As part of our ongoing Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) funded study, "Evaluating the Impact of Digital Intervention versus WHO PEN Approach in Non-Communicable Disease Prevention and Control in Resource-Limited Settings: A Quasi-Experimental Study," our team has moved into Phase 3 of this multisite study.

Baseline data collection is now underway across all four study sites, with a target enrollment of 600 participants who will form the foundation for comparing the digital intervention against the WHO PEN approach and a control group. As this is a multisite study, teams across all locations are working in parallel, following standardized procedures to ensure consistency as participants are enrolled and baseline data is gathered.

This phase marks a critical step in the study, laying the groundwork for the intervention rollout and comparison to follow, bringing us closer to real-world evidence on what works best for NCD prevention and management in resource-limited settings.

📄 Read the full study here: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42283436/

FHTS CREATES Social, Economic and Health Impact through Community engagement, Research-based interventions, Entrepreneurship and innovation, Academic excellence, Technology-based solutions, Employment creation and readiness, and student-centeredness. It is a platform committed to promoting health and well-being for all. Guided by compassion, integrity, and equity, it empowers individuals to grow, contribute meaningfully, and create a positive impact, reaching and improving lives every day- Dr. Ashish Joshi, PhD,MBBS,MPH (Founder FHTS and SMAART Lab & Dean and Distinguished University Professor, University of Memphis School of Public Health)

www.fhts.ac.in , www.smaartlab.org
call us on +91-8527897771 or write to us contact@fhts.ac.in

#PublicHealth #FHTS #NCDPrevention #DigitalHealth #ICMR #HealthResearch #WHOPEN

@smaart.fhts, University of Memphis School of Public Health, and Zilla Parishad, Kolhapur, Maharashtra, under a joint collaborative initiative, are bringing the Model of Public Health Education to High Schools by using the Public Health in Action curriculum and establishing public health clubs across 50 high schools in Kolhapur, Maharashtra. This first-of-its-kind initiative is engaging more than 1,500 students as public health ambassadors across all 12 blocks of Kolhapur.

Building on the previous modules, the eighth curriculum session, focused on technological innovations in public health, was delivered across 38 schools in Kolhapur. The session was conducted by Rutuja Hanbar, Public Health Outreach Specialist at FHTS, entirely in Marathi, introducing students to how technology is changing the way public health challenges are understood, tracked, and addressed.

The initiative furthers the goals of the National Education Policy 2020 and reflects how public health in action can support the Maharashtra state government’s ‘My Village Healthy Village’ initiative, working to address adolescent health challenges such as unhealthy eating, environmental pollution, physical inactivity, emotional well-being, mental health, and social media and mobile addiction.

www.fhts.ac.in , www.smaartlab.org
call us on +91-8527897771 or write to us contact@fhts.ac.in

#PublicHealth #PublicHealthInAction #FHTS #Kolhapur #Maharashtra
#NEP2020 #MyVillageHealthyVillage #YouthLeadership
#PublicHealthEducation #NationBuilding #CommunityHealth

On World Mental Health Day, October 10, 2026, students at Veer Chandra Singh Garhwali Government Institute of Medical Sciences and Research (VCSGGIMS&R), Srinagar, Uttarakhand, joined FHTS in observing the day under this year’s theme, “Lived Experiences Heard: Real Voices, Real Change.”

The observance was held under the joint collaboration between VCSGGIMS&R, which hosts an FHTS SMAART Center, and Foundation of Healthcare Technologies Society (FHTS). The collaboration brings together research and community health work, and this day extended the same spirit to mental well-being.

Students gathered around a “Mental Health Awareness Wall” and covered it with colourful notes, each carrying a personal thought on mental health. For future doctors, who will meet people’s lived experiences every day in their work, a wall like this is a way to start the conversation early.

Activities like this remind us that mental health awareness begins with giving people room to speak and be heard.

Our thanks to the students and faculty of VCSGGIMS&R for their thoughtful participation in this multi-site observance across the FHTS SMAART Centers and our collaborating institutions.

#WorldMentalHealthDay #MentalHealth #PublicHealth #FHTS #SMAART #Srinagar #Uttarakhand #RealVoicesRealChange

On World Mental Health Day, October 10, 2026, students at @pmchri_official_, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, joined FHTS in observing the day under this year’s theme, “Lived Experiences Heard: Real Voices, Real Change.”

The observance was held under the joint collaboration between @pmchri_official_ and @smaart.fhts. Through this collaboration, FHTS conducts four certificate programs for the college’s medical and nursing professionals, covering population health research, human-centered design for community health interventions, data analytics in healthcare, and health policy, advocacy and leadership.

Students gathered around a large board and filled it with the words that come to mind when they think about mental well-being. Each word was a personal reflection, and together they built a shared picture of what mental health means to a community of future healthcare professionals.

Activities like this remind us that mental health awareness begins with giving people room to speak and be heard.

Our thanks to the students and faculty of @pmchri_official_ for their thoughtful participation in this multi-site observance across the FHTS SMAART Centers and our collaborating institutions.

#WorldMentalHealthDay #MentalHealth #PublicHealth #FHTS #SMAART #PanimalarMedicalCollege #RealVoicesRealChange

Krishna Mohan Surapaneni, PhD,MHPE,FAMEE,FAcadMEd,FIAMSE,FISQua