Faculty Spotlight
Global Expertise, Local Impact
At ISDH, our faculty represents the pinnacle of academic excellence and practical experience in sustainable development and public health. Our professors bring diverse perspectives from medical sciences, engineering, social sciences, and policy research—creating a truly interdisciplinary learning environment.
Faculty Spotlight
Dr. P. N. Rajalakshmi
Director, Center for Sustainable Health Systems
MBBS, MS, Ex-Senior Registrar, TATA Memorial Hospital
Dr. Rajalakshmi spearheads ISDH’s pioneering research initiatives focused on developing cost-effective healthcare delivery models optimized for resource-constrained environments. Her distinguished 25-year career across prestigious clinical establishments has equipped her with exceptional insights into healthcare system optimization and resource allocation strategies.
Research Focus: Clinical healthcare system management, operational efficiency in medical institutions, value-based care implementation, sustainable healthcare delivery frameworks
Prof. (Dr.) Jamuna
Head, Health Technology Innovation Lab
MTech, PhD, IIT Kharagpur
Prof. Jamuna embodies ISDH’s commitment to transformative interdisciplinary approaches, applying rigorous engineering methodologies to address critical public health challenges. Her groundbreaking work on frugal innovation technologies for rural healthcare delivery has garnered recognition for combining technical sophistication with contextual appropriateness.
Research Focus: Medical device innovation for low-resource settings, appropriate technology adaptation, digital health interventions, engineering applications in public health systems
Dr. Jay Panda
Visiting Faculty, Chair, Department of Health Policy and Economics
MBBS, MD (Community Medicine)
Dr. Panda brings exceptional policy expertise informed by extensive fieldwork across diverse healthcare settings. His contributions to universal health coverage models have been widely recognized for their pragmatic approach to healthcare financing and service delivery.
Research Focus: Health systems strengthening, healthcare financing mechanisms, economic evaluation of public health programs, evidence-informed policy development, implementation science
Prof. (Dr.) Soumyashree Pradhan
Visiting Professor, Global Health Practice
PhD (Public Health), Utkal University
Prof. Pradhan brings contemporary academic perspectives to ISDH through her dual appointment with the Public Health Department at Utkal University. This synergistic arrangement ensures our curriculum remains at the cutting edge of public health scholarship while maintaining strong connections to regional health priorities and challenges.
Research Focus: Maternal and child health innovation, community-based intervention design, health systems analysis, social determinants of health, implementation research methodologies
Dr. Chittaranjan
Global Social Policy Advisor
MSW, MBA, PhD (Sociology), OAS (Vol. Retd.)
The Safe Alliance, Austin, USA
Prof. Jamuna embodies ISDH’s commitment to transformative interdisciplinary approaches, applying rigorous engineering methodologies to address critical public health challenges. Her groundbreaking work on frugal innovation technologies for rural healthcare delivery has garnered recognition for combining technical sophistication with contextual appropriateness.
Research Focus: Medical device innovation for low-resource settings, appropriate technology adaptation, digital health interventions, engineering applications in public health systems
Distinguished Visiting Faculty
Dr. Chittaranjan
Global Social Policy Advisor
MSW, MBA, PhD (Sociology), OAS (Vol. Retd.)
The Safe Alliance, Austin, USA
Dr. Chittaranjan bridges international social policy with grassroots implementation, bringing a rare combination of administrative experience and academic rigor. His transatlantic perspective enriches ISDH’s curriculum with comparative insights on social determinants of health across diverse cultural contexts.
Teaching Focus: Social policy design, cross-cultural health interventions, community mobilization strategies
Prof. A. B. Ota
Senior Advisor, Tribal Health Systems
MA, M.Phil, PhD (Anthropology), Retd. IAS
Prof. Ota represents the rare convergence of anthropological scholarship and administrative leadership. His distinguished career in the Indian Administrative Service, combined with his extensive research on indigenous communities, provides ISDH students with unparalleled insights into the complexities of implementing health programs in diverse cultural contexts.
