Inaugural International Conference on
Population Health: Evidence, Policy, Action
20th – 21st January, 2026
Time
Tue, 20th Jan, 2026
9:00am – 5:00pm
Wed, 21st Jan, 2026
9:00am – 1:30pm
Venue
HPL New Project Building, 6th Cross Road, DJ Block, Sector II, Bidhannagar, Kolkata – 91
About the Conference
School of Health Environment & Sustainability Studies (SHESS) at TCG CREST (Deemed University) is focused on sustainable improvement of Population Health in India and the global south. SHESS aims at system transformation approach through influencing policy, their implementation and dynamic monitoring. It will work at the interface of health and society, and leverage advancements in health data-science & AI, healthtech innovation, climate science, disease biology and health economics. SHESS, while fostering a culture of excellence at the frontier areas of health sciences, is particularly interested in advancing health equity among the underserved, vulnerable and economically challenged.
Building on this vision of School of Health Environment & Sustainability Studies (SHESS), the conference served as a platform to examine how robust evidence can be translated into effective policy and actionable interventions that improve population health outcomes. It brought together researchers, practitioners, policymakers, and innovators to explore interdisciplinary, data-informed, and equity-driven approaches for addressing complex health challenges in India and the global south.
Click to Zoom
Conference Sessions
Each session comprised of eminent speakers and a wrap-up discussion to takeaway key learnings and prepare an action plan.
AI & Technology for Good, in Health
Evidence to Policy in Public Health
Health & Society
Environment & Health, Including Mental Health
Biology, Data Science & Public Health
Distinguished Speakers and Session Chairs
This conference brought together key stakeholders and knowledge repositories from around the world and India. Each session was followed by defining the key take-aways, which, when seamlessly integrated into a single action plan will determine the agenda for systems transformation in health. SHESS, under TCG CREST (DTBU) will pursue and implement the same agenda through its academic and research offerings – in a culture of excellence and innovation.
Dr. Purnendu Chatterjee
Founder and Chairman of TCG CREST
Chancellor of TCG CREST (Deemed to be University)
Jeremy Ghose
Additional Director, Board of Directors, TCG CREST
Professor Malabika Sarkar
Mentor, TCG CREST
Vice-Chancellor (Officiating)
Professor Marc Madou
Distinguished Professor Emeritus, Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, UC Irvine
Dr Erwin Fuhrer
Assistant Professor, Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati
Professor LS Shashidhara
Centre Director, National Centre for Biological Sciences (NCBS-TIFR)
Professor Somak Raychaudhury
Vice-Chancellor and Professor of Physics, Ashoka University
Professor Swagatam Das
Professor, Electronics and Communication Sciences Unit, Indian Statistical Institute, Kolkata
Professor (Dr.) Satadal Saha
Dean, SHESS, TCG CREST
President, Foundation for Innovations in Health
Dr. Swarup Sarkar
Senior Researcher, University of Gothenburg, Sweden
Ambassador, Global Health Security Network, Australia
Dr. Dipayan Dey
Chair, South Asian Forum for Environment (SAFE)
Professor Goutam Mukherjee
Dean, School of Mathematics and Computer Sciences, and Director, Institute for Advancing Intelligence, TCG CREST
Dr. Indrani Gupta
Dr. Jai R Ram
Senior Consultant Psychiatrist, Apollo Hospital
Professor Pankaj Agrawal
Dean, School of Natural Sciences, TCG CREST
Dr. Rima Mukherjee
Senior Consultant, Department of Psychiatry, Woodlands Hospital
Dr. Sayantan Banerjee
Additional Professor and in-charge of Infectious Diseases Services, AIIMS Kalyani
Professor Subhashis Banerjee
Head of the Department & Professor of Computer Science, Ashoka University
Professor Sumantra Chattarji
Director, Centre for High Impact Neuroscience and Translational Applications, TCG CREST
Dr. Anirban Chakraborty
Registrar and Head (Research & Development), TCG CREST
Dr. Sumana Samanta
Assistant Professor, Dr. BC Roy Multispeciality Medical Research Centre, IIT Kharagpur
Prof. Parmeshwar Satpathy
Assistant Professor, BCRMMRC, IIT Kharagpur
Dr. Bibaswan Basu
Academic Coordinator, SHESS, TCG CREST
Board Member, Foundation for Innovations in Health
Conference Highlights
At the heart of the conference were two participatory highlights designed to nurture ideas with real-world relevance. The Poster Competition and Lightning Round brought together interdisciplinary thinking and early innovation, offering a platform for research proposals that aim to improve population health at scale.
