Indian American physician funds infectious disease program at Pune medical college

Dr. Navin C. Shah, an Indian American physician and philanthropist, has committed $525,000 to set up an infectious disease program at BJ Government Medical College in Pune, Maharashtra. The five-year initiative, named after him, was developed with Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore. The agreement was signed in Baltimore, where Dr. Amita Gupta, who leads the infectious diseases division at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, took part in the ceremony.

The program will back research, medical education, faculty and student exchanges, and patient care, with a focus on underserved communities in Pune. Gupta has worked on infectious disease research and medical collaborations in India for more than two decades. Shah, who grew up in Pune and studied at the same college, has also launched infectious disease initiatives in India, according to earlier coverage by the same outlet.