Annual Conference on Health Systems Resilience in South Asia (January 20, 2025)

The Annual Conference on Health Systems Resilience was held by the Sundar Singh Institute on January 20, 2025, which brought together many eminent scholars and practitioners of the region to assess the region’s ability to sustain and dynamically address public health challenges. Dr. Ravi Iyer, for example, presented his groundbreaking research on access to health care in crisis—from COVID shutdowns to the current nation-wide avian influenza vaccine effort—and recommended new paths for rural health expansion. His efforts stemmed from a community and regionally assessed qualitative field study in conjunction with a quantitative analysis based on cross-national findings to advocate for micro-level, community-based resilience efforts.

Additionally, there were active roundtable discussions from participants, led by Dr. Anjali R. Kapoor, who assessed the relationship between environmental violence and public health challenges, and Dr. Lars M. Schneider, who focused on a growing legal and regulatory framework as a form of public health governance for South Asia. Their contributions bolstered the necessity for a complex, interdisciplinary approach to any future health efforts.