Poster Presentation
A poster competition was convened as part of the conference, inviting participation from leading institutions across India. The competition sought to showcase innovative work spanning a wide range of domains, including the biosciences, health data science, artificial intelligence for health, public health, engineering and technology for good in health, climate science, health economics, policy and governance, and the diffusion of innovation.
Lightning Round
A three minute, four slide presentation of innovative research proposal on any subject that has the potential to influence population health outcome. The jury announced three winners who will receive research support and mentorship at SHESS.
Jury Chair: Professor Somak Raychaudhury, Vice-Chancellor and Professor of Physics, Ashoka University
Conference Schedule
The two-day conference was structured to cover foundational perspectives and actionable insights across the theme Population Health: Evidence, Policy, Action, bringing together experts, researchers, policymakers, and innovators to foster dialogue, collaboration, and real-world impact.
Inaugural Session
[9:15 – 9:25]
Dr. Purnendu Chatterjee
9:25am – 10:05am
Opening Addresses
[9:25 – 9:40]
Dr. Purnendu Chatterjee, Chancellor
[9:40 – 9:50]
Mr. Jeremy Ghose, President (TCG)
[9:50 – 10:00]
TCG CREST University
Prof. Malabika Sarkar Mentor & VC (Officiating)
[10:00 – 10:05]
Dr. Satadal Saha, Dean (SHESS), TCG CREST
10:05am – 11:30am
Session I: AI & Technology for Good in Health
[10:05 – 10:25]
Sustainable Sensor Technology for Extreme Point-of-Care
Prof. Marc Madou, UC Irvine, Tec de Monterrey
[10:25 – 10:45]
Agentic AI in Healthcare: From Predictive Models to Intelligent Clinical Workflows
Prof. Swagatam Das, ISI Kolkata
[10:45 – 11:05]
Ethical Issues of AI in Health
Prof. Subhashis Banerjee, Ashoka University
[11:05 – 11:20]
Challenges and Opportunities of Affordable MRI and the Critical Role of AI
Prof. Erwin Fuhrer, IIT Guwahati
[11:20 – 11:30]
Concluding on ‘Why SHESS’
Dr. Satadal Saha, Dean (SHESS), TCG CREST
Release of TCG CREST Coffee Table Book (2025)
Coffee Break …
11:45am – 12:45pm
Lightning Round #1
[11:45 – 11:55]
Context Setting
Prof. Somak Raychaudhury, Jury Chairperson, VC, Ashoka Univ.
