In 2018, Indian public health expert Dr Vinod K Paul became the first Indian to receive the prestigious Ihsan Doğramacı Family Health Foundation Prize from the World Health Organisation (WHO). He made history on the global stage as the award recognised his outstanding contribution to family health.
However, the WHO honour was only one milestone in a career spanning decades of research, clinical practice, medical education and public health policymaking.
Dr Paul is an internationally recognised researcher, clinician, educator and public health advocate whose work has focused extensively on family and newborn health. He served on the faculty of the Department of Paediatrics at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi, from 1985 to 2020 and headed the department for nearly a decade.
Over the course of his career, his research and advocacy helped place newborn health at the centre of global health discussions surrounding the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and later the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
He also played an instrumental role in establishing the Partnership for Maternal, Newborn and Child Health, a global health partnership focused on improving the health and survival of women, newborns and children.
As a Member of NITI Aayog, he was involved in several major public-health initiatives in India such as Ayushman Bharat and POSHAN Abhiyaan. He also contributed to the development of Ayushman Arogya Mandirs. His experience in both clinical medicine and public health helped bridge the gap between scientific research and large-scale health policy.
Key role in India’s COVID-19 response
Dr Paul’s expertise became more significant during the COVID-19 pandemic, when India faced the unprecedented challenge of responding to a rapidly evolving public health emergency.
He chaired the National Task Force on COVID-19, the Empowered Group on Vaccination and the National Expert Group on Vaccine Administration for COVID-19.
These responsibilities placed him at the centre of India’s pandemic response, where decisions around vaccination, public health measures and healthcare preparedness required coordination between medical experts, policymakers and government agencies.
From advancing newborn health to contributing to national healthcare programmes and helping shape India’s COVID-19 response, Dr Vinod K Paul’s career shows how Indian expertise influences public health far beyond the country’s borders.
His 2018 WHO Ihsan Doğramacı Family Health Foundation Prize was therefore more than an individual recognition. It represented international acknowledgement of his sustained contribution to family and newborn health.