Jamia Millia Islamia bags Boston University's award for collaborative research proposal

Jamia Millia Islamia's Dr. Praveen Kumar Pathak, Associate Professor, Department of Geography, and Dr. Mahesh Karra, Assistant Professor at the Frederick S. Pardee School of Global Studies and Associate Director of the Human Capital Initiative, Boston University(BU), USA have been awarded Boston University's Global Programs BUFI (2020) Seed Fund. Both of them came together for an award-winning collaborative project proposal entitled 'Networks and Global health: Experimental Evidence of Women's Social Networks, Reproductive Health, and Well-being in Rural India'. This research grant is awarded to seed new or existing collaborative research projects in India conducted by BU faculty and their peers in India.

Dr. S. Anukriti, Economist, Development Research Group, World Bank, Washington DC, USA and Dr. Catalina Herrera-Almanza, Assistant Professor of Agricultural and Consumer Economics, University of Illinois-Urbana Champaign, USA are the other two collaborators for



the study.

The study aims to identify innovative and cost-effective strategies for delivering reproductive health services through social networks in low-income settings in India.

The study builds on existing fieldwork from an ongoing randomized control trial that explores the causal impact of a social network-based family planning intervention on women’s contraceptive use, reproductive health, fertility, and well-being in rural Jaunpur, Uttar Pradesh, India.

To further the delivery of programs and services, Dr. Pathak and the team will host dissemination workshops and meetings with local researchers, policymakers, and practitioners in India. They aim to present the findings to the India Ministry of Health and Family Welfare; the Divisional and Sub-Divisional Magistrate of Jaunpur district; the ASHA workers of Jaunpur district; Banaras Hindu University; Mahatma Gandhi Kashi Vidyapith University, Varanasi; and JMI.