[12:00 – 12:35]
Lightning Round Presentations (#1 – #10) by Young Researchers (3-minutes, 4-slides)
[12:35 – 12:45]
Jury Deliberation
[12:15 – 12:45]
Poster Walkaround
Lunch Break …
Session II: Health & Society
[1:35 – 1:55]
Relevance of Economics in Public Health and Health Policy
Prof Indrani Gupta, Professor (On project), HPRU, IEG, Delhi
[1:55 – 2:15]
Diffusion of Innovation: Field Lessons
Dr. Bibaswan Basu, FIH & SHESS, TCG CREST
[2:15 – 2:25]
Evidence-Based Healthcare: Challenges and Opportunities in the Context of Indian Society
Prof. Sumana Samanta, BCRMMRC, IIT Kharagpur
2:25pm – 2:40pm
Coffee Break …
2:45pm – 4:00pm
Session III: Evidence to Policy in Public Health
[2:45 – 3:05]
Why Policies Fail and Evidence Don’t Work – Need for a Fresh Look
Dr. Swarup Sarkar, University of Gothenburg
[3:05 – 3:20]
Perspectives from AIIMS Kalyani
Dr. Sayantan Banerjee, AIIMS (Kalyani), Chevening Fellow (Oxford)
[3:20 – 3:35]
Bridging Evidence and Action: Digital Health Innovations for India’s Public Health Policy
Prof. Parmeshwar Satpathy, BCRMMRC, IIT Kharagpur
[3:40 – 4:00]
Panel Discussion (Sessions II & III)
Chair – Dr. Swarup Sarkar; Resource Persons – Dr. Pranab Chatterjee, Dr. Bhavna Seth
4:05pm – 4:45pm
Lightning Round #2
[4:05 – 4:45]
[4:05 – 4:45]
Jury Deliberation
[4:25 – 4:45]
Poster Walkaround
9:00am – 10:30am
Session IV: Environment, Health Including Mental Health
[9:00 – 9:20]
Environment Science & Health
Dr. Dipayan Dey, Founder, SAFE
[9:20 – 9:40]
Mental Health and Environmental Sustainability
Dr. Rima Mukherjee, Consultant Psychiatrist
[9:40 – 10:00]
Translational Neuroscience: From Bed to Bench and Back
Prof. Sumantra Chattarji, Director, CHINTA, TCG CREST
[10:00 – 10:20]
AI in Mental Health – the Unfolding Story
Dr. Jai R Ram, Consultant Psychiatrist
[10:20 – 10:30]
Panel Discussion
Chair – Dr. Satadal Saha
10:30am – 10:45am
Coffee Break …
10:45am – 11:45am
Session V: Biology, Data Science & Public Health
[10:45 – 11:05]
Advanced Research and Innovations in Life Sciences for Affordable Healthcare for All
Prof. LS Shashidhara, Director, NCBS
[11:05 – 11:25]
The Convergence of Machine Intelligence and Cure
Prof. Goutam Mukherjee, Director, IAI, TCG CREST
[11:25 – 11:45]
Panel discussion
Chair – Prof. Pankaj Agrawal, Dean (NS), TCG CREST
11:50am – 12:30pm
Closing Session
[11:50 – 12:10]
Announcement of Awards
Pitch and Poster Competition
[12:10 – 12:20]
Closing Remarks
Dr. Satadal Saha, Dean, SHESS, TCG CREST
[12:20 – 12:30]
Vote of Thanks
Dr. Anirban Chakraborty, Registrar & Head – Research & Development, TCG CREST
12:30pm – onward
TCG CREST Lab Visit
General Information
Find all the essential information you need to plan your visit, from venue details and directions to accommodation resources and contact support.
Venue
HPL New Project Building, 6th Cross Road, DJ Block, Sector II, Bidhannagar, Kolkata – 91
Suggested Accommodation Resources
A curated list of accommodation options has been compiled for your reference.
Refereshments
Lunch & refreshments will be provided at the conference.
For any queries
Please contact: [email protected]
Conference Committee
Dr. Purnendu Chatterjee
Chief Patron
Jeremy Ghose
Patron
Professor Malabika Sarkar
Chairperson
Dr. Satadal Saha
Convener
Dr. Anirban Chakraborty
Secretary
Dr. Arpita Mukherjee
Member
Ashim Kumar Sadhukhan
Member
Dr. Bibaswan Basu
Member
Dr. Bornita Das
Member
Jishan Mir Karim
Member
Kunal Dey
Member
Moumita Paul
Member
Mukul Layak
Member
Sonal Agarwal Moda
Member
Ayan Majumder
Member
Jashodhara Chaudhury
Member
Pradipta Bhattacharya
Member
Contact Us
Call us @
or reach out to us at