Dr. S.S. Lal MBBS, PhD, MPH and MBA

Professor and Head - Public health

Dr. S.S. Lal is an internationally acclaimed public health leader with over twenty-five years of experience in global health. Until July 2nd, Lal worked as the Director, Infectious Diseases at Family Health International based in Washington DC, USA and he shifted his base to India in July 2020. Currently Lal works as the Professor and Head of Public Heath, Global Institute of Public Health, India and consultant of a Geneva- based digital health organization. He has worked for organizations including the WHO and The Global Fund and he has lived in the USA, Switzerland and East Timor. He is the Vice-Chair of a WHO Working Group and member of several other forums. Lal has MBBS, PhD, MPH and MBA. He is known for his scientific papers, creative writing, health columns and TV health shows.

 

Core Areas

Public health, Health management, Infectious diseases, Tuberculosis, Privatete sector, Digital health, Health communication, Career development, Mentoring

 

Publications

1. Vijayan Shibu, Shah Daksha, Chopra Rishabh, Khaparde Sunil, Gupta Devesh, Sadasivan Lal, Salve Jyoti, Rade Kiran,Vadera Bhavin, Karad Amit, Taralekar Radha, Bharaswadkar Sandeep, Khetrapal Minnie, Gandhi Ravdeep Kaur, Jondhale Vaishnavi, Mahapatra Sudip, Kumta Sameer, Nair Sreenivas Achutan, Kamble Sanjeev, Dewan Puneet. Tapping private health sector for public health program? Findings of a novel intervention to tackle TB in Mumbai, India. Indian Journal of Tuberculosis 67 (2020) 189-201.

2. Nayar, K Rajasekharan and Sadasivan, Lal and Shaffi, Muhammed and Vijayan, Bindhya and P Rao, Arathi, Social Media Messages related to COVID-19: A content analysis (March 25, 2020).

3. Riddhi Doshi, Dennis Falzon, Bruce V. Thomas, Zelalem Temesgen, Lal Sadasivan, Giovanni Battista Migliori, and Mario Raviglione. Tuberculosis control, and the where and why of artificial intelligence. European Respiratory Journal. 2017 Apr;3(2): 00056-2017.

4. Muhammed Shaffi, Kesavan Rajasekharan Nayar, and SS Lal. Diphtheria Deaths in Kerala, Signs of an Impending Crisis.Economic and Political weekly. Vol - L No. 43, October 24, 2015S.

5. S. Lal, S. Sahu, F. Wares, K. Lönnroth, L. S. Chauhan, M. Uplekar. Intensified scale-up of public-private mix: a systems approach to tuberculosis care and control in India. INT J TUBERC LUNG DIS 15(1):97–104.

6. S. S. Lal, Mukund Uplekar, Itamar Katz, Knut Lonnroth, Ryuichi Komatsu, Hannah Monica Yesudian Dias and Rifat Atun. Global Fund financing of public–private mix approaches for delivery of tuberculosis care. Tropical Medicine and International Health

7. S.S. Lal, R.S. Vasan, Sankara Sarma, K.R. Thankappan. Knowledge and attitude of college students in Kerala towards HIV/AIDS, sexually transmitted diseases and sexuality. Natl MedJ India 2000;13:231-6

8. Puneet K Dewan, S S Lal, Knut Lonnroth, Fraser Wares, Mukund Uplekar, Suvanand Sahu, Reuben Granich, Lakbir Singh Chauhan. Improving tuberculosis control through public-private collaboration in India: literature review. BMJ, doi:10.1136/bmj.38738.473252.7C

9. Donna Lee, S. S. Lal, Ryuichi Komatsu, Alimuddin Zumla, and Rifat Atun. Global Fund Financing of Tuberculosis Services Delivery in Prisons. Journal of Infectious Diseases. DOI: 10.1093/infdis/jis042

10. Pantoja, K. Lönnroth, S. S. Lal, L. S. Chauhan, M. Uplekar, M. R. Padma, K. P. Unnikrishnan, J. Rajesh, P. Kumar, S. Sahu, F. Wares, K. Floyd: Economic evaluation of public-private mix for tuberculosis care and control, India. Part II. Cost and cost-effectiveness; INT J TUBERC LUNG DIS 13(6):705–712
11. Pantoja, K. Floyd, K. P. Unnikrishnan, R. Jitendra, M. R. Padma, S. S. Lal, M. Uplekar,L. S. Chauhan, P. Kumar, S. Sahu, F. Wares, K. Lönnroth: Economic evaluation of public-private mix for tuberculosis care and control, India. Part I. Socioeconomic profile and costs among tuberculosis patients; INT J TUBERC LUNG DIS 13(6):698–704

12. L S Chauhan, S S Lal, S Sahu, F Wares. Successful PPM DOTS scale-up in India: assessment of contribution of different health care providers: Int J Tuberc Lung Dis 2006; 10: S281.

13. S.S. Lal, K. Hemachandran, R.V. Asokan: Role of IMA in the public-private mix initiatives of the RNTCP, India, In Emerging issues in Public Health, SCTIMST, India.
14. SS Lal, RV Asokan, Gutta Suresh. IMA and TB control: a journey from local PPM DOTS pilot projects to global platform. IHSP, 2010.

15. S.P. Agarwal, Shruti Sehgal, S.S. Lal; Chapter 15, Public-Private Mix in the Revised National TB Control Programme,Tuberculosis Control in India, Directorate General of Health Services, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, New Delhi,
2005 (Book Chapter)

Previous Positions

Director, Infectious Diseases – TB Portfolio, FHI 360: Washington DC, USA (1.5 years) 02/2019 to 07/2020
Technical Director, PATH: Washington DC, USA (Six years) 01/2013 to 12/2018
The Global Fund: Geneva, Switzerland (Five years) 2008 to 2013
Senior Specialist, Impact, Results and Evaluation (08/2012-01/2013)
Senior Fund Portfolio Manager, East Asia and Pacific (01/2012-07/2012)
Senior Technical Officer, Program Performance (08/2008-12/2011)
World Health Organization: East Timor and India (9 years) 1999 to 2008
Technical Officer, TB and HIV, WHO East Timor Country Office (2007-2008)
National Professional Officer, TB-PPM, WHO India Country Office (2003-2007)
TB National Medical Consultant (Field officer), under WHO India Country Office (1999-2003)
Government: Kerala State, India Epidemiologist (two years) (1998-1999)
Assistant Surgeon, Government of Kerala, India (1996-1999)
Research Fellow/Private Practitioner/NGO Project Officer: 1990 –1996 (six years)