Research Focus: Indigenous health systems, cultural competence in healthcare delivery, tribal development policy
Prof. (Dr.) Shameek Sinha
Visiting Professor, Health Economics & Management
PhD (Management) – University of Texas, MS (Economics), MS (Quantitative Economics) – ISI Delhi
Dr. Sinha brings sophisticated analytical frameworks from management science and economics to public health challenges. His pioneering work on econometric modeling of healthcare delivery systems offers ISDH students cutting-edge approaches to resource optimization and impact assessment.
Teaching Focus: Health system efficiency analysis, economic evaluation of public health programs, management science applications in healthcare
Dr. Jyotisman Das
Clinical Public Health Specialist
MBBS, MPH
Dr. Das exemplifies the new generation of clinicians embracing population health perspectives. His seamless integration of clinical medicine with public health approaches provides ISDH students with a powerful model for bridging individual patient care and community-level interventions.
Areas of Excellence: Clinical epidemiology, health services research, preventive medicine, healthcare quality improvement
Dr. Prachi Parimita Rout
Advisor, Cultural Dimensions of Health
PhD (Anthropology), Assistant Director, SCSTRTI
Dr. Rout brings anthropological insights to public health challenges, particularly in understanding how cultural beliefs shape health behaviors. Her current leadership role at the Scheduled Castes & Scheduled Tribes Research and Training Institute allows ISDH students unique access to applied research opportunities in vulnerable communities.
Expertise: Medical anthropology, indigenous health knowledge systems, culturally adaptive health communication
Badal Dhangadi Majhi
Indigenous Knowledge Systems Specialist
MA (Sociology), PhD (Tribal Studies), Research Assistant, SCSTRTI
Mr. Majhi offers ISDH students’ rare insights into indigenous perspectives on health and healing. His ethnographic research documents traditional health practices, creating vital bridges between ancestral wisdom and contemporary public health approaches.
Teaching Focus: Traditional medicine systems, indigenous approaches to community health, participatory research methodologies
Subhadarshi Routray
Health Supply Chain Management Specialist
MBA (Logistics & Supply Chain Management), MPH
Mr. Routray’s unique combination of business logistics expertise and public health training addresses one of healthcare’s most critical challenges: ensuring essential medicines and supplies reach those who need them most. His practical experience optimizing health supply chains provides ISDH students with applicable skills for improving healthcare delivery systems.
Areas of Excellence: Cold chain management, healthcare supply optimization, logistics for emergency health response
Dr. Pramod Kumar Panda
Senior Clinical Advisor
MBBS, MD (Pediatrics), Ex-DMO (MS) & Medical Superintendent, DHH-Paralakhemundi
Dr. Panda brings decades of leadership in public health systems to ISDH classrooms. His experience managing district-level healthcare services offers students practical insights into health system administration, quality improvement, and healthcare leadership in resource-constrained settings.
Teaching Focus: Health facility management, quality improvement in public health facilities, maternal and child health services integration
Dr. Rega L.N. Pattnaik
Reproductive & Maternal Health Specialist
MBBS, MD (Obstetrics & Gynecology), DHH-Paralakhemundi
Dr. Pattnaik bridges clinical obstetric practice with public health approaches to maternal wellbeing. Her frontline experience in district healthcare settings provides ISDH students with crucial insights into reproductive health challenges and practical intervention strategies that work in real-world settings.
Areas of Excellence: Maternal health service delivery, reproductive health program design, obstetric care in resource-limited settings
Dr. Suprio Parui
Healthcare Quality Systems Expert
MBBS, MD, Ex-Academic Head, CMRI Hospital, Kolkata
Dr. Parui brings hospital system leadership experience to ISDH’s curriculum. His expertise in establishing and maintaining clinical excellence frameworks offers students practical knowledge in healthcare quality assurance, academic medical center operations, and continuous professional development systems.
Teaching Focus: Healthcare quality metrics, clinical governance systems, medical education frameworks, continuous quality improvement
Dr. Santanu Padhi
Public Health Medicine Specialist
MBBS, MD (Community Medicine), Assistant Professor, Jagannath Medical College, Puri
Dr. Padhi exemplifies the integration of clinical medicine with population health perspectives. His current academic appointment provides ISDH with valuable connections to medical education networks, while his community medicine expertise enriches our curriculum with preventive health approaches.
Research Focus: Preventive health strategies, communicable disease control, community health assessment methodologies
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