Major General (Prof) Dr Atul Kotwal
A Medical Public Health Specialist and Epidemiologist with more than 40 years of experience as Medical Professional, Researcher, Administrator and Medical Educator with innate abilities in planning, implementing, strengthening and evaluating Health Programs, improving Social determinants of Health in the Armed Forces, country and abroad. Strong analytical skills to easily assess conditions, plan and implement appropriate interventions in the medical field. Expert in Primary Health care, communitization, multi-stakeholder teamwork and collaborations with various sectors of public (Government) and private health care. Proven success in academics, research, health administration, strategic planning, and institutional development.
Proficiency in Capacity Building, facilitating/guiding by using interactive discussions and “hands-on” approaches to help students learn and apply concepts in subjects, which was utilized for teaching / learning activities. A challenging & innovative teaching/learning atmosphere enabled the active learners in Medical (UG and PG), Nursing and Paramedical courses. Proficiency in administration of health units and hospitals; Led and supervised large multi-speciality and super-speciality hospitals of the Armed Forces.
Extensive experience in research including multi-disciplinary research, statistics, use of softwares, project proposals and grant applications, report and manuscript writing and journal management. Served as Director, Medical Research (Armed Forces Medical Services) for more than 2 years. Served as Joint Editor of IJPH (PubMed indexed) for six years, editor IJPH for an year, Editorial board member IJPH and as Editor in Chief, MJAFI for more than two years. Started the WHO Fellowship programme in AFMC.
Noted for offering viable solutions, leveraging an innovation focused approach, planning, Monitoring and Evaluation at National and International level and Proficiency in Preventive and Social Medicine (Community Medicine), Epidemiology, Health Systems, Public Health and Multi and Inter-Disciplinary Research in Allopathy and AYUSH
Expert in Primary Health Care, Urban Health, Non-communicable Diseases, Healthcare Technology, Quality and Patient Safety, Health Systems and Implementation Research, Community Processes, Multi-stakeholder Teamwork and Collaborations with Government and Private sectors in India and Globally. Worked in the capacity as Member / Chair / Expert in Various Committees of the Armed Forces Medical Services, Government of India, Government of Botswana, WHO, etc., dealing with health programs, medical, nursing and paramedical teaching, evidence generation, planning healthcare activities and newer initiatives; Collaborated with the MoHFW, ICMR and MoD; Advisor in studies by institutions like PGI, AIIMS, Medical Universities, IIT, ICRIER, DBT, etc.
Contributed to the XI Five-year plan for- health, water and sanitation and Nutrition plan for the country as OSD (Public Health), Planning Commission. As the Executive Director of NHSRC from 15 March 2021 to 14 Sep 2025, instrumental in guiding the eight technical divisions and RRC NE in framing various national guidelines and policy decisions for Health Systems Strengthening. PM-ABHIM, Fifteen Finance Commission, Indian Public Health Standards, Public Health Management Cadre, National Health Accounts, 2018-19 to 2021-22 are among them. Futuristic planning from 2026-27 to 2030-31, ver 2.0 of NHM drafted in NHSRC with a newer approach and special focus on NCDs, Wellness, Mental Health, IT integrated portals, AI in health care, Continuum of Care from CPHC to tertiary care, etc.
Led eight technical divisions including Community Processes- Comprehensive Primary Health Care (CP-CPHC); Healthcare Technology (HCT); Healthcare Financing (HCF); Human Resources for Health and Health Policy and Integrated Planning (HRH/HPIP); Knowledge Management Division (KMD); Public Health Administration (PHA); Quality and Patient Safety (QPS); and Information Technology (IT) at NHSRC and also North-East Regional Resource Centre (NE-RRC) of NHSRC.
Demonstrated expertise in securing substantial funding and fostering a research-intensive environment along with experience working with diverse stakeholders, academic and research institutions of eminence, international and national development partners in a complex setting of health systems. Set up the Knowledge Management Division of NHSRC with dedicated funding for Implementation Research and setting up Implementation Research Health System Strengthening platform of GoI.
As ICMR-Dr A S Paintal Chair – guiding and mentoring research projects and teams, review and selection of research projects submitted under various schemes of ICMR, etc.
Proficiency in Capacity Building, facilitating/guiding by using interactive discussions and “hands-on” approaches to help students learn and apply concepts in subjects, which was utilized for teaching / learning activities. A challenging & innovative teaching/learning atmosphere enabled the active learners in Medical (UG and PG), Nursing and Paramedical courses. Proficiency in administration of health units and hospitals; Led and supervised large multi-speciality and super-speciality hospitals of the Armed Forces.
Extensive experience in research including multi-disciplinary research, statistics, use of softwares, project proposals and grant applications, report and manuscript writing and journal management. Served as Director, Medical Research (Armed Forces Medical Services) for more than 2 years. Served as Joint Editor of IJPH (PubMed indexed) for six years, editor IJPH for an year, Editorial board member IJPH and as Editor in Chief, MJAFI for more than two years. Started the WHO Fellowship programme in AFMC.
