Programme Outline

08:30 – 09:00 | Registration, refreshments & networking

Early networking across research leaders, funders, patients, policy makers, and industry partners.

09:00 – 09:15 | Welcome & introduction

BMJ leadership: Kamran Abbasi, Editor-in-chief, The BMJ

The Forum opens by setting a shared vision for one of the most important challenges in health research today: how can evidence create measurable impact on patients, clinical practice, health systems, and policy?
The opening address will establish the Forum’s central theme of bridging the evidence-to-impact gap, highlighting the collective role of researchers, academic institutions, healthcare organisations, journals, policymakers, funders, and communities in translating high-quality research into real-world outcomes.

Setting the agenda for the day

The opening address will frame three key objectives:

• • • Bridging the evidence-to-impact gap by accelerating the translation of research into clinical practice, health systems, and public policy.
    • Building stronger research ecosystems through collaboration, research integrity, implementation science, real-world evidence, digital innovation, and community engagement.
    • Enhancing the global visibility, credibility, and influence of Indian research by strengthening research quality, publishing standards, and international collaboration.

09:15 – 09:50 | Keynote address

Translating Evidence into Health System Impact: Building the Foundations for Policy, Programmes and Practice

Keynote speaker: Major General (Prof) Dr Atul Kotwal, ICMR

Chair: Kamran Abbasi, Editor-in-chief of The BMJ

India has made significant advances in health research. The next challenge is to build the national ecosystem that enables high-quality evidence to consistently inform health policy, strengthen national programmes, improve clinical practice, and deliver measurable health system impact.

This keynote will provide a strategic perspective on the policies, partnerships, digital public infrastructure, and research ecosystem needed to accelerate the translation of evidence into better health outcomes. It will highlight the role of national initiatives such as the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM), One Nation One Subscription (ONOS), the Anusandhan National Research Foundation (ANRF), IR under NHRPs by ICMR and NHSRC/SHSRCs, and the One Health approach in strengthening research capacity, expanding access to evidence, fostering interdisciplinary collaboration, and creating an enabling environment for research to inform decision-making.
Setting the context for the Forum, the keynote will outline how India can build a resilient and future-ready research ecosystem that supports innovation, strengthens health systems, and maximises the real-world impact of health research.

Key take-aways:

• • • A strategic understanding of India’s evolving research ecosystem and national priorities for health research.
    • Insights into the policies, digital infrastructure, and collaborative frameworks that enable research to create measurable health system impact.
    • A vision for strengthening the pathway from evidence generation to improved population health through coordinated action across research, healthcare, and policy.

09:50 – 10:10 | Leadership perspective

Scaling healthcare delivery: Building organisations that transform innovation into impact

Distinguished speaker: Dr B S Ajaikumar, Founder & Chairman at HealthCare Global Enterprises Ltd. 

Chair: Kamran Abbasi, Editor-in-chief of The BMJ

Research creates value only when it improves lives. Dr B. S. Ajaikumar shares how healthcare organisations identify unmet clinical needs, evaluate and adopt innovation, build strategic partnerships with academia and industry, and translate evidence into scalable models of care that improve quality, access, and patient outcomes.

Key take-aways:

Researchers, academic leaders, and healthcare innovators will gain practical insights into:

• • • Designing research that addresses real-world clinical and health system needs.
    • Understanding what healthcare organisations look for before adopting new evidence and innovations.
    • Building effective partnerships between academia, hospitals, and industry.
    • Creating implementation-ready evidence that can be scaled across healthcare systems.
    • Measuring success beyond publications through patient outcomes, quality improvement, and health system impact.

10:10 – 10:25 | Tea break & poster viewing

10:25 – 11:15 | Flagship panel discussion

Translating research into practice: institutional pathways to real-world impact in India

Supported by Manipal Academy of Higher Education (MAHE)

Producing excellent research is only part of the challenge. The real differentiator is building institutions where research consistently influences clinical practice, education, health policy, and healthcare delivery. Leaders from India’s leading academic and healthcare institutions will share how strong research cultures, leadership, governance, and multidisciplinary collaboration enable research to create measurable societal impact leading to improvements in processes and outcomes of care.

