The Indian Institute of Technology Bombay is organising an Institute Colloquium on Thursday, July 10, 2025.

The details of the colloquium are provided below:

Title: "Global health research from India for the world"
 
Speaker: Dr. Gagandeep Kang (FRS), Director-Enterics, Diagnostics, Genomics and Epidemiology, Global Health, Gates Foundation

Abstract:
India's large population requires that affordable scalable solutions be developed to enable healthcare for our population. Frequently, solutions for India can also be solutions for the world. We will discuss examples of discovery and innovations that have addressed cholera, polio and rotavirus and look to the future of what India can offer the world.

About the Speaker:
Dr. Gagandeep Kang is a renowned Indian physician-scientist and clinical microbiologist, celebrated for her pioneering work in the field of enteric diseases, vaccinology, and public health. Born on November 3, 1962, in Shimla, she completed her MBBS, MD in Microbiology, and PhD at Christian Medical College (CMC), Vellore, and later pursued postdoctoral research at the Baylor College of Medicine in the United States. She has held several prominent academic and leadership positions, including Professor of Microbiology at CMC Vellore and Executive Director of the Translational Health Science and Technology Institute (THSTI), India, from 2016 to 2020. Dr. Kang is internationally recognised for her extensive research on childhood diarrhoeal diseases such as rotavirus, cholera, and typhoid, particularly in low- and middle-income countries. She led one of the world’s largest birth cohort studies on rotavirus, which revealed unique insights into the lower natural immunity among Indian children—findings that have been critical for vaccine development. Her contributions were instrumental in the development, testing, and national rollout of two Indian-made rotavirus vaccines, including ROTAVAC®, both of which are now WHO-prequalified. Beyond vaccine development, she has played a key role in building surveillance systems and leading clinical trials for enteric diseases across India. She has also served on various global expert committees, including those of the World Health Organisation, and is currently involved in global health initiatives as Director of Enterics, Diagnostics, Genomics, and Epidemiology at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Her work has been recognised with numerous accolades, including the Infosys Prize in Life Sciences in 2016, and the Canada Gairdner Global Health Award in 2024. In 2019, she became the first Indian woman elected as a Fellow of the Royal Society. Dr. Kang is also a fellow of several prestigious scientific academies in India and abroad. As a dedicated mentor and educator, she has helped build capacity in translational medicine and guided countless young scientists in India. Her career exemplifies the impactful intersection of scientific excellence, public health leadership, and global collaboration.

Speaker's webpage:
https://en-m-wikipedia-org.translate.goog/wiki/Gagandeep_Kang?_x_tr_sl=…