Noted for offering viable solutions, leveraging an innovation focused approach, planning, Monitoring and Evaluation at National and International level and Proficiency in Preventive and Social Medicine (Community Medicine), Epidemiology, Health Systems, Public Health and Multi and Inter-Disciplinary Research in Allopathy and AYUSH
Expert in Primary Health Care, Urban Health, Non-communicable Diseases, Healthcare Technology, Quality and Patient Safety, Health Systems and Implementation Research, Community Processes, Multi-stakeholder Teamwork and Collaborations with Government and Private sectors in India and Globally. Worked in the capacity as Member / Chair / Expert in Various Committees of the Armed Forces Medical Services, Government of India, Government of Botswana, WHO, etc., dealing with health programs, medical, nursing and paramedical teaching, evidence generation, planning healthcare activities and newer initiatives; Collaborated with the MoHFW, ICMR and MoD; Advisor in studies by institutions like PGI, AIIMS, Medical Universities, IIT, ICRIER, DBT, etc.
Contributed to the XI Five-year plan for- health, water and sanitation and Nutrition plan for the country as OSD (Public Health), Planning Commission. As the Executive Director of NHSRC from 15 March 2021 to 14 Sep 2025, instrumental in guiding the eight technical divisions and RRC NE in framing various national guidelines and policy decisions for Health Systems Strengthening. PM-ABHIM, Fifteen Finance Commission, Indian Public Health Standards, Public Health Management Cadre, National Health Accounts, 2018-19 to 2021-22 are among them. Futuristic planning from 2026-27 to 2030-31, ver 2.0 of NHM drafted in NHSRC with a newer approach and special focus on NCDs, Wellness, Mental Health, IT integrated portals, AI in health care, Continuum of Care from CPHC to tertiary care, etc.
Led eight technical divisions including Community Processes- Comprehensive Primary Health Care (CP-CPHC); Healthcare Technology (HCT); Healthcare Financing (HCF); Human Resources for Health and Health Policy and Integrated Planning (HRH/HPIP); Knowledge Management Division (KMD); Public Health Administration (PHA); Quality and Patient Safety (QPS); and Information Technology (IT) at NHSRC and also North-East Regional Resource Centre (NE-RRC) of NHSRC.
Demonstrated expertise in securing substantial funding and fostering a research-intensive environment along with experience working with diverse stakeholders, academic and research institutions of eminence, international and national development partners in a complex setting of health systems. Set up the Knowledge Management Division of NHSRC with dedicated funding for Implementation Research and setting up Implementation Research Health System Strengthening platform of GoI.
As ICMR-Dr A S Paintal Chair – guiding and mentoring research projects and teams, review and selection of research projects submitted under various schemes of ICMR, etc.
Ashley McKimm
Dr Ashley McKimm is Editor-in-Chief of BMJ Innovations. Published by the British Medical Journal, BMJ Innovations focuses on emerging digital health, medical devices, process and system innovations. The journal champions high-quality original research, early-stage innovation reports, and systemic and narrative reviews.
Ashley is also Director of Innovation and Improvement at BMJ where he leads a team building global collaborations to improve healthcare. Previously he practised as a medical doctor in the UK before being seconded as a Clinical Advisor to the NHS England National Medical Director where he worked on national patient safety and harm reduction programmes.
He is also past Director of the International Forum on Quality and Safety in Healthcare and Chairman of the UK Medical Journalists’ Association.
Ashley is also Director of Innovation and Improvement at BMJ where he leads a team building global collaborations to improve healthcare. Previously he practised as a medical doctor in the UK before being seconded as a Clinical Advisor to the NHS England National Medical Director where he worked on national patient safety and harm reduction programmes.
He is also past Director of the International Forum on Quality and Safety in Healthcare and Chairman of the UK Medical Journalists’ Association.
Prashant Mishra
Dr. Prashant Mishra is Managing Director, India and South Asia, at BMJ (British Medical Journal) Publishing Group, where he leads strategic initiatives to advance healthcare knowledge and outcomes across the region. He serves on the board of BMJ India and is part of the organisation’s strategic leadership.
A prominent voice in scholarly publishing, he is the founding Vice Chair of the STM Association India Chapter and currently serves as President of the Association of Publishers in India (API), where he champions industry collaboration, policy advocacy, and professional development.
Dr. Mishra is also a visiting professor at IIM Amritsar and IMT Ghaziabad, and a published author with contributions to national and international journals. He holds a PhD and MBA from IIM Lucknow.
In addition, he contributes to academic governance and sustainability initiatives, including mentoring roles and leading BMJ India’s Sustainability Champions Group.
A prominent voice in scholarly publishing, he is the founding Vice Chair of the STM Association India Chapter and currently serves as President of the Association of Publishers in India (API), where he champions industry collaboration, policy advocacy, and professional development.
Dr. Mishra is also a visiting professor at IIM Amritsar and IMT Ghaziabad, and a published author with contributions to national and international journals. He holds a PhD and MBA from IIM Lucknow.
In addition, he contributes to academic governance and sustainability initiatives, including mentoring roles and leading BMJ India’s Sustainability Champions Group.