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Event highlights Emory’s engagement with India
Presentation at the event

The Office of Global Strategy and Initiatives recently celebrated the thriving connections between Emory and India with an event that included presentations about Emory’s work in the area and welcoming the director of Emory India Research and Education Innovation.

With more than 160 faculty engaged in India-related work and the country being home to the university’s second-largest international student population, Emory-India engagement is deeply rooted and growing. 

The Office of Global Strategy and Initiatives (GSI) recently hosted an event celebrating these thriving connections and welcoming Nikhil Singla, Delhi-based country director of Emory India Research and Education Innovation LLP, an overseas affiliate established in 2019 to foster impactful engagements addressing critical challenges in India and around the world. 

“Since my appointment in early 2020, I’ve focused on expanding and nurturing Emory’s partner network in India and on supporting the Emory Vaccine Center’s strategic vision for India,” says Singla. “The event was a great opportunity to connect in-person with members of the Emory community from across disciplines. I look forward to building on these connections and working together to realize research, education and innovation opportunities in and with India.” 

The event featured brief presentations that provided a sample of Emory’s diverse work in and with India. That work ranges from vaccine, diabetes and cancer research to the analysis of influences on public opinion during COVID-19, and from scholarship building on Emory’s world-renowned collection of Telegu manuscripts to the unique programming of the Emory Compassion Center, which draws on the university’s longstanding relationship with His Holiness the Dalai Lama. 

“This was an opportunity for us to connect, engage and collectively think about the best ways to build on our achievements and strengths in India. We expect it to be the first of numerous conversations about our way forward,” says Philip Wainwright, vice provost for GSI. 

GSI is committed to the support, promotion and expansion of Emory’s international engagement through coordinating creative global initiatives, fostering cross-unit collaboration and championing a culturally vibrant and diverse campus. Visit the GSI website to learn more about Emory in the world. 

Event presenters included: 

  • Rafi Ahmed: Director, Emory Vaccine Center; professor, Department of Microbiology and Immunology; eminent scholar, Georgia Research Alliance; investigator, Emory Center for AIDS Research 
  • Tim Harrison: Associate director for CBCT® (Cognitively-Based Compassion Training), Center for Contemplative Science and Compassion-Based Ethics 
  • Harshita Kamath: Visweswara Rao and Sita Koppaka Associate Professor in Telugu Culture, Literature and History 
  • K.M. Venkat Narayan: Executive director, Emory Global Diabetes Research Center; Ruth and O. C. Hubert Professor of Global Health and Epidemiology; professor of medicine  
  • Suresh Ramalingam: Executive director, Winship Cancer Institute; professor, Department of Hematology and Medical Oncology; Roberto C. Goizueta Distinguished Chair for Cancer Research; associate vice president for cancer, Woodruff Health Sciences Center 
  • Holli Semetko: Asa Griggs Candler Professor of Media Relations and International Affairs; professor, political science

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