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Society for Community Health Awareness Research and Action

SOCHARA Staff

Over the years SOCHARA has brought together a multi-disciplinary and equity oriented team of community health and public health professionals supported by an administrative team, presently located in three clusters in Bengaluru, Chennai and Bhopal. This team is supported technically by a larger SOCHARA network of society members, associates, field mentors, fellows and friends.

The current team members representing the medical and public health, social science, allied health sciences, accounts and administration as of May 2021 are listed here:

Karnataka

M Gurumoorthy
Secretary and Coordinator
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Education

  1. Bachelor of Engineering in Electronics and Communication Engineering from College of Engineering, Guindy, India.
  2. Masters in Social Work from SVMU, India

Guru is a professional with 28 years of experience in the areas of Entrepreneurship, product and business development, delivery, establishing and managing India Development Centers, System testing of Data communication Products, Providing specialist support on Computing and Networking products and solutions. He also has 20 years of volunteering experience with various organisations, groups in the areas of Education, Livelihood, Sustainable agriculture, Environment issues, and Rights.

Prahlad I M
Co-Coordinator, Training and Research Associate
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Education

  • M.Sc. (Environmental Science)

Prahlad I M, a team member from SOCHARA completed his Post graduation in Environmental Science from Kuvempu University in the year 2006. After completion of his studies, he started his career working on Sanitation and Waste Management with Government Project “Total Sanitation Campaign” as a consultant.

After leaving Total Sanitation Campaign project in February 2010, Prahlad joined SOCHARA as a Training and Research in March 2010. He is passionate about promoting Environmental Sanitation in Rural Areas of Karnataka through training communities, NGO’s, CBO’s, Fellows on Community Based Sanitation interventions.

Janelle Fernandes
Associate Director, CHLP
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Janelle Fernandes is a Microbiology graduate from St. Xavier’s College, Goa University with an MSc in Immunology from the University of Liverpool, UK. She has worked as a Community Health and Public Health Consultant creating learning content (video sessions) and facilitating live learning sessions for the Community Health Learning Programme by SOCHARA-SOPHEA. Janelle has experience in community health content development and reporting, community health learning facilitation and mentoring, school health promotion programme and content design / development, health programme-related database development, experience in cancer prevention screening programmes and cancer care, research processes, systems development, and quality assurance. She strongly believes and propagates the principle of ‘prevention is always better than cure’. Janelle’s interests strongly lie in expanding her work with designing, implementing, and establishing effective health systems, policies and programmes predominantly focused on nutrition, building immunity, environmental health; health awareness, health promotion, health protection and disease prevention based on addressing the social determinants of health; aimed at empowering our communities to make informed choices about their ‘Health’ – a fundamental human right.

Currently, Janelle is the Associate Director of the Community Health Learning Programme (CHLP) 2022-23. Her role involves programme development and management, curriculum development, mentoring and learning facilitation. Janelle also serves as the member secretary for the SOCHARA Institutional Scientific and Ethics Committee for Review of Research Projects (SISEC).

H R Mahadeva Swamy
Information Officer
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Education

  • BA, M.Lis

Mahadeva Swamy H R, a B.A graduate from Bengaluru University and post graduate in Library Science from Annamalai University, Tamil Nadu. He started his career in National College, Basavanagudi and then he joined St. John’s Medical College, Zablocki Learning Centre to do internship course in Librarianship in Health Sciences (Apprentice Trainee) in 1995. After completion of his internship, he joined SOCHARA in May 1996, as Library and Documentation Assistant and then promoted as Junior Librarian.

SOCHARA has given an opportunity to develop his skills in other areas like administration, visual presentation preparation, preparing materials for supporting website, newsletters etc. He has been coordinating and supporting other two unit's (Chennai and Bhopal) CLIC activities. He is interested in disseminating the information to global public and dialogue with community/people.

V N Nagaraja Rao
Administrative Officer
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Education

  • B.Com

Dr. John S. Clarence
Senior HFA LC Librarian
Mathew Alex
Accounts Officer
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Education
M Com, MBA

He started his working career in the year 1988 and gained experience in accounts and auditing in a Chartered Accountant firm and other organizations, before joining SOCHARA family in the year 2006 as a ‘Secretarial Assistant’. He was inducted in the Centre for Public Health and Equity (CPHE) unit of SOCHARA which was established in 2008 and was appointed as a Secretary to the Director and the Senior Consultant of SOCHARA, to handle all their secretarial functions including logistics.

Since 2010 he works as a ‘Office Supervisor’ for the CPHE unit, and ably coordinates the office functions, and supports the administration and accounts department of SOCHARA. He plays a vital role in supporting the team members for all travel arrangements and other event related logistics.

He has taken over as a ‘Accountant’ of SOCHARA from 1st October 2015 onwards and since then carries out all the accounting and other related functions of the organization. Having completed more than 10 years of service in SOCHARA, he actively takes initiative to coordinate various works assigned to him and supports the Director and senior consultant of SOCHARA in their needs.

He is a qualified person, with Masters in Commerce and Masters in Business Administration to his credit.

Maria Dorothy Stella
Office Supervisor
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Education
B.A

She completed her BA in 1991 in Jyoti Nivas College, Bangalore and has experience working in the Personal and Accounts Departments in a number of Export companies. She joined CHC in 2005 as Secretary to Coordinator and later has been involved in Admin & Accounts work of the CHC, Bangalore Office as Office Supervisor and now at SOPHEA. She also assists in the CHLP work such as correspondence, accounts, accommodation arrangements and all other administrative works.

Hari Prasad Ojha
Office Assistant
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Education
SSLC

Hariprasad Ojha joined CHC in 2000 as a watchman. He quickly became involved in the community health work of the centre and currently works as an office assistant in CPHE.

M S Joseph
Office Assistant
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Education
SSLC

Joseph is born and bought up in Bangalore. He completed his Metric and start working in a number of companies and showrooms in various positions then he joined CHC in 2011 as Office Assistant. He supports in all sort of administration activities like organising seminars, workshops, meetings etc., and also helps to the team on their requirements.

Tulsi Chetri
Office Assistant
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Education
SSLC

Tulsi is from Assam and has been working with SOCHARA since July 2012. He has completed matriculation and is working as a office assistant with Centre for Public Health and Equity.

Jyothi S
Programme Assistant
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Education
SSLC

Experience
Organisation Position Dates
Asha Worker - 5 years
Karnataka Health Promotion Trust Field Worker 3 years
Telesales - 6 months

Roles and Responsibilities at SOCHARA

  1. House hold survey or situation analysis on health and sanitation
  2. Linking with local self-help groups
  3. Build rapport with the local community and schools
  4. Work closely with training and research assistant in implementing community based activities and programmes
  5. Forming youth groups at Mayabazaar and Anandapuram communities
  6. Documenting daily and weekly activities
  7. Planning weekly field based activities
  8. Ensure timely assessment and data collection
  9. Working closely with network partners and mobilising community for training programmes
  10. Organising community level meetings
  11. Working with identified schools on Project WASH activities, coordinating with volunteers and interns for community work
  12. Learning and sharing skills, attitudes and knowledge to improve team ethos
  13. To create opportunities and for self-development and sharing this with team for mutual benefit
  14. To extend active help and co-operation to all members in their activities of SOCHARA beyond own focused area of work

Rajani
Field Coordinator
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Education

  • 2nd PUC
  • Pre-primary teachers training

Experience
Organisation Position Dates
Tyagoor School, Magadi Road Nursery Teacher 24 years
Mamtha Field Coordinator 2 years
Akshara Foundation Librarian 2 years

Roles and Responsibilities at SOCHARA

  1. House hold survey or situation analysis on health and sanitation
  2. Linking with local self-help groups
  3. Build rapport with the local community and schools
  4. Work closely with training and research assistant in implementing community based activities and programmes
  5. Forming youth groups at Mayabazaar and Anandapuram communities
  6. Documenting daily and weekly activities
  7. Planning weekly field based activities
  8. Ensure timely assessment and data collection
  9. Working closely with network partners and mobilising community for training programmes
  10. Organising community level meetings
  11. Working with identified schools on Project WASH activities, coordinating with volunteers and interns for community work
  12. Learning and sharing skills, attitudes and knowledge to improve team ethos
  13. To create opportunities and for self-development and sharing this with team for mutual benefit
  14. To extend active help and co-operation to all members in their activities of SOCHARA beyond own focused area of work

Prema K
Field Coordinator
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Education

  • SSLC

Experience
Organisation Position Dates
Asha Worker - 6 months
Karnataka Health Promotion Trust Field Worker 1 year

Roles and Responsibilities at SOCHARA

  1. House hold survey or situation analysis on health and sanitation
  2. Linking with local self-help groups
  3. Build rapport with the local community and schools
  4. Work closely with training and research assistant in implementing community based activities and programmes
  5. Forming youth groups at Mayabazaar and Anandapuram communities
  6. Documenting daily and weekly activities
  7. Planning weekly field based activities
  8. Ensure timely assessment and data collection
  9. Working closely with network partners and mobilising community for training programmes
  10. Organising community level meetings
  11. Working with identified schools on Project WASH activities, coordinating with volunteers and interns for community work
  12. Learning and sharing skills, attitudes and knowledge to improve team ethos
  13. To create opportunities and for self-development and sharing this with team for mutual benefit
  14. To extend active help and co-operation to all members in their activities of SOCHARA beyond own focused area of work

Mr. Surya Kumar
Field Coordinator
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He is a community health practitioner and social worker who recently completed his training in sociology. He is recruited as community facilitator for the waterAid supported project. He started his community work right after his PUC to support persons infected with tuberculosis for three years. He also supported migrant construction workers to access social welfare schemes.

He completed his bachelor education through distance learning and aspires to pursue master education in social work. He is smart and looks forward to experiential learning as he opted to pursue masters education through distance learning while continuing to learn about community health and development by working directly with the community. He came across the work of SOCHARA organization during his field work and wanted to join the team for sometime now. His medium term goal is to continue to learn the community health approach to WASH and contribute to communities with the best of his abilities.

Karthikeyan K
Associate Director, Academics
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Education

  • M.S (Public Health), BPT

He is a public health practitioner who joined the CHLP team as Associate Director, Academics on 15th of February 2022 and he works closely with the Program Director and Program Associate.

He had training in physiotherapy, public health, and leadership for the social development sector. His main interest is disability and public health and he worked on programs that promoted the inclusion of persons with disabilities and strengthened the system to improve responsive service. He has been long associated with SOCHARA since when he worked for the ‘Community Health Learning Program’ in 2012. While he learnt the top down approach to address the public health programs during his master's education in public health, he learnt the bottom-up approach in SOCHARA. He strongly advocates and promotes the community paradigm such as community mobilization, community engagement and community empowerment for sustainable development in the programs he is associated with.

Ranjitha L
Programme Assistant - CHLP
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Ranjitha, completed her bachelor's degree in Microbiology from M.S Ramaiah College of Arts, Science and Commerce, Bangalore University later chose to build her career in the field of Public health and pursued her Masters in Public health with a specialization in Epidemiology from Manipal University. Worked as Research officer at Christian Medical College, Vellore in the area of vaccine impact assessment and vaccine hesitancy in the community.

As a public health professional she actively volunteered in various health awareness activities such as breastfeeding awareness talk, malaria survey, behavioral change communication camps for people with non-communicable diseases and volunteered in the pulse polio immunization programme run by the government of India.

Currently, she is applying her theoretical knowledge and working experience to the Community Health Learning Program (CHLP) at SOCHARA and is looking forward to continuing to co-learn with the team.

Vijaya
Helper
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Education

  • SSLC

Vijaya is from Bangalore. She has completed SSLC. She starts her carrier in garment industry then she joined CHC in 2011 as an Office Helper. She keeps the office environment clean and green.

Tamil Nadu

Ameer Khan
Co-Coordinator, Head CEU Tamil Nadu, Training and Research Associate
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Education
MA, LLB

Suresh D
Communication Officer and SIMS Manager
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Education

  • BCA

A post graduate in Information Technology from University of Madras joined SOCHARA in March 2010 and contributing in IEC and Communication material development via media, field level trainings, workshops in Community Action for Health project in Tamil Nadu from its initiation period. He was involved in science communication and education programs with his erstwhile organisation. He also actively involved and contributed to the movements like ‘people’s health movement’, ‘Hamaradesh’, ‘Movement against Nuclear weapons’. He is passionate on talking with the people, experimenting ideas, cultural trips, part of movement, Be People! With the People!!.

Uma Chaitanya V
Project Manager, CWASH Project, Chennai
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Uma Chaitanya earned a degree in Masters in Pharmacy. She worked as an Assistant Professor and also as a Pharmacist before joining SOCHARA. Both her parents are social workers and growing up she and her siblings too volunteered and joined parents in their work. when got the opportunity to do the CHLP fellowship, SOCHARA's approach affirmed her passion and led her to choose community health as a career.

She joined SOCHARA CHLP team as a Program Assistant and now moved to the C-WASH Chennai team after taking up the Program Manager post.

Mathivanan S
Training and Research Assistant, WASH Project, Chennai
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A dedicated professional having completed BSc in rural development science in Arul Anandar College Madurai and a Masters in social work (Medical And Psychiatric Social Work) at Madras School Of Social Work, Chennai with hands on personnel management experience and academic knowledge that blends seamlessly into a position in solving problems and maintaining confidentiality and I have mastered in tele counselling as well as research process.

Rohini Radhakrishnan
Training and Research Assistant, WASH Project, Chennai
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Rohini Radhakrishnan serves as the Training and Research Assistant, managing day-to-day plans, working with existing awareness programs, and challenging work in the community.

She earned a degree in Master of public health under which Public health Emergency and disaster management specialization from the SRM university, graduating in 2022. She has done an Internship at NIDM Delhi and joined SOCHARA on Aug 8th, 2022. Dedicated to work with the community for their Health as well as to learn more about the community approach via SOCHARA'S vision and mission. She is currently engaged with the C WASH project in Chennai Team.

Kudiyarasu M
Program assistant, WASH Team, Chennai
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Education
B Com, ICMA

Experience
Organisation Position Dates Location
ESAS Audit Firm Indirect Tax Practitioner and Accountant 3.5 years Chennai

Roles and Responsibilities
Accounts related work:

  1. Writing of vouchers after scrutinizing the supporting bills, allotting the cost centers and sending it for approval
  2. Writing of cash book, bank books in Excel Program.
    Administrative Work
  1. Manage the extension office of the community health call in Chennai.
  2. Be in charge of the Accounts and administrative aspect of the community action for health in the Tamil Nadu project.
  3. Coordinate with the administrative officer or Accountant.

MADHYA PRADESH

Azam Khan
Training and Research Assistant
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Education

  • MA, MSW

He completed his LLB in 2001 from Devi Ahilya University, Indore and has experience working with esteemed non-governmental organizations on Legal Awareness, Training and Documentation. He Joined SOCHARA in 2015-16, Community Health Learning Programme as a Fellow at Bangalore. In 2020, he joined CPHE Bhopal office as Research and Training Assistant. He also assists in training, networking and CHLP work such as correspondence, data analysis, field interventions, mentorship and other relevant works.

Nidhi Shukla
Training and Research Assistant
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Education
MSW

Ms. Nidhi Shukla completed her Post graduation in Journalism and Mass Communication from Makhanlal Chaturvedi Rastriya Patrakarita University in 1996. She started her career with Madhya Pradesh Vigyan who have been working with Bhariya tribe. In 2009 she joined the CPHE fellowship programme. After the fellowship she joined the NRHM ASHA Training Programme as a State trainer and support the ASHA Programme as a state MGCA member. She joined CPHE Bhopal in April 2015 as a Training and Research Assistant.

Mr. Dhirendra Arya
Training and Research Associate
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He is a postgraduate with Social Work and completed a two year community Health Fellowship from CPHE, SOCHARA, Madhya Pradesh. He had 13 years with NGOs and the Government sector. Currently working with CPHE, SOCHARA, Bhopal MP as a Training and Research Associate.

Sangeeta
Helper

Consultants

Thelma Narayan
Senior Advisor - Academics and Health Policy Action
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Education
MBBS, MSc (Epid), PhD (London)

Dr. Thelma Narayan is a medical graduate from St. John’s Medical College, Bangalore, India, with an MSc in Epidemiology and a doctorate in public health policy from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.She is committed to health and equity over four decades of work.

She was a faculty member of the Department of Community Medicine, St. John’s Medical College till 1983. She co-initiated the Community Health Cell (CHC) a professional resource centre in the voluntary sector in 1984. This initiative was registered as the Society for Community Health Awareness, Research and Action (SOCHARA) in 1991. She was the Director SOCHARA – SOPHEA (School of Public Health, Equity and Action), Secretary - Society for Community Health Awareness, Research and Action (SOCHARA) till September, 2016. She is currently senior advisor – academics and health policy action - SOCHARA, Bangalore.

She has been an advisor to various national health initiatives including the National Rural Health Mission/ National Health Mission; a member of the Advisory Group on Community Action for Health from 2005 till date; on the founding governing board of the National Health Systems Resource Centre for one term; member of the national ASHA mentoring group for the first seven years; and member of the National Mental Health Policy Group.The national mental health policy for India was adopted in October 2014. She helped evolve public health and primary health care oriented state health policies in Karnataka and Orissa states.

She is active in the People’s Health Movement in India (Jan Swasthya Abhiyan) and globally since their inception in 2000 promoting the Health for All goal.

She was a member of the Measurement and Evidence Knowledge Network of the WHO Commission on Social Determinants of Health (2005-8) and on the Planning Committee of the Bamako inter-ministerial forum for research on health, development and equity (2008). She was invited to Chair the Session on Institutionalizing Community Participation in Public Health Policy at the World Conference on the Social Determinants of Health at Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in October 2011.

