Abhinav Bassi: Diabetes, chronic kidney diseases (CKD) and mobile health interventions

Abhinav Bassi is a physiotherapist trained in public health, currently working in the capacity of a Research Fellow at the George Institute for Global Health, India. He has a wealth of experience in epidemiological research, policy research, advocacy and civil society network coordination.

Diabetes, chronic kidney disease (CKD) and mobile health interventions are key areas of his work at the institute. His research includes development and implementation of mobile based decision support systems for prevention, screening, treatment and management of non-communicable diseases. His kidney diseases work at the institute include developing registry for documenting health and economic outcomes of CKD patients on maintenance dialysis treatment and assessing the effect of dialysate sodium concentrations on major cardiovascular events and death in patients receiving maintenance haemodialysis. He is also engaged in a systematic review of the current technology led initiatives that have an impact the Indian health system.

Some of the other research areas and tool that are of interest to Abhinav are musculoskeletal health, data visualization and using Geographic Information Systems for public health research

How long have you been working at The George Institute?

I have been working with the George Institute as a Research Fellow for nearly a year. 

What inspires you in the work you do and why?

The sheer feeling of health and well-being of the community being positively impacted by our efforts, is something that gives me satisfaction. On the personal front, there is almost always a new challenge to face and something new to learn which is just in the nature of work that I do as a part of my job.  

What is your current research focus? What are the examples of projects you been involved with at The George Institute?

The current research focus of my work at the George Institute is in the areas of diabetes, chronic kidney disease and mobile health interventions for health systems strengthening. Some of the specific examples of my work include development and implementation of technology enabled multi-component interventions for prevention, screening, treatment and management of non-communicable diseases, such as diabetes, cardiovascular diseases and chronic kidney disease. The kidney disease work I am involved in includes, developing registry for documenting clinical and economic outcomes of patients on maintenance dialysis. I am also providing research support for a clinical trial comparing the effect of two different concentrations of dialysate sodium on major cardiovascular events and death among patients receiving maintenance dialysis. I was also a part of the recently completed scoping study on the landscape of mobile health technology led-initiatives in India.

What is your professional background?

I am a trained physiotherapist with a Master’s Degree in Public Health and have been working in the areas of non-communicable disease prevention research and advocacy.

What values of The George Institute do you appreciate the most and why?

The George Institute’s value based culture goes beyond the written statements and is reflected by the employees in their everyday work. George Institute’s focus on excellence and its emphasis on impact of its initiatives are the two values that I appreciate the most. Both these values inspire me personally and are critical for working, especially in resource limited setting.    

Why do you enjoy working at The George Institute?

The opportunity of working closely with a great team of medical and public health experts is something that I enjoy. I am fortunate that my personal research focus has aligned very well with that of the institute, which helps me enjoy whatever I do. The friendly, fun and flexible environment at the George Institute really helps even when I am working on a challenging task.

My first job in public health was as ...

Outreach Officer at HRIDAY (Health Related Information Dissemination Amongst Youth), an organization aiming to promote health awareness and informed health activism among youth in India.

My biggest achievement so far...

 Has been the kind of diversity I have achieved in my short stint in the field of public health.