1061-India-The India Primary Health Care Support Initiative (IPSI)

The India Primary Health Care Support Initiative (IPSI) was established in July 2020 under a grant from the Gates Foundation. The Initiative is led by the Johns Hopkins University (JHU) in partnership with the All India Institute of Medical Sciences-Delhi.

IPSI aims to support the health ministry in (a) developing a framework to assess the performance of the Primary Health Care system in India; (b)IPSI also supports one district each from the three states- Gujarat, Odisha and Meghalaya to strengthen the delivery of Comprehensive Primary Health Care and improve the primary healthcare system’s performance.

The student will primarily be responsible for tasks related to the Demonstrate pillar of IPSI’s work, where IPSI has partnered with the government to provide technical support related to the implementation of the HWC program in 5 states in India. Specific tasks will be dependent on the stage of the project during the placement, but may include research, data cleaning and analysis, and manuscript writing. The student may also work on the Measurement and Demonstrate pillars depending on the project needs at the time. There may be the opportunity to visit IPSI project sites throughout the country if the student’s timeline aligns with site visits.

The professional environment of this placement is highly collaborative and supportive. While in the Delhi office, there will be daily meetings/discussions/brainstorming sessions to discuss project performance and goals. The team values hearing new perspectives and opinions and everyone on the team is willing to help each other out when needed.

This placement would be a good fit for someone who wants to gain in-depth knowledge of the PHC landscape in India. Within the Demonstrate pillar, this project will allow the student to work within the implementation and monitoring of health system strengthening interventions. IPSI partners with state governments and academic institutions, allowing the student to gain exposure to a variety of stakeholders in PHC. There will be the opportunity to build skills in data analysis, research, and project management.

Qualitative analysis, quantitative analysis, writing

Name: Krishna Rao, kdrao@jhu.edu

I would describe my communication and mentorship styles as... 

Supportive, interested, and engaged.

A complementary student would have a working style and mentorship expectations that are..

Hardworking, curious, and capable of independent work. 

Estimated Costs:

Project will only cover local travel and related expenses within India to field sites. Covering any other costs will need to be discussed. 

Additional support from PI: 

Possible to hire student as hourly worker. Travel grant possible through GKII.