Johns Hopkins University (JHU) launches two programmes in India to address tuberculosis (TB) elimination in India and promoting gender equality in STEMM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and medicine).

The president of the university Ronald J. Daniels while announcing that they will be investing in programmes in India that address two national priorities also said that an estimated six per cent of TB cases reported to the National TB Elimination Programme (NTEP) are among children younger than 15 years.

To address this, Johns Hopkins researchers are collaborating with Indian colleagues to launch the TB-Free Schools Initiative. The initiative is based on the success of a cost-effective project in Himachal Pradesh that demonstrated an 87 per cent reduction in TB cases in residential schools.

The TB-Free Schools Initiative will scale the approach to four regions in three states: Pune and Satara in Maharashtra, Gorakhpur in Uttar Pradesh, and Chennai in Tamil Nadu. It will focus on preventing, diagnosing, and treating active and latent cases of TB among students attending day schools in India and on providing linkage to care, education, and counselling. The effort is a collaboration with the Government of India, the Serum Institute of India, AIIMS Gorakhpur, and the Mukul Madhav Foundation.

Commenting on it, Dr. Urvashi B. Singh, Deputy Director General, Central Tuberculosis Division, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, said, “Addressing childhood TB is a critical for eliminating tuberculosis in India. This initiative offers cost-effective screening methods that can be deployed in schools nationwide.”

The other key investment by JHU is a career advancement initiative for women in STEMM. It will train and mentor 40 early-career women for senior R&D roles in its pilot edition. Globally, women are underrepresented in STEMM careers, representing just 29 per cent of all STEMM workers, according to the World Economic Forum.

Although women represent an estimated 43 per cent of India’s STEMM graduates (a figure that surpasses countries with higher GDPs, including the U.S.), they comprise only 17 per cent of the research workforce in India, a JHU statement issued in this regard said.

Some of the barriers that inhibit women’s long-term success as STEMM researchers include lack of mentorship support, gender bias, and limited information about research grants. To bridge these gaps, the Johns Hopkins Gupta-Klinsky India Institute (GKII), has been selected as an anchor partner by the US Department of State under the aegis of US-India Alliance for Women’s Economic Empowerment (Alliance) to design and develop a national fellowship program specifically for career advancement of women scientists in India, it added.

Other anchor partners are the US India Business Council and the American India Foundation, who are working towards improving representation of women in the corporate workforce and entrepreneurship respectively. GKII will select a cohort of early career professionals for a 12-month program comprising technical research education & training, experiential learning opportunities, structured mentorship, leadership development, and networking.

Commenting on the event, Ronald J. Daniels, President, Johns Hopkins University said, “India is a place of tremendous talent and opportunity, and Johns Hopkins values its enduring collaborations in India and their impact. We are excited to launch these two initiatives that reflect our shared commitment to innovation and human flourishing.”