SIHI India at IIHMR University, Jaipur
The Social Innovation in Health Initiative (SIHI) Hub at IIHMR University, Jaipur was launched in February 2026. We aim to contribute to strengthening the social innovation in health (SIH) ecosystem in India by fostering a culture of social innovation through education and research, integrating the principles and practices of social innovation into the curriculum of post-graduate students and research scholars and thereby nurturing innovative thinking in health.
OUR FOCUS
The SIHI India Hub at IIHMR University, Jaipur was conceptualised in 2025 with the support of TDR, the Special Programme for Research and Training in Tropical Diseases.
Our focus is to create an ecosystem of innovation in India by integrating social innovation in health across education, research, and training and to embed innovation thinking in the public health domain. We aim to build the competencies of academicians and students to co-create contextually relevant innovative solutions to public health challenges through participatory, community-driven approaches. The evidence generated from these co-creation efforts will be disseminated at the local, state, and national level to inform and influence programs and policies.
We provide a platform for collaborative learning through structured teaching and mentoring programs for students, researchers, and innovators—guiding them to collaborate, validate, and strengthen innovation efforts.
Our collaborations and knowledge partnerships through IIHMR University’s SD Gupta School of Public Health, the Centre for Behavioural Sciences, and the IIHMR Foundation incubation centre for startups aim to leverage behavioural insights and implementation sciences as catalysts for embedding social innovation in India’s health system, thereby accelerating progress toward the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Our Vision: To establish IIHMR University as a SIHI hub in India that serves as a catalyst for social innovations in health by empowering students, engaging communities, and strengthening health systems to drive equitable and sustainable health outcomes through research, collaboration, and evidence-based action.
Our Mission: To strengthen social innovation in health across local, state, and national levels by building capacities, engaging communities in co-creating scalable solutions, advancing evidence to inform policy and practice, and amplifying the visibility and impact of the SIHI network in India and the South Asia region.
Our Focus Areas:
Discovering Social Sparks
We focus on identifying the innovations and locally driven solutions both through the research and community participation
Social Innovation Pods
We amplify the voices of innovators by featuring them in our in-house podcast, audio storytellings fosters connections between experts and innovators and reaching global audiences while building communities of public health
Mentoring and Capacity Building
We engage with TDR Global, UNICEF, NIIRNCD and our research partners to deliver capacity building in the area of implementation research and innovations among participants across the globe.These efforts encompass mentorships, programs, webinars , research initiative focused on social and health innovations
Young Catalyst in Action
We actively involve young people to create and lead impactful projects on innovations. We also engage with IIHMR Startup to nurture budding entrepreneurs, innovators and early stage startup by offering them mentoring support, infrastructure, capital and robust industry network
OUR ACTIVITIES
ENSURE Health Podcast
ENSURE Health is designed to create illuminating discussions, expert insights, and groundbreaking research on the path of universal health coverage. This podcast serves as a platform for thought-provoking discussions on health topics featuring innovative and inspiring research that contribute to achieving universal health coverage, especially in LMICs. Through expert conversations, we strive to bring you the latest evidence, research and on-the-ground experiences in the field of public health. ENSURE HEALTH PODCAST is available on Spotify and YouTube and brings latest evidence research and experience of public health through an expert’s call.
Learn more about and access the ENSURE Health Podcast through these links:
Our Research Projects
Improving Maternal Nutrition among Pregnant Women
This is a research study to improve dietary practices among pregnant women in Karauli, Rajasthan.
Maternal Nutrition Project – Centre for Behavioural Sciences (CBS). In Rajasthan, inadequate nutrition intake among pregnant women remains a public health concern and is a leading cause of high maternal mortality and low birthweight babies and preterm deliveries. These challenges are particularly pronounced in Karauli, a district with persistent maternal and child health vulnerabilities.
