Gvs Murthy

Biography

Dr Murthy is currently engaged in research and training at IIPH, Hyderabad. He is the Principal Investigator for a number of projects in India, Nigeria, Bangladesh and Pakistan. These include the differential mortality among cataract blind in Andhra Pradesh and the use of key informants to identify children with disabilities in Bangladesh and Pakistan. His current projects include: Review of urban & rural mental health program of Banyan (Tamilnadu) Barriers to employment & employability among IT & IT enabled sectors in Andhra Pradesh Gender as a determinant of uptake of services among disabled persons in India Public health impact of folate deficiency in India and strategies to improve maternal and child health outcomes (with special reference to neural-tube defects & oro facial clefts) Impact of Global Warming & Effect of UVR on ocular morbidity Eye health within the public health system in India: Review of functioning in 5 locations Transformational role of NGO sector in inclusive development & social Change Public spending on eye health in India: Review of health program spending at Central. State and district level in India Validation of screening tool for Neuro developmental disorders in India Total eye health care visits to public health facilities in a year in Visakhapatnam District of Andhra Pradesh. Dr Murthy also holds a faculty position as Reader in Public Health Disability with the International Centre for Eye Health at the London School for Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, UK.. Dr. G.V.S. Murthy is a public health specialist and a community physician. Till recently he was the Head of the Department of Community Ophthalmology at the Dr. R.P. Centre for Ophthalmic Sciences, All India Institute of Medical Sciences. He is also a faculty at the International Centre for Eye Health, London School for Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, UK. He graduated from Guntur Medical College, Andhra Pradesh and later did his MD (Community Medicine) from AIIMS and MSc (Community Eye Health) from the University College of London, UK. Dr. G.V.S. Murthy has been involved in many national and internationally funded epidemiologic and operational research projects that have contributed to generating the evidence base for policy formulation and programme implementation of blindness control activities. In addition to his extensive work in eye care in India, he has also been closely associated with the Nigeria National Blindness and Visual Impairment Survey, which is the largest ever blindness survey in Africa. He is also the principal investigator of a major study on childhood disability in Bangladesh and Pakistan – The validation of the Key Informant method for identification of children with disabilities. Dr. G.V.S.Murthy is establishing the South Asia Centre for Vision and Disability as a Centre of Excellence at IIPH, Hyderabad as a collaborative project of PHFI with LSHTM. Dr. G.V.S. Murthy has published more than 200 papers including 75 in peer reviewed journals. He has contributed chapters/ edited 25 books and monographs. He has presented more than 100 papers at national and international conferences. He is currently the Secretary of the International Society of Geographical and Epidemiologic Ophthalmology. Dr. G.V.S.Murthy was awarded the B.C.Shrivastava Award by ICMR in 1996, Eminent Community Ophthalmologist by National Society of Prevention of Blindness in 1999, and, the Dr. G. Venkataswamy Memorial Award, by Community Ophthalmology Society of India, in 2008. Dr. G.V.S.Murthy is a member of the Academic Council of the Sri Devraj Urs Deemed University and the WHO VISION2020 Monitoring Committee of the WHO.

Research Interest

Public Health Disability, Community Eye Care, Epidemiology, Health Services Research