The Touch of Hope Foundation’s research division - Epidemiological Clinical and Operational Research Project (Epi-CORP) will focus on strengthening vulnerable communities and empowering various health faculties including pharmaceutical companies and public health decision-making bodies with information gathered through clinical and social research pertaining to various health issues. Epi-CORP's endeavors to make key connections between lifestyle and wellness, between disease and its effect on people’s lives, between treatment and outcome. Epi-CORP will pursue a vigorous agenda of patient centered, population and practice-based research. Epi-CORP will be a catalyst that will help draw out the power of knowledge to impact positive social change in matters of health. We are passionate about bringing people together to use knowledge to provide real and innovative solutions to community needs. Our approach to research is participatory and action oriented. Infected and affected population, physicians, community members, vulnerable and marginalized groups such as MSM, IDUs, DU, sex workers, migrants, refugees and women and children, community organizations, government ministries, social and health services, educational institutions all collaborate with THF and benefit from our professional work.
THF Epi CORP Core Team of researchers with years of experience in public health at national and international arena are a very innovative, creative and insightful group who has garnered through their long involvement in clinical and operational research the skill and the capacity for excellence in research. The Touch of Hope Foundation has a strong network of community-based organizations across India and in the Asia Pacific region. This highly trained group of professionals from medical and social scientists network enables THF to conduct community based research across the region transcending through all communities infected and affected by the HIV epidemic and other communicable diseases. Societies face diverse health challenges that require innovative solutions. Epi-CORP's experienced multi-disciplinary team facilitates groups to find the right solutions using: evaluation, applied research, epidemiological analysis, training and community mobilization.
Epi-CORP is committed to providing valued based services that extend beyond simple results; we impact positive change through our activities. We work within neighborhoods, rural areas and cities across India and in the Asia Pacific region. Epi-CORP expands to serve the community and bring high-end data and results to make a difference in programming, program management ad bring solutions to combat health related dismay and concerns.
THF Epi CORP Core Team Members:
Dr Ashutosh Mishra is a public health specialist with a medical degree from India. He holds an MPH degree in Epidemiology from the University of Sheffield, UK and an MS (Epidemiology) from Columbia University, New York. He is currently working at Engenderhealth as a program officer for the global RESPOND project, one that aims to expand awareness of, acceptance and access to No-Scalpel Vasectomy (NSV) in the state of Uttar Pradesh, India. Prior to joining Engenderhealth, he has worked in Assam at AIDS Healthcare Foundation-India Cares, an international NGO that provides cutting edge medicine and care services to those infected and affected by HIV/AIDS. Dr. Mishra has a keen interest in descriptive and analytical epidemiology and in mathematical modeling. He is certified in conducting basic and advanced data analysis using SPSS and SAS from Sambodhi Research & Communication Private Ltd., New Delhi and in conducting Meta analysis using Review Manager. He has a sound understanding of quantitative and qualitative research and is experienced in conducting critical appraisal of case control, cohort, cross sectional studies, and clinical trials. He successfully completed the Certificate Course in Comprehensive Disaster Risk Management Framework organized by the National Institute of Disaster Management, New Delhi in collaboration with World Bank Institute, Washington.
Dr Nochiketa Mohanty is a public health specialist a graduate from and completed his MPH and MBA from the University of Alabama in the United States. He worked as Project Coordinator for India for an AHF India Cares for over three years heading the treatment program and managing various activities of the organization including Testing initiative and campaigns. He is currently the heads TB RNTCP program for the Catholic Bishop Conference in West Bengal.
Dr Vandana Kumar is a medical graduate from Maulana Azad Medical College, New Delhi and her master’s degree, MBA in Healthcare Management from faculty of Management Studies Delhi University 2005. Dr. Kumar has over ten years of work experience. She has worked with prestigious private hospitals in Delhi before her foray into public health. She has worked on several national and international public health projects at the Confederation of Indian Industry, India Development Foundation and as an independent health consultant. Dr. Kumar is also a visiting faculty at the International Institute of Health Management Research in New Delhi. She is on the advisory board of PinkCRM – a Health IT company. Her primary areas of interest include quality in health, use of technology in healthcare, and designing and piloting innovative solutions for public health. She is a visiting faculty at the International Institute of Health Management research in Delhi.
Srinivasa Reddy N, a postgraduate from S.V.University, Tirupathi completed his M.Sc., Physical Anthropology with specialization in Population Genetics and Demography. He is professional a highly qualified technical specialist in Health Systems and Health Policy research. He has accumulated over ten years of experience in designing and analyzing qualitative and quantitative research projects and evaluation of health projects. He worked with numerous National and International Organization as Consultants for research studies which include International HIVAIDS Alliance India, CORD - M, FHI, EMRI, Institute of Health Systems. He is well versed in Epi-Info, Epi Data, SPSS, Strata, SAS, and Atals and other research tools. He is currently the Monitoring and Evaluation Specialist for Sharan Society for the Service to Urban Poverty in charge of M&E for the GFATM Round 9 HIV IDU Program in India.
