization.