Think globally act locally – SPPU students write prescriptions for the city’s health

The students, who assessed 30 major studies across cities in Africa, USA and Europe, have called for long-term thinking that includes active people participation in developing new approaches to urban health.

3 min readUpdated: Apr 7, 2026 08:46 AM IST

Students evaluated 30 studies from across the world, including developing countries.

Students at Savitribai Phule Pune University (SPPU)’s department of health sciences have undertaken a unique exercise by examining diverse case studies and research from cities across the world to formulate recommendations for policymakers in promoting healthier and resilient cities.

The students, who assessed 30 major studies across cities in Africa, USA and Europe, have called for long-term thinking that includes active people participation in developing new approaches to urban health.

Ahead of World Health Day (April 7), which observes the theme ‘Together for Health, Stand for Science’, experts at SPPU’s department of health sciences urged it is time to think about the health of people and the health of our city.

“This is the time when policy planning can also happen in classrooms by involving young minds with fresh ideas. Instead of bookish instructions, learning on the field is required to get a real life experience,” Dr Girish Tillu, Assistant Professor at the department, who conducts the course on urban health, said.

“The course provides exposure to real life situations of urban environments, infrastructure and people’s needs in a fast changing world. Students learn about factors affecting people’s lives, known as determinants of urban health,” Dr Tillu explained.

This relatively new course has been part of the curriculum for the last six years and teaches students about urbanisation as a determining factor for health and how various aspects like transport, overcrowding and pollution can affect the city’s healthcare.

Students evaluated 30 studies from across the world, including developing countries. “For instance, there are unique innovations like sugar tax, which has been introduced in Africa to reduce beverage consumption in children. After assessing various studies, students have also drawn up perspectives on how some of the global examples can be relevant to local conditions in Pune,” Dr Tillu said. What has emerged strongly is that people should be actively consulted in decision-making and encouraged to participate, rather than remaining passive and expecting the government to handle everything.

Story continues below this ad

“Our department was established to develop public health practitioners for promotion of health at different levels ranging from individuals to planetary health. The programmes at the department are designed to expose students to real life experience in diverse aspects of public health. This is an apt implementation of the national education policy,” Dr Abhay Kudale, head of the department, said.

Anuradha Mascarenhas

Anuradha Mascarenhas is a Senior Editor at The Indian Express, based in Pune. With a career spanning three decades, she is one of the most respected voices in Indian journalism regarding healthcare, science and environment and research developments. She also takes a keen interest in covering women's issues . Professional Background Education: A gold medalist in Communication and Journalism from Savitribai Phule Pune University and a Master’s degree in Literature. Author: She authored the biography At The Wheel Of Research, which chronicles the life and work of Dr. Soumya Swaminathan, the former Chief Scientist at the WHO. Key Focus: She combines scientific accuracy with storytelling, translating complex medical research into compelling public and human-interest narratives. Awards and Recognition Anuradha has won several awards including the Press Council of India's national award for excellence in journalism under the gender based reporting category in 2019 and the Laadli Media award (gender sensitivity -2024). A recipient of the Lokmat journalism award (gender category-2022), she was also shortlisted for the RedInk awards for excellence in journalism-2021. Her debut book At The Wheel Of Research, an exclusive biography of Dr Soumya Swaminathan the inaugural chief scientist of World Health Organisation was also nominated in the Popular Choice Category of JK Paper AUTHER awards. She has also secured competitive fellowships including the Laadli Media Fellowship (2022), the Survivors Against TB – New Research in TB Media Fellowship (2023) and is part of the prestigious 2025 India Cohort of the WomenLift Health Leadership Journey.” Recent Notable Articles (Late 2025) 1. Cancer & Specialized Medical Care "Tata Memorial finds way to kill drug-resistant cancer cells" (Nov 26, 2025): Reporting on a breakthrough for triple-negative breast cancer, one of the most aggressive forms of the disease. Discipline, diet and purpose; How a 97-year-old professor defies ageing'' (Nov 15, 2025) Report about Prof Gururaj Mutalik, the first Head of Department at Pune's B J Government Medical College who at 97 credits his longevity to healthy habits and a strong sense of purpose. 2. Environmental Health (The "Breathless Pune" Series) Long-term exposure even to 'moderate' air leads to chronic heart, lung, kidney issues" (Nov 26, 2025): Part of an investigative series highlighting that even "safe" pollution levels are damaging to vital organs. "For every 10 µg/m3 increase in PM2.5 level, there was 6-8% jump in medicine sales" (Nov 23, 2025): Using commercial data to prove the direct link between air quality and respiratory illnesses in Pune. 3. Lifestyle & Wellness News "They didn't let cancer, diabetes and heart disease stop them from travelling" (Dec 22, 2025): A collaborative piece featuring survivors who share practical tips for traveling with chronic conditions. At 17, his BP shot up to 200/120 mmHG; Lancet study flags why child and teen hypertension doubled between 2000 and 2020'' (Nov 12,2025)--A report that focusses on 17-year-old-boy's hypertensive crisis and reflects the rising global trend of high blood pressure among children and adolescents. 4. Scientific Recognition & Infrastructure For promoting sci-comm, gender diversity: IUCAA woman prof highlighted in Nature" (Nov 25, 2025): Covering the global recognition of Indian women scientists in gender studies and physics. Pune researchers find a spiral galaxy like the Milky Way from early universe'' (December 3, 2025)- A report on how Indian researchers discovered a massive galaxy that existed when the universe was just 1.5 billion years old , one of the earliest to have been observed so far. Signature Beat: Health, Science & Women in Leadership Anuradha is known for her COVID-19 reportage, where she was one of the first journalists to provide detailed insights into the Covishield and Covaxin trials. She has a dedicated interest in gender diversity in health and science, often profiling women researchers who are breaking the "leaky pipeline" in STEM fields. Her writing style is scrupulous, often featuring interviews with top-tier scientists and health experts from various institutions. ... Read More

Click here to join Express Pune WhatsApp channel and get a curated list of our stories

Loading Recommendations...

Apr 11: Latest News

Live Blog