Key take-aways:

• • • Understand how real-world evidence can accelerate the adoption of research into clinical practice and policy.
    • Learn practical strategies for generating implementation-ready evidence that drives healthcare improvement.
    • Discover how successful innovations and pilot projects can be scaled across institutions and health systems.
    • Apply implementation science and collaborative leadership to maximise research impact and policy relevance.

Panellists:

Chair: Dr Rajesh Mehta, Adjunct Professor, Public Health Foundation of India, Ex Regional Adviser for newborn, child and adolescent health, WHO-SEARO
Moderator: Dr Vikram Datta, Director Professor and Medical Superintenden, Kalawati Saran Children’s Hospital, Lady Hardinge Medical College, New Delhi. President, Nationwide Quality of Care Network
Dr Madhuri Kanitkar: Former Vice-Chancellor Maharashtra University of Health Sciences
Dr Arun Singh: Advisor and Mentor, Shrimad Rajchandra Sarvamangal Hospital & C U Shah Medical College; Former HOD Neonatology at IPGMER and AIIMS Jodhpur and National Advisor to child health – RBSK , Government of India
Dr Pramod Garg: Professor of Gastroenterology and Associate Dean (Research) at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi
Dr Unnikrishna B: Dean and Professor of Community Medicine at Kasturba Medical College, Mangalore, a constituent unit of Manipal Academy of Higher Education (MAHE).

11:15 – 11:45 | Abstract spotlight session

Five top-rated abstracts will be presented as short talks, followed by a moderated discussion. Patients and funders will be actively included in the Q&A to strengthen relevance and impact.

11:45 – 12:00 | Tea break & poster viewing

12:00 – 12:50 | Panel discussion 

The future of health and research in India: Perspectives

What will define the next decade of health research in India? Join leading researchers, policymakers, and health system leaders as they discuss emerging research priorities, evolving funding landscapes, interdisciplinary collaboration, and the capabilities institutions must build to remain globally competitive and deliver greater impact.

Key take-aways:

• • • Understand the future direction of India’s health and research ecosystem.
    • Identify emerging funding and collaborative opportunities.
    • Build institutions prepared to implement the latest health research.
    • Develop research programmes catering to national and global audience

Panellists:
Chair: Dr Girdhar Gyani, Director General, Association of Healthcare Providers (India) (AHPI)
Dr Soumya Swaminathan, FRS, Chair, M S Swaminathan Research Foundation, Former chief scientist at the World Health Organization (WHO)
Dr Sanjeev Singh: Medical Director, Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences, Faridabad & Chief of medical services, Amrita, Kochi
Dr Upasana Arora: Managing Director, Yashoda Super Speciality Hospital
Dr Madhuri Kanitkar: Former Vice-Chancellor Maharashtra University of Health Sciences
Dr Vikram Datta: Director Professor and Medical Superintendent, Kalawati Saran Children’s Hospital, Lady Hardinge Medical College, New Delhi; President, Nationwide Quality of Care Network
Dr BS Garg: Secretary, Kasturba Health Society; Director, Dr Sushila Nayar School of Public Health, Mahatma Gandhi Institute of Medical Sciences, Wardha, Maharashtra
Dr Vivekanand Jha: Executive Director, The George Institute for Global Health, India; Chair, Global Kidney Health, Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College, London

12:50 – 13:35 | Networking lunch & poster walk

13:35 – 14:20 | Panel discussion

From evidence to implementation: An Indian research-to-policy journey

Supported by Consortium of Accredited Healthcare Organizations (CAHO)

Publishing research is only the first step. The real challenge is ensuring evidence influences clinical practice, health systems, and policy. This session explores how researchers can bridge the evidence-to-impact gap using real-world evidence (RWE) and implementation science. Through practical case studies, leaders from academia and healthcare will demonstrate how research is translated into scalable, sustainable improvements in healthcare.

