Dr. Ashish Joshi, PhD, MBBS, MPH, Founder of FHTS and Dean and Distinguished University Professor at the University of Memphis School of Public Health, joined the inaugural session of the 29th Annual Conference of the Indian Association of Preventive and Social Medicine (IAPSM), Uttar Pradesh-Uttarakhand State Chapter, online. He addressed the delegates in the presence of Shri Subodh Uniyal, Cabinet Minister of Medical Health and Medical Education, Government of Uttarakhand.

In his address, Dr. Joshi spoke about why public health research matters for future doctors. Studying to become a doctor is one achievement, he noted, but doing research alongside it is what helps them understand the health needs of their communities and find solutions that work. He emphasised that this habit is best built early, during medical training itself.

In support of this message, he announced the Anusandhanika Scholarship (अनुसंधानिका छात्रवृत्ति), with the theme “ज्ञान और अनुसंधान की ओर” (Towards Knowledge and Research), exclusively for undergraduate students of government medical colleges in Uttarakhand. The scholarship is limited to 10 students and comes with a stipend. Students will be supported to frame research questions, collect data from the community, develop health interventions, and monitor health outcomes, while sharing their findings with the people concerned, with the aim of building a culture of research and evidence-based innovation among medical students.