The Maternal Nutrition Project emphasises the importance of optimal weight gain during pregnancy by strengthening knowledge and practices related to dietary diversity, quantity, and frequency of food intake among pregnant women and their families and leveraging the influence of different stakeholders—auxillary nurses and midwives, doctors, and husbands—to support and prioritise maternal nutrition throughout the pregnancy.
TDR Post Graduate Training Scheme
The SD Gupta School of Public Health received a grant for the postgraduate training scheme that aimed at building competencies related to implementation research in infectious diseases of poverty, including neglected tropical diseases, malaria, TB, HIV, and COVID-19, in addition to core public health and leadership competencies among health professionals in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) in WHO’s Eastern Mediterranean Region and South East Asia Region.
The school has been extensively engaged in capacity building and conducting Implementation Research initiatives aimed at advancing India’s goal of meeting SDG targets through collaborative, evidence-based, and community-driven strategies. More than 25 students from nine countries are trained on Implementation Research.
ABOUT US
Dr. P.R. Sodani, Hub Patron/Guide
Read Biography
President, IIHMR University, Jaipur
Co-Founder, IIHMR Foundation
Prof. P.R. Sodani is currently the President of IIHMR University, Jaipur. He is Health Economist and Public Health Professor for more than two decades and mentored faculty, students, and research scholars. Professor Sodani had demonstrated academic leadership, visioning, policy planning, and strategic implementation. He had significantly contributed to creating an organizational culture for the growth and development of the University. Professor Sodani, at various levels of leadership positions, had been responsible for leading and managing academics, research, training, fundraising, and networking with national and international organizations. Professor Sodani is Co-Founder of IIHMR Foundation.
Professor Sodani earned PhD in health economics and a Master of Public Health from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, USA. He has been associated with the Department of International Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, USA for teaching the MPH program jointly offered by Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and IIHMR University. He is Associate Editor of the Journal of Health Management, an international peer reviewed journal published by SAGE Publications. He is Secretary-General of the South-East Asia Public Health Education Institutions Network (SEAPHEIN). He has published a book on Managing Quality in Health Care. He has published papers in indexed journals of national and international repute. He frequently writes blogs on emerging issues of the health sector. He has organized a number of national and international programs for health professionals on promoting leadership, strategic management, public health education, health economics, health financing, and hospital management education.
Dr. Vinod Kumar SV, Hub Advisor
Read Biography
Dean & Professor, SD Gupta School of Public Health, IIHMR University
Dr. Vinod Kumar SV is a Public Health Specialist. After graduating from Govt Stanley Medical College, Chennai, he completed his MD in Preventive and Social Medicine from SMS Medical College, Jaipur. In his professional career of over 20 years, Dr Kumar has had a mixed profile of administrative, academic, research and training responsibilities. He has a wide experience of working with various organizations which include the Indian Railways, Mahatma Gandhi Medical College and Hospital (Jaipur), the Indian Army, the IIHMR University Jaipur and Jhpiego. He was a Short Service Commissioned Officer in the Indian Army, where he worked in the capacity of Graded Specialist (PSM) and held the position of Deputy Assistant Director of Health. Dr Kumar had a long association in his previous tenure with IIHMR, as a faculty (Associate Professor).
At the IIHMR University, Dr Kumar also held the administrative position of Associate Dean, Controller of Examinations and was a member of several institutional committees. Dr Kumar has also worked with Jhpiego, where he led the programme interventions in Rajasthan in the capacity of State Team Leader. As part of these interventions, he effectively led highly skilled programme teams which worked in close coordination with the State Government to improve the quality of Maternal Health interventions in Rajasthan. He has contributed to many research publications and is also a reviewer for peer reviewed journals. His areas of interest include infectious disease epidemiology, maternal and child health, and innovations in health education.
