BITS Pilani, One Health Trust Join Hands to Launch a PhD Program in Data Science for Global Health

The Birla Institute of Technology and Science (BITS) collaborates with One Health Trust (founded as CDDEP) to launch a PhD programme in Data Science for Global Health. 

One Health Trust (OHT), headquartered in Washington, D.C. and Bangalore, India, focuses on leading projects that contribute to policy recommendations and scientific studies published in leading journals. It is funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF), Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF), World Health Organization (WHO), among others.  

The full-time interdisciplinary degree will facilitate advanced global health education and provide expertise in statistical/quantitative and qualitative skills. Therefore, it will train graduates/postgraduates on the current global health issues and cutting-edge research methodologies, which include fieldwork and data analysis. 

The unique doctoral programme is the first PhD programme in the Chikkaballapur district in Karnataka, India. Both BITS Pilani, Hyderabad, and the Nimai Valley Center of the One Health Trust (OHT), scheduled to open in the Chikkaballapur region of Karnataka in January 2024, will host courses and research projects for students.

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The programme is ideal for those looking for new roles as public health data scientists in government, non-profit, and for-profit organisations in the public health and biomedical fields. Additionally, working professionals already employed in such organisations but looking to use data effectively to advance their pursuits are also welcomed. 

The faculty at BITS Pilani and OHT are experienced in a variety of research areas, including communicable disease dynamics, antimicrobial resistance; vaccines and immunisation; environmental health; gender, equity and livelihoods; health and development; health systems; and economics.

Prof. G. Sundar, Senior Professor and Director of BITS Pilani, Hyderabad Campus, said, "The rigorous research and data analysis expertise of OHT will serve to greatly strengthen data-driven public health policymaking in the country, and thus raise the levels of overall well-being." 

The applications for the doctoral programme are open until March 31, 2023, and can be applied for here. The first cohort of the course will commence in July 2023.