India, U.S. commit to future of expanded health collaboration

Representatives from Indian and U.S. public health agencies on Thursday signed a series of Memoranda of Understanding (MOUs) aimed at advancing a broad range of joint research ventures, public health collaborations, and clinical exchanges.

Addressing cooperative opportunities in areas as diverse as cancer prevention, antimicrobial resistance, and traffic safety, the proposed MOUs reflect a deep commitment to a growing partnership between the U.S. and India that is increasingly focused on health priorities for both countries, including environmental health, non-communicable diseases, and global health security.

U.S. Ambassador to India Richard R. Verma participated in the signing; U.S. partners included the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Global Affairs; the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention; the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and the National Cancer Institute, both parts of the National Institutes of Health.

"The MOUs reflect the breadth and depth of our partnership, and the vast opportunities open to us when we formally join our institutions, our experts, our experience," Ambassador Verma said.

Activities under these MOUs demonstrate a breadth of collaboration from the laboratory bench to patient bedside.

During the visit of President Obama in January 2015, the U.S. and India committed to "enhance cooperation across the spectrum of human endeavour to better their citizens' lives and that of the global community."

Both countries have highlighted these partnerships, formalized in these MOUs, as concrete examples of that commitment.