Public Health Foundation of India

Professor Sanjay Zodpey is the President, Public Health Foundation of India, which ranks second globally among schools of public health and promotes inter-disciplinary and health system connected professional education, research, knowledge translation and technology development. An institution builder, he played an important role in setting up Indian Institutes of Public Health (IIPHs) across India and developed multi-disciplinary technical teams in public health. He has led the development of PHFI’s academic portfolio for advancing the mandate of PHFI.

He has held joint appointments as Honorary / Adjunct Professor in five international universities: Georgia Southern University, Georgia; University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, USA; The University of Sydney, Australia; Deakin University, Melbourne, Australia; and Patan Academy of Health Sciences (PAHS), Lalitpur, Nepal. He has also held joint appointments as Adjunct Faculty at Faculty of Biological Sciences, Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research, CSIR, Govt. of India; Honorary Distinguished Professor of Health Systems, Department of Medical Research and Development, Datta Meghe Institute of Medical Sciences Deemed University, Nagpur; and Distinguished Research Professor, Faculty of Health Sciences (FoHS), Symbiosis International (Deemed University), Pune. He is appointed as ‘Outstanding Professor’ by Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), An Institution of National Importance established by an Act of Parliament, Government of India.

Earlier he has served as Vice President – Academics, Public Health Foundation of India and provided leadership to the Indian Institute of Public Health, Delhi as its Founding Director. He has also served as Director of Indian Institutes of Public Health at Gandhinagar and Bhubaneswar. Before joining PHFI, he had a distinguished career as Professor at Department of Preventive and Social Medicine, Faculty in Clinical Epidemiology Unit and Vice Dean at Government Medical College, Nagpur, India. His teaching contribution was recognized with ‘Best Teacher Award’ during his tenure at Government Medical College, Nagpur. He also worked as Professor and Head at the Department of Preventive and Social Medicine, Shri VN Government Medical College, Yavatmal, India.

Professor Zodpey is an internationally renowned epidemiologist, public health scientist, award-winning educator and a widely recognized academic leader. His background as a physician, epidemiologist, scientist and thought leader on public health uniquely position him to drive the national and global public health agenda. He is a trained public health professional with multidisciplinary qualifications. He completed all his medical education – MBBS, MD and PhD from Government Medical College, Nagpur, India. He has acquired post-graduate qualifications in Sociology, Public Administration, and Economics from Nagpur University.

He is conferred ‘Doctor of Science (DSc) (Honoris Causa)’ by DMIMS Deemed to be University, Wardha for long-standing contribution to medical science and public health. He has been conferred ‘Doctor of Medicine (honoris causa) by The University of Sydney, Australia in recognition of his eminent contributions to public health in India, the region, and the world.

He is Honorary Member of Faculty of Public Health, UK and Member of European Public Health Association. He is Fellow of the Indian Public Health Association, Indian Association of Preventive and Social Medicine, Indian Society for Malaria and Other Communicable Diseases and National Academy of Medical Sciences (India). He was the National President of Indian Association of Preventive and Social Medicine for two consecutive terms.

He has been a member of numerous distinguished panels, advisory groups, technical task forces and academic & research committees nationally and internationally. He earlier served as the Chair of Research Advisory Council of National Institute of Miners’ Health, Ministry of Mines, Government of India. His is currently the Chair of Scientific Advisory Committee (SAC) of two eminent ICMR institutions – National AIDS Research Institute, Pune and National Institute for Research in Environmental Health (NIREH), Bhopal.

He was the Chair of Global Evaluation and Monitoring Network for Health. He has been appointed Board Member of Routine Health Information Network, Inc [RHINO], Boston, USA. He has been an active member of INCLEN and has contributed to various research initiatives, including IndiaCLEN Program Evaluation Network. He was the Country Lead for Asia Pacific Network on Health Professional Education Reforms [ANHER] and Country Focal Point for Asia Pacific Action Alliance for Human Resources for Health [AAAH]. He has also served as Member on Institute of Medicine [IOM, Washington DC] Global Forum on Innovation in Health Professional Education.

Professor Zodpey is a prolific researcher. He was involved in several major national and international research initiatives, which have contributed significantly to the field of public health. He featured in top 2 percent scientists across the world for his research contribution in Tropical Medicine for three consecutive years as part of worldwide ranking of scientists in all science fields conducted by a team led by scientists from Stanford University. Research.com, a leading academic platform for researchers, ranked Prof. Zodpey #1 in India in the category of Best Scientists in the field of Social Sciences and Humanities for two consecutive years, based on D-index (Discipline H-index) metric. He is recipient of ‘Outstanding Faculty Award: Health Professions’ for being the most research-proficient faculty of India in 2023, by CAREERS 360.

He has vast experience of research collaboration with national and international agencies, academic and research institutions and organizations, development partners and governments. He has been investigator for more than 178 research, program development, technical assistance and capacity development projects supported by various donor agencies, development partners and governments. Prof. Zodpey has authored more than 437 scientific publications [h-index (Google Scholar): 68] in international and Indian peer reviewed journals. He has been faculty for over 160 workshops on research methods, epidemiology, and public health. He has edited the Indian Journal of Public Health for nine years (three years as Chief Editor) and served as Associate Editor of Frontiers in Public Health Education and Promotion and is on editorial board of several international and national journals. His current research interests include global health, health systems research, health workforce development and education of health professionals.

His contributions to public health have been recognized through several awards and honors. He has been felicitated by Shri Bhagat Singh Koshyari, Honorable Governor of Maharashtra with ‘COVID Warrior Award’ in appreciation of outstanding commitment, dedication, and selfless service during the pandemic. He is also the recipient of Public Health Education Leadership Award for significant contributions in promoting public health education in the WHO’s South-East Asia Region.