As India experienced substantive health and socioeconomic consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic, the webinar focused on emerging COVID-19 variants, how vaccines can adapt to these new variants, and how India can mitigate a potential third wave. Through the webinar organized by Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health – India Research Center, Project SANCHAR, and The Lakshmi Mittal and Family South Asia Institute, panelists discussed the steps India can take to return to normal.
Speakers
William P. Hanage, Associate Professor of Epidemiology, Harvard T.H Chan School of Public Health
Dr. Bill Hanage is an Associate Professor of Epidemiology in the Center for Communicable Diseases at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. His research and teaching focus on the epidemiology of infectious disease and evolution of infectious agents. He received his PhD from Imperial College London. He joined the faculty at HSPH in 2010. He has made seminal contributions to the study of diverse pathogens, both bacteria and viruses, and has special interest in evolution in response to interventions such as vaccination or antimicrobials, using laboratory based and computational methods.
Chandrakant Lahariya, Physician-Epidemiologist and Public Policy and Health Systems Expert
Dr. Lahariya is a medical doctor and one of India’s leading public policy, vaccines and health systems experts. He has worked with academic institutions and the World Health Organization for more than 13 years. His work focuses on vaccines and vaccination programs, health system strengthening and universal health coverage. In the field of disease outbreaks, epidemics and pandemics, his work is an eclectic mix of academic research, public policy formulation and field implementation. He is amongst the leading Indian experts in the COVID-19 pandemic preparedness and response.
Moderator
Divya Rajagopal, Former Senior Assistant Editor, Economic Times
Sponsored by the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health India Research Center; Project SANCHAR (Science and News: Communicating Health and Research); and The Lakshmi Mittal and Family South Asia Institute at Harvard University, Harvard Global Research Support Centre India