Key take-aways:

• • • Identifying relevant research questions and generating evidence that addresses real-world healthcare needs
    • Navigating funding opportunities and building a compelling case for research support
    • Upholding ethics, scientific rigor, and research integrity to ensure evidence can inform policy
    • Effectively communicating and showcasing research findings to engage policymakers and drive change
    • Understanding the key enablers and barriers to translating research evidence into guidelines, policy statements, and clinical practice
    • Identifying opportunities for collaboration among researchers, clinicians, policymakers, and other stakeholders to move evidence into action

Panellists
Moderator: Dr Sanjeev Singh, Medical Director, Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences, Faridabad & Chief of Medical Services, Amrita, Kochi
Dr Vijay Agarwal, President Emeritus, Consortium of Accredited Healthcare Organizations (CAHO)
Major General (Dr) Mathews Jacob, Pro Vice Chancellor (Health Sciences), MAHE
Dr Deepashree R., Assistant Dean (Research), JSS Academy of Higher Education & Research

14:20 – 14:50 | Panel discussion

Community voice panel: Nothing about us without us 

The most impactful research is based on the felt needs derived by listening to the people it is designed to serve. The deliberation based on the opinion of public health leaders, evidences from community-based research, and evidenced based policy advocacy leading to meaningful discussion in partnerships with patients and communities can shape better research questions, strengthen implementation, and ensure that evidence translates into policies and healthcare practices that may truly improve lives.

Key take-aways:

• • • Explore the diverse approaches to meaningfully engage communities as partners in designing and delivering impactful research
    • Understanding the role of patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) that are meaningful to patients and communities
    • Examining the relevance, interpretation, and validity of patient satisfaction measures in today’s healthcare context
    • Addressing the challenges and opportunities in engaging communities to deliver high-quality, patient-centred care in domiciliary and field-based settings
    • Translating patient and community perspectives into research priorities, care delivery, and health-system improvements

Panellist:
Chair and moderator: Dr BS Garg, Secretary, Kasturba Health Society; Director, Dr Sushila Nayar School of Public Health, Mahatma Gandhi Institute of Medical Sciences, Wardha, Maharashtra
Dr Narendra Kumar Arora: Chief Scientist & Mentor, The INCLEN Trust International; President, AIIMS Bilaspur, India
Dr Abhay Bang: Co-founder of SEARCH (Society for Education, Action and Research in Community Health), Gadchiroli, Maharashtra.
Mr Prasanna Shirol: Co-founder and Executive Director of ORDI (Organization for Rare Diseases India)
Prof K Srinath Reddy: Honorary Distinguished Professor, PHFI & Chancellor of PHFI Institute of Public Health Sciences (Deemed to be University)

14:50 – 15:05 | Tea break

15:05 – 15:35 | Fireside chat

From evidence to trust: Strengthening the quality and global impact of Indian research

How can Indian research achieve greater credibility, global visibility, and real-world influence? Leading journal editors will discuss how research integrity, editorial excellence, robust peer review, and responsible publishing can strengthen the quality of scientific evidence and accelerate its translation into clinical practice and policy.

Key take-aways:

• • • Understand what editors look for in high-quality manuscripts.
    • Publish research that meets the highest editorial and ethical standards.
    • Improve the visibility, discoverability, and global reach of Indian research.
    • Build trust through transparent, responsible, and patient-centred research publishing.

Panellists:
Moderator: Dr Ashley McKimm, Editorial Lead – BMJ Research
Prof Vivekanand Jha: Executive Director, The George Institute for Global Health, India; Chair, Global Kidney Health, Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College, London
Dr M Vanathi: Professor of Ophthalmology, Cornea, Cataract & Refractive Surgery Services; Editor, The Indian Journal of Ophthalmology

15:35 – 16:05 | Distinguished speaker session

AI and the Future of Health Research: Opportunity, Risk and Responsibility

Artificial Intelligence is transforming every stage of the research journey—from generating hypotheses and analysing data to accelerating discovery, scientific publishing, and clinical translation. Hear how researchers and institutions can harness AI responsibly while safeguarding scientific integrity, ethics, transparency, and public trust.

Distinguished Speaker
Mr Rizwan Koita
Co-founder & Director of Koita Foundation & Chairperson of NABH (National Accreditation Board for Hospitals & Healthcare Providers)

16:05 – 16:35 | Closing plenary & poster awards

Outstanding posters and abstracts will be recognised for their potential to influence practice, policy, and health systems.

Please note: The agenda and faculty are subject to change and may evolve. Please check this page regularly for the latest updates.