JIPMER-Johns Hopkins University project to combat lung diseases

The Jawaharlal Institute of postgraduate Medical Education and Research (JIPMER), Pondicherry and the Bloomberg School of Public Health of Johns Hopkins University has jointly launched a project to address lung diseases, which is among the multi-faceted health issues in India.

Speaking to reporters after launching the Rs 60-lakh project, shared equally by the two institutions, JIPMER Director T S Ravikumar said the project was aimed at combating chronic respiratory diseases which are the second leading cause of death in India, through education, research, patient care and public health innovations.

He said contributions from various agencies and organisations would also be sought to strengthen the project, and to expand it to broader areas where the intensity of the problem of lung disease and lung cancer had been noticed.

Dr Marsha Wills Karp, the Chair and Professor of Environmental Health Sciences in the Bloomberg School of Public Health in the US, Dr Shyam Biswal, Professor in the Environment Health Sciences in the University and Thomas Sussan, the Director of Preclinical Lung Models were among those present.

The project will be implemented by going into causative factors for lung diseases,including air pollution and smoking.

Dr Karp referred to the serious impact smoking caused among vulnerable sections.

She appreciated the collaboration with JIPMER to study various aspects of pulmonary diseases. Dr Biswal said a two-day Indo-US conference on COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease) would be held in Pune on Feb 1 and 2, in which a large number of experts and clinicians would participate.

PTI

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