Dr. Piyusha Majumdar, Hub Lead
Read Biography
Associate Professor, SD Gupta School of Public Health, IIHMR University
Focal Point for TDR Post Graduate Training Scheme in Implementation Research
Executive Producer & Host ENSURE Health Podcast
TIPH Global Grantee Cohort 2
Piyusha Majumdar is a distinguished public health researcher, educator, implementation researcher working as an Associate Professor at IIHMR University, Jaipur. With over 18 years of experience spanning academia, global health research, and social science consulting, she bridges the gap between evidence and action. She is the Executive Producer of the ENSURE HEALTH podcast, Co-PI of the STRIPE Project with Johns Hopkins University, Focal point for WHO/TDR’s post-graduate training scheme at IIHMR University, providing training in Implementation Research to students from the Eastern Mediterranean Region & Southeast Asia region, and a global grantee of This is Public Health (TIPH). As Chair of Consortium of Cancer in Implementation Science under NIH, her work advances implementation science and health equity in India and beyond.
Faculty Member Listed in IR Connect Platform supported by TDR – A platform that promotes active engagement amongst members through sharing of lessons learned from Implementation Research and exchange of resource materials related to Implementation Research.
Dr. Mamta Chauhan, Hub Co-lead
Read Biography
Professor, IIHMR University
State Lead, Centre for Behavioural Sciences at IIHMR University established under the support of UNICEF
Women Lift Health 2025 Fellow
Dr. Mamta Chauhan is a Behavioural Scientist and Health systems management professional and researcher, with over 28 years of experience. Expertise in reproductive maternal child health adolescent and Nutrition programme teaching, training, monitoring and evaluation. She has carried out more than 20 research evaluations studies on diverse health programmes. She is currently leading behavioural insights and Human-Centred Design-oriented projects across social development domains under Centre for Behavioural Sciences, established under the partnership between IIHMR University and UNICEF.
She holds M.Phil., and Ph.D. degrees in Psychology from the University of Rajasthan. She led the capacity building programs for health human resources while working with the Medical and health Department, Government of Rajasthan.
Key Partners
Centre for Behavioural Sciences
The Centre for Behavioral Sciences (CBS) at IIHMR University, established in technical and financial collaboration with UNICEF, serves as a dedicated knowledge partner, specialising in behavioral insights and evidence-based approaches to drive innovation in health and other development areas. The Centre works closely with government, civil society organisations, academia, and other partners to address state-specific challenges with special focus on child survival, growth and development in a safe, enabling environment.
SD Gupta School of Public Health
SD Gupta School of Public Health was established to prepare future leaders in public health with core public health competencies, policy analysis and development, practice, developing partnerships, collaboration, and innovations in health care to align with the new and emerging challenges. The main goal is to provide technical and managerial support to health systems through health management research and testing interventions to enhance efficiency, effectiveness, and impact on health.
IIHMR Startups – Unit of IIHMR Foundation
IIHMR Startups aim to foster entrepreneurship through its Health Incubation Centre. It is a unique health incubator supporting startups from the health and allied sectors. It was launched by IIHMR University and operated under the foundation. The mission is to foster entrepreneurship, stimulate innovation, and support early-stage startups both in India and internationally.
UNICEF India
UNICEF India is dedicated to advancing the rights of all girls and boys in India, especially the most disadvantageous. It works across India to save children’s lives, help them fulfill their full potential, and defend their rights. It focuses on health, nutrition, education, and child protection, particularly in emergencies. It is the world’s largest vaccine provider.
National Institute of Implementation Research on Non-Communicable Diseases
The National Institute for Implementation Research on Non-Communicable Diseases (NIIRNCD), located in Jodhpur, was established on 7 December 2019. Its main areas of research are cardiovascular diseases, chronic respiratory diseases, environmental health, and other non-communicable diseases of public health significance in India. Aside from research, NIIRNCD aspires to provide training for capacity building in implementation research in other academic and research institutions and develop behavior change communication materials and models for tackling risk factors of various non-communicable diseases.
Photo Gallery
Stay in touch
Contact US
If you are interested in becoming a part of SIHI-IIHMR India Hub or join activities, please connect with Dr. Piyusha Majumdar at piyusha@iihmr.edu.in and Dr. Mamta Chauhan at mamta@iihmr.edu.in