Date: 25/03/2021
Duration: 14:00-15:00pm (GMT)
Location: Online
Strengthening health systems and capacity
In this webinar, Commonwealth Alumnus Dr Namrata Ganneri will spotlight the early history of independent India’s smallpox eradication programme, which formally commenced in 1962. Based on her extensive archival research, she will show how the intensified phase of global smallpox eradication launched by the World Health Organization (WHO) in 1967 drew on the innovations and experiences of the Indian programme.
The presentation will provide insights into the challenges faced and eventually overcome in formulating and implementing one of the world’s most extensive vaccination campaigns, and conclude with reflections on the lessons offered by this great public health success story to tackle current global health challenges.
The webinar will last for approximately 1 hour, including a Q&A session.
The CSC’s Knowledge Hub webinar series is open to Hub members. Through the series, Commonwealth Scholars and Alumni will discuss their work and contribution to development across a range of contemporary global challenges, and provide insight into ongoing research and action.
You can watch previous webinars on the CSC’s YouTube channel.
Dr Namrata R Ganneri holds a tenured position in the department of history at S.N.D.T. College of Arts & S.C.B. College of Commerce and Science for Women in Mumbai, India. She is part of the international project, ‘Salt, Protest and Public Health in modern India’, coordinated by the University of York and Ambedkar University in Delhi. Her work on this project, supported by funding from the Rockefeller Foundation, offers a critical appraisal of the contributions of India’s first health minister, Rajkumari Amrit Kaur. Following her post-doctorate, she is completing a monograph on post-independent India’s smallpox eradication programme
Dr Ganneri is a 2017 Commonwealth Rutherford Fellow from India. She completed her post-doctorate in the History of Medicine and Health Policy at the University of York.
