Secretary to Government of India, Department of Health Research and Director General, Indian Council of Medical Research
Dr Rajiv Bahl is a physician-scientist, with specialization in paediatrics and public health (PhD). He has also received an Honorary Doctorate from University of Bergen, Norway, in 2022 in recognition of his contributions to maternal and child health research. He has 30 years of experience leading health research and translating research to public health policy both in India and at a global level.
Dr Bahl has held the position of Head of Research on Maternal, Newborn, Child and Adolescent Health at the World Health Organization (WHO), Geneva (2013-22). Prior to that, he was responsible for Newborn and Child Health research at WHO (2003-2012) and was a scientist in the ICMR Advanced Centre for Diarrheal Disease and Nutrition Research at All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) from 1994-2002.
His expertise includes setting the research agenda, conceptualizing and implementing health research to address key priorities, mobilizing resources, supporting and building capacity of research institutions to implement research studies with excellence, and translating research findings into public health policy and programmes.
Dr Bahl has supported population-based, multi-country research studies in over 20 countries in Asia and Africa and has contributed to strengthening research capacity in over 50 institutions.
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