11/03/2026
The 9th Local Research Advisory Committee (L-RAC) Meeting of Model Rural Health Research Unit (MRHRU), Dahanu was successfully held on 10th March 2026 in virtual mode under the leadership of Dr. Geetanjali Sachdeva, Director, ICMR-National Institute for Research in Reproductive and Child Health, and Dr. Ragaini Kulkarni Nodal Officer, MRHRU Dahanu.
The meeting was chaired by Dr. Sanghamitra Pati, Additional Director General, Indian Council of Medical Research, New Delhi, and co-chaired by Dr. Vishwajeet Kumar, Founder and Principal Scientist, Community Empowerment Lab, Lucknow. The honourable L-RAC members reviewed the progress of ongoing and completed research projects, discussed new initiatives, and provided strategic direction for strengthening research at MRHRU Dahanu.
Scientist from DHR/ICMR, Dr. Taruna Madan, Dr. Aparna Mukherjee & Dr. Tanu Anand, guided for the conduction of MRHRU related research activities.
Representatives from the state and district health system - Dr. Ashok Nandapurkar (DDHS, Thane Circle), Dr. Santosh Chaudhari (DHO, Palghar), and Dr. Ramdas Marad (Civil Surgeon, Palghar) - participated in the meeting and shared valuable insights on local health challenges and priority research areas in Palghar district.
Faculty and researchers from ICMR-National Institute for Research in Reproductive and Child Health, MRHRU Dahanu, and the linked medical college Grant Medical College and Sir JJ Group of Hospitals presented new research proposals covering areas such as mental health, abortion care, antimicrobial resistance, leprosy, kangaroo mother care, birth asphyxia, fetal growth restriction, rehabilitation needs and data quality improvement.
The meeting was also attended by the Dean and faculty members from several medical colleges including Vedantaa Institute of Medical Sciences, Lokmanya Tilak Municipal Medical College and General Hospital, HBT Medical College and Dr R N Cooper Municipal General Hospital, Topiwala National Medical College and BYL Nair Charitable Hospital, and MGM Medical College Navi Mumbai. The LRAC members and faculty from different medical colleges provided valuable insights and suggests to improve the proposals.
The experts suggested aligning the research goals with Viksit Bharat.
