Academic exchange and collaborations in research particularly in medical science and health form the cornerstone of new breakthroughs. The University of Chicago (UChicago), which set up its center in India last year, has been collaborating with Indian healthcare institutions since. Dr Mohan Gundeti, Associate Professor Surgery, Pediatrics and Obstetrics/ Gynaecology and Director, Pediatric Urology at the UChicago hospitals (Medical) explains more in an interview with Shalini Gupta
When did University of Chicago set up its Delhi center and what was the objective behind this?
We formally inaugurated the Center in Delhi in March 2014. It provides a base for the research work of University of Chicago faculty members in India and across South Asia. With a commitment to free and open inquiry, our scholars take an interdisciplinary approach to research that spans arts to engineering, medicine to education. Their work transforms the way we understand the world, advancing fields of study, and often creating new ones. Generating new knowledge for the benefit of present and future generations, UChicago research has had an impact around the globe, leading to such breakthroughs as discovering the link between cancer and genetics, establishing revolutionary theories of economics, and developing tools to produce reliably excellent urban schooling. The Center in Delhi aims to broaden and deepen the university’s research in India in collaboration with local universities, institutions, and other bodies. The Center will also facilitate other forms of collaboration and engagement with India that enables The University of Chicago to bring its knowledge and expertise to bear in India. An ad-hoc committee of faculty members studied the issue in depth, looking at both current and potential future levels of engagement with India, before recommending the creation of the Center in Delhi.
Are you exploring collaborations with Indian hospitals or healthcare providers, doctors etc.?
In Chicago, we recently opened a new state-of-the-art hospital. This hospital was built on our experience of the Comer Children’s hospital about 10 years ago. Our experience with both these facilities has given us a unique perspective into the challenges of planning and operationalising ‘the hospital of the future’. We want to share this expertise, now, with India, to help local hospitals bring their clinical services, and their administration to reach international standards. For example, our colleagues are helping other hospitals to improve areas such as planning, design, IT, supply chain management, infection control, patient engagement, customer service, etc. We’re also very interested in collaborating in areas where we have recognised international centres of excellence such as paediatric urology, adult urological oncology and reconstructions, gynaecology, paediatric oncology including all medical and surgical specialities, neurosurgery and orthopaedic surgery. We have built deep expertise in advanced complex reconstructions and and minimally invasive surgeries. Our expert faculty members, who are both dedicated and compassionate, provide a wonderful base on which all this expertise has been built over time.
What similarities do you see between the Indian and US health systems?
The two health systems are different but the beneficiary and end goals are similar. Both systems have the scope to learn from each other as they strive to produce efficient and cost effective delivery.
Would the Center also look at capacity building/ workshops etc or certificate courses, trainings etc for the healthcare professionals?
Yes, in fact following my lecture at the center there was interest from the audience and we are working on the logistics of a live transmission of a paediatric robotic course from Chicago to Delhi on July 25 and 26. We will look to develop such opportunities in the future as well based on demand from the professional community in India.
What strengths and weaknesses do you see in the Indian healthcare system?
The strength is the ability to deliver health and large volume which is essential given the country’s population. It is difficult to talk about a universal weakness due to the fact that there are different organisations providing health care at different level within their reach and means.
Even as the health system is bursting at its seams, there are silver linings in terms of community health initiatives etc. What is the learning for the West from India? Any initiatives towards public health by UChicago?
While we don’t have a school of public health, we’re making population health management an absolute institutional priority. We have many initiatives underway, including efforts to become more accessible to vulnerable populations and ethnic minorities.
In the US, hospitals are becoming increasingly responsible for the outcomes and the life quality of their patients beyond the walls of the hospital. Over the last decade, UChicago epidemiologist, John Schneider has worked with Indian health organisations and healthcare providers, treating some of India’s highest-risk populations, and working to better understand the spread of HIV.
He learned in India that people’s social networks revolve around the use of their cell phones, and studying the text messages of men and women at risk for HIV infection in Southern India can help paint a map of risk and prevention opportunities. Schneider, a network epidemiologist and infectious disease specialist in Medicine and Health Studies, has since adapted this methodology to help prevent HIV infection in the US, including working to understand how Facebook is used in at-risk populations.
Share your views on gaps between our medical curriculum and the developments in medicine. Tell us about the partnership with Reliance on technology training for doctors?
This task is of the governing body responsible for training next generation doctors. We have a thorough process to look at future needs and incorporate into training. Reliance Foundation and the University of Chicago are collaborating to develop innovative technology that will help train medical students and clinicians for better diagnoses and improved healthcare. The collaboration is also supporting doctors in real time with evidence-based clinical decision-making tools. The partnership will develop cloud-based software applications that can train medical professionals using case studies written by experienced physicians and state-of-the-art clinical reasoning methods. Provided through technology partners i-Human Patients and AgileMD, the software will help improve medical education and provide point-of-care clinical decision support tools for health care practitioners. These tools will work to reduce diagnostic errors, improve outcomes and help save many lives. The programme is being piloted in Reliance Foundation’s Sir HN Reliance Foundation Hospital and Research Centre in Mumbai.
What lectures/ talks are planned this year and what are the plans for future?
The Center in Delhi has already hosted nearly 50 public talks, workshops, and conferences. These events have spanned all areas of interest for the University. We plan to continue to expand programming at the Center and have several exciting programmes at various stages of planning and implementation. In the medical and healthcare space, we are conducting workshops in areas such as cancer research and anti-microbial stewardship. We are working on the logistics of transmitting live to the Center in Delhi our upcoming paediatric robotic urology course.
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