She developed the Community Health Learning Program since 2003 for SOCHARA; and in 2008 evolved the Madhya Pradesh Centre for Public Health and Equity. From 2011 with SOCHARA she evolved SOPHEA – SOCHARA School of Public Health Equity and Action.

She was one of two organising secretaries of the 5th National Bio-ethics Conference co- organised by FMES, St. John’s National Academy of Health Sciences and SOCHARA in Bengaluru in December 2014. In 2018 she represented SOCHARA in organising the World Congress of Bioethics at St. Johns with other institutional co-organisers.

CHC and SOCHARA are supportive of work with persons with special abilities. She was a board member of the Association of Persons with Disability (APD) and President of CBR (Collective Action for Basic Rights) Foundation.

She is currently a Commissioner on the Lancet Citizens Commission on reimagining India’s public health system to achieve universal health care in the decade.

Her areas of interests are: public health, health policy processes, socially relevant health personnel education, public health ethics, gender and health, social determinants of health.

She has written over 70 reports / publications / papers.

Ravi Narayan
Archivist, Advisor, Philosopher, Story Teller
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Education
MD, DIH (UK), DTPH (London)

Dr Ravi Narayan is a Public Health Consultant and Health Policy Researcher who has been involved with promoting the social / community paradigm in public health education and public health system development for over three decades in various capacities.

He was a faculty member at St John’s Medical College, Bangalore, and an overseas faculty of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine before initiating the Society for Community Health Awareness, Research and Action - a health policy resource group working with State and Central governments, international health agencies, NGOs and civil society and peoples movements in the country and globally since 1984. He has been a resource person for WHO, WHO-SEARO, Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), Planning Commission, Malaria Research Centre – ICMR, and a host of Indian and international networks and campaigns.

From 2000 AD he has been closely involved with the development of the people’s health movement in India (Jan Swasthya Abhiyan) and the Global movement. He was the joint convener of the Indian movement till 2003. From 2003 - 2006 he was the Coordinator of the Global Secretariat of the People’s Health Movement (PHM) – the global movement promoting the Health for All goal. During his phase of coordinatorship, PHM also evolved the Right to Health Campaign; the Global Health Watch; and the International People’s Health University. He is also a member of the Foundation Council of the Global Forum for Health Research, Geneva, promoting public health research on health systems and social determinants.

In 2006, he was invited to be a founding governing body member of the Public Health Foundation of India, and an International Advisory board member of the British Medical Journal to strengthen public health perspectives.

He is also a Consultant of the National Rural Health Mission of the Government of India and a Member of the Medical Education Task Force and a Member of its steering Committee on Primary Health Care for the Eleventh Five Year Plan (2007-12) of the Planning Commission, Government of India and its sub group on AYUSH and Public Health. Since Feb 2009 Dr. Narayan is working closely with WHO- SEARO evolving a document which is both a conceptual framework and a guideline for integrated management of public health programmes at a district level for the region.

Presently he is also the chairperson of the Research Advisory Committee of the newly initiated Institute for Ayurvedic and Integrated Medicine in Bangalore; expert member of the appraisal and approval committees of some of the grant in aid schemes of the AYUSH department in the Health Ministry; and a member of the Planning Commission steering group on AYUSH for the 12th plan (2012-17) "

He has also been a supporter of strengthening the mental health component of Primary Health Care and Public Health and was a participant in the WHO/ Lancet survey of experts on mental health policy conducted a few years ago.

Dr. Narayan along with his colleagues in SOCHARA has been among the foremost proponents of the community health paradigm in the country evolving its frame work, axioms, and associated concepts such as the paradigm shift, the social vaccine and socio epidemiology.

Dr. Ravi D'Souza
Senior Consultant, Co-ordinator - Bhopal
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Education
MBBS, MD (Community Medicine)

Dr. Ravi D'Souza obtained his MBBS and MD (Community Medicine) degrees from Christian Medical College, Vellore. His area of interest has been communicable diseases, especially malaria and leprosy. Working in community health for over 30 years, he has also been involved in issues concerning rational drug use, drug policy and increasing awareness among lay persons about the proper use of medicines. Dr. D'Souza worked in rural Orissa before moving to Chhattisgarh to become part of the group of doctors working at Jan Swasthya Sahyog (JSS), Bilaspur. He is contributing as editorial member to 'Health Action' Magazine and part of many networks like medico-friends circle, community health workers forum. He start his consultancy when MP CPHE was initiated and contributed to the fellowship programme in many ways/stages.