Advancing Knowledge For Healthier Lives
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Academics

KEMHRC offers rich opportunities for students from India and abroad to undertake internships or complete their thesis work at both graduate and postgraduate levels. Students from diverse fields such as public health, medicine, life sciences, social sciences, and health policy are encouraged to apply.

Engaging with ongoing research projects provides students practical experience, interdisciplinary exposure, and mentorship from experienced faculty.

The Centre’s academic activities enable it to foster learning, encourage global collaboration, and create a vibrant intellectual environment. This greatly supports its role as a hub for education, research, and innovation in health sciences.

PhD Programme in Health Sciences

Being recognised as a PhD research centre by a reputed university is a significant milestone for any research institute. It reflects the credibility, academic rigour, and infrastructure required to support high-quality doctoral research. KEMHRC’s recognition by Pune University for PhD in Health Sciences underscores its commitment to advancing knowledge, fostering innovation, and nurturing the next generation of researchers in critical areas such as public health, clinical research, epidemiology, health systems, and policy studies.

The Centre’s PhD programme enables scholars to engage in in-depth research under expert guidance and within an environment that encourages scientific inquiry and academic excellence. It also allows the KEMHRC to collaborate more actively with universities, other research bodies, and funding agencies. Students benefit from the Centre’s ongoing projects, gaining access to field sites, experienced faculty, and well-equipped laboratories and libraries.

The PhD programme transforms KEMHRC from being primarily a site of research implementation into a centre of academic thought and higher learning. It creates a vibrant academic ecosystem where ideas are exchanged, new methods are developed, and research findings contribute directly to national and global health priorities. Well-respected in the field, the PhD programme at KEMHRC attracts talented young researchers, postdoctoral fellows, and international collaborations, further enriching the research culture.

By integrating doctoral research into its core activities, the Centre not only contributes to capacity-building in the health sciences but also ensures that its work has both immediate impact and long-term academic value. The presence of a PhD programme adds depth, continuity, and intellectual vibrancy to KEMHRC’s mission of improving health outcomes through evidence- based research and innovation.

PhD Students

Name of Student
Registration YearPhD Topic
Guide
Research Place and
University
Current
Status
Diksha Singh

2022-2023





Developing and testing the feasibility of a comprehensive psychological intervention to assess and manage the psychosocial impact of suffering from chronic respiratory diseases amongst adults seeking pulmonary rehabilitation in rural IndiaDr. Dhiraj Agarwal
Dr. Hilary Pinnock
Dr. Ruth McQuillan
Dr. Kirstie McClatchey


KEM Hospital Research Centre Pune and University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK



Ongoing





Mitali Inamdar

2022-2023

Influence of maternal microbiome on development of infant’s gut microbiomeDr. Dhiraj Agarwal
Dr. Dhiraj Dhotre
KEM Hospital Research Centre Pune and Savitribai Phule Pune University, Pune, IndiaOngoing

Karan Nagpurkar


2021-2022


Strengthening implementation of Universal Drug Susceptibility Testing (UDST) for diagnosis of drug- resistant tuberculosis in Pune districtDr. Dhiraj Agarwal


KEM Hospital Research Centre Pune and Savitribai Phule Pune University, Pune, India
Ongoing


Sindhu Nila


2019-2020


Social determinants of non- communicable diseases and risk factors in tribal areas in Pune district,
Maharashtra, India
Dr. Sanjay Juvekar
Dr. Dhiraj Agarwal

KEM Hospital Research Centre Pune and Savitribai Phule Pune University, Pune, India
Ongoing


Varsha Maske


2018-2019


A study of the outcome, compliance and client satisfaction of postpartum intrauterine contraceptive device (PPIUCD) – a family planning methodDr. Sanjay Juvekar
Dr. Dhiraj Agarwal

KEM Hospital Research Centre Pune and Savitribai Phule Pune University, Pune, India
Ongoing


Snigdha Gupta


2018-2019


Study on nutritive composition of wheat germ and its supplementation effect on weight reduction and lipid profile in human subjectsDr. Sonali Sanghavi


KEM Hospital Research Centre Pune and Savitribai Phule Pune University, Pune, India
Ongoing


Completed PhD

Name of StudentPhD TopicResearch Place and University
Aditi Apte
Nanotechnology for transdermal delivery of micronutrients for prevention and treatment of nutritional deficienciesDepartment of Biosciences and Bioengineering, Indian Institute of Technology, Mumbai, India
Rutuja Patil

To assess the feasibility of using a well-established teleconsultation facility(Micro Health Centre -MHC) in management of COPD and asthma in a resource constrained areaUniversity of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK

Sudipto Roy

Care-seeking practices of and barriers to care- seeking for pneumonia in children aged less than five years in tribal and non-tribal rural areas of Pune district, IndiaUniversity of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK

Shirish Raut
Preclinical pharmacological evaluation of metal and metal oxide nanoparticlesSavitribai Phule Pune University, Pune and APT research Centre, Pune, India
Dhiraj Agarwal
Exploring the human oral and nasal microbiota in healthy and diseased population - a study of rural population in Pune, IndiaChest Research Foundation, Savitribai Phule Pune University, Pune, India
Vijendra Ingole
A study of weather effect, susceptibility, and potential impact of climate change on mortality in Vadu HDSS, IndiaDepartment of Public Health and Clinical Medicine, UmeĂĄ University, Sweden
Utkarsh Mukkannwar
Assessment of the ambient and indoor air quality and its relative impact on respiratory health in rural settings in IndiaInterdisciplinary School of Health Sciences, Savitribai Phule Pune University, Pune, India
Siddhi Hirve
Integrating aging research in demographic surveillance areas – the HDSS, Vadu experience in a rural district in Western IndiaDepartment of Public Health and Clinical Medicine, Umeå University, Sweden