Environmental Health

The Environmental Health team is focused on the establishment of a strong repository of evidence- based research on a range of issues impacting population health. The multidisciplinary team of researchers brings expertise in designing and conducting rigorous epidemiological research studies across India. The team comprises public health experts, epidemiologists, biostatisticians, social scientists, environmental epidemiologists, exposure science experts, geospatial analysts, health economists, health system specialists, nutrition and laboratory science experts.

Current large-scale epidemiological studies are focusing on air pollution, nutritional and psychosocial determinants and climate change and their impacts on a range of child and adult health outcomes. Unique AI- based modelling techniques have been used to develop exposure metrics and dashboards that can be effectively used by researchers in future epidemiological research on population health in India.The team also contributes to the formulation of programs and policies by national and sub- national governments, besides focusing on building capacity for research and advocacy. Several international collaborations also provide a platform for knowledge exchange and training opportunities for early and mid- career researchers, thereby helping to build a pool of future research scientists.

PROJECTS


(September 2021‑August 2026)About half of all children under five across […]

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Environmental Health

Early Child Development & Learning in Deprived Urban Environment Influence of Pollution (ECD-Urban Pollution)

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The study investigates the health impacts of key environmental exposomes—PM₂.₅, […]

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Environmental Health

GEOHealth Health Effects of Selected Environmental Exposomes Across the Life Course (HEALS)(August 2022‑February 2027)

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FUSION is a collaborative international research initiative led by the […]

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Environmental Health

FUSION (Floods, Understanding Climate change and Non-communicable diseases)(December 2024‑December 2029)

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The PURI‑HF trial is a multi‑site randomized controlled trial conducted […]

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Environmental Health

Effectiveness of Indoor Air Purifiers on Heart Failure Outcomes: PURI-HF Trial(December 2025‑December 2030)

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Collaborating Institutions

Latest Events

UK-India Environmental Noise and Health Research Workshop in New Delhi, India-29th June 2026

Upcoming

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Presentations & Publications

GEOHealth Mandal S, Jagannathan R, Anand S, Ali MK, Prabhakaran P, Mohan S, Gupta R, Narayan KV, Mohan V, Schwartz JD, Tandon N. Long term exposure to ambient PM2. 5 and kidney function in urban Indian adults. Kidney International Reports. 2026 Jul 8:106693. 
GEOHealth  Menon JS, Mandal S, Ali MK, et al. The role of neighborhood and household level socio-economic status in determining air pollution exposure in two Indian cities. Environ Res Lett. 2025;20(5):054063. 
GEOHealth  Prabhakaran D, Sieber NL, Jaganathan S, et al. Health effects of selected environmental Exposomes Across the Life courSe in Indian populations using longitudinal cohort studies: GEOHealth HEALS Study protocol. BMJ Open. 2024;14(10):e087445. 
GEOHealth  Mandal S, Kuriakose S, Shridhar K. Investigating the role of gut microbiome in the association between ambient air pollution and type-2 diabetes mellitus: a causal inference approach using review of evidence to date. Front Environ Health. 2024;3:1339674. 
GEOHealth  Anand K, Walia GK, Mandal S, et al. Longitudinal associations between ambient PM2.5 exposure and lipid levels in two Indian cities. Environ Epidemiol. 2024;8(2):e295. 
GEOHealth  Mandal S, Jaganathan S, Kondal D, et al. PM2.5 exposure, glycemic markers and incidence of type 2 diabetes in two large Indian cities. BMJ Open Diabetes Res Care. 2023;11(5):e003333. 
GEOHealth  Krishna B, Mandal S, Madhipatla K, Reddy KS, Prabhakaran D, Schwartz JD. Daily nonaccidental mortality associated with short-term PM2.5 exposures in Delhi, India. Environ Epidemiol. 2021;5(4):e167. 
GEOHealth  Prabhakaran D, Mandal S, Krishna B, et al. Exposure to particulate matter is associated with elevated blood pressure and incident hypertension in urban India. Hypertension. 2020;76(4):1289-1298. 
GEOHealth  Walia GK, Mandal S, Jaganathan S, et al. Leveraging existing cohorts to study health effects of air pollution on cardiometabolic disorders: India Global Environmental and Occupational Health Hub. Environ Health Insights. 2020;14:1178630220915688. 
GEOHealth  Mandal S, Madhipatla KK, Guttikunda S, Kloog I, Prabhakaran D, Schwartz JD. Ensemble averaging based assessment of spatiotemporal variations in ambient PM2.5 concentrations over Delhi, India, during 2010–2016. Atmos Environ. 2020;224:117309. 
Other Report  Lancet Countdown 2024 Report: 2024 Climate and Health Policy Priorities for India: Poornima Prabhakaran, Priya Dutta, October 2024 
Other Report  UNDP. Investment Case Study for Air Pollution Reduction: Amritsar and Gurugram, India. United Nations Development Programme; 2025. Licence: CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO. 
Other Report  UNDP. Methodology for Developing Household and Ambient Air Pollution Investment, February 3, 2025 
Other Report  Prabhakaran P, Berenstein C, Hamidi S, Vedanthan R, Münzel T. Climate Change and Cardiovascular Health: Advancing Resilient Action Beyond COP30. Global Heart. 2026 May 5;21(1):38. 

Awards & Recognitions

Team Members

Dr Poornima Prabhakaran

Deputy Director, Environmental Health at CCDC

Dr Aditi Roy

Senior Research Scientist

Ms. Anubrati Dutta

Senior Research Associate

Mr. Ajit Rajiva 

Senior Research Associate

Mr. Awadesh Kumar 

Senior Program Associate

Dr Bejo Jacob Raju

Senior Research Associate

Dr Gagandeep Kaur Walia

Senior Research Scientist

Ms. Ipsita Majumdar 

Project Assistant

Ms. Ishika Jharia 

Senior Program Coordinator

Ms. Mehak Kohli 

Consultant

Ms. Jyothi Menon 

Senior Research Scientist

Ms. Nibedita Behera 

Biostatistician

Ms. Palkie Barua 

Senior Program Manager

Ms. Priya Saugat Dutta 

Senior Research Scientist

Mr. Prashant Rajput 

Senior Research Scientist

Dr Ruby Gupta  

Head - Bio-Lab & Senior Research Scientist (Biochemist)

Ms. Rajni Dhyani 

Senior Research Associate

Dr Samayita Ghosh 

Senior Research Associate

Ms. Shruthi Manjula Mohan 

Dr Shweta Dixit  

Mr. Suraj Verma 

Ms. Sonila Moktan  

Ms Tripti Agarwal 

Research Associate

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