Dr. Karlee Silver, Vice President (Programs) of Grand Challenges Canada accompanied by her team of researchers visited the Gurugram Civil Hospital (GCH) and THSTI to learn about the ongoing studies on preterm birth, the associated stress outcomes on pregnancy & fetal growth and creation of a biorepository being pursued by the host teams. The meeting was also used as a platform to exchange views on similar programs across the globe.
GCH and THSTI are the joint recipients of grants under the Grand Challenges India (GCI) Program awarded to carry out maternal and child health research. The collaboration is also funded by the Department of Biotechnology (Government of India), Biotechnology Industry Research Associate Council (BIRAC) and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation – Wellcome Trust.
Dr. Silver was accompanied by Dr. Shirshendu Mukherjee, Dr. Arpita Gupta and Dr. Richa Vashishta from BIRAC. Representatives from both GCH and THSTI were present for the meeting to brief the visitors about their roles and responsibilities in GCI. GCH officials who attended were Dr. Pradeep Sharma, Dr. Brahmdeep Sindhu, Dr. Sunita Sharma, Dr. Umesh Mehta and Dr. Manoj Sharma. THSTI was represented by Dr. Shinjini Bhatnagar, Dr. Nitya Wadhwa, Dr. Uma Chandra Mouli Natchu, Dr. Shailaja Sopory and Dr. Pallavi Kshetrapal with their clinical and project management teams.