The Centre for Public Health (CPH) functions under the Office of the Principal and follows a structured governance model to ensure effective decision- making, collaboration, and sustainability.
Core working group (CWG)
The Principal oversees the Centre and nominates a Core Working Group (CWG) to manage its operations. The Core Working Group (CWG) serves as the central decision-making and operational body of the Centre for Public Health (CPH). The CWG is responsible for setting the strategic direction, overseeing research and academic programs, and ensuring the effective functioning of the Centre. The CWG nominates the Head of the Centre from within its members, who serves a four-year term and leads the Centre’s activities.
The CWG consists of intramural faculty members from diverse disciplines, ensuring broad expertise in public health research, education, and implementation. Members serve a minimum term of three years, with renewal based on commitment and institutional priorities. To maintain continuity, at least 50% of the members continue during each renewal cycle. Ex-officio members include the Additional Vice Principal (Research) and Heads of Department of Biostatistics and Department of Community Health.
The CWG identifies key public health workstreams, issues calls for proposals, and fosters interdisciplinary collaboration within and outside CMC. It establishes selection criteria for adjunct faculty, reviews applications, and provides support for research funding, training, and networking opportunities. The CWG reviews funding proposals, allocates internal seed grants, and facilitates external funding partnerships. It collaborates with the Secretariat to oversee MSc, PhD, and certificate programs, ensuring high-quality training and capacity building. The CWG conducts regular monitoring and evaluation of workstream progress. It commissions evaluation reports at the end of one and three years and collaborates with the Strategic Advisory Group (SAG) to assess impact and refine strategies.
Secretariat
The Secretariat is responsible for coordinating the daily operations of the Centre for Public Health (CPH) and ensuring its smooth functioning. The secretariat would include a full-time research coordinator, a part-time/full-time academic coordinator and an office facilitator to manage day-to-day operations.
The Research Coordinator oversees research activities, manages grants, and assists adjunct faculty in securing funding and developing proposals. This includes overseeing the full grant lifecycle-identifying funding opportunities, assisting faculty in proposal development, ensuring compliance, and managing post-award activities. The Research Coordinator is responsible for coordinating research projects within the Centre. This involves liaising with internal and external stakeholders, tracking project milestones, and ensuring timely execution. This allows faculty to focus on research while ensuring efficient project execution. Additionally, they engage with funding agencies, partner institutions, and external bodies to foster collaborations and secure resources for the Centre. A health-related degree, preferably an MPH or MBA, along with at least three years of research experience, is required for this position.
The Academic Coordinator is responsible for the administration of MSc and PhD programs. This includes organizing training sessions, facilitating doctoral advisory committee meetings, and ensuring that students receive the necessary academic support throughout their coursework and research journey. The academic coordinator would also support technical experts in developing short courses and certificate courses.
The Office Facilitator provides needed secretarial support to the research and academic coordinator and adjunct faculty to identify and apply for grants, develop proposals, and meet the compliance requirements of various agencies and authorities. Secretarial support is across workstreams, and individual projects are expected to create budget allocations to cover the cost of offering secretarial support. This includes managing correspondence, scheduling meetings, maintaining records, and assisting with day-to-day tasks.
The Grants Manager plays a vital role in identifying funding opportunities, assisting researchers with proposal submissions, and ensuring compliance with institutional and funding agency requirements. This position is key to securing external funding and maintaining financial sustainability for research initiatives.
The Demographic Surveillance System (DSS) Coordinator oversees the collection and management of health and demographic data under the Demographic Surveillance Systems in Vellore. This role involves coordinating data collection efforts, ensuring data quality, and engaging with the community to facilitate surveillance activities.
Additionally, a Multipurpose Worker assists with maintenance and general operational tasks, supporting the overall functionality of the Centre.