Effective Approaches to Global Health Issues

Dr. Manoj Sharma, MBBS, Ph.D., MCHES^® is a public health physician and educator with a medical degree from the University of Delhi and a doctorate in Preventive Medicine (Public Health) from The Ohio State University. He is also a master-certified health education specialist certified by the National Commission on Health Education Credentialing. He is currently a tenured Full Professor and Chair of the Department of Social and Behavioral Health at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) in the School of Public Health and an Adjunct Professor in the Department of Internal Medicine at UNLV Kirk Kerkorian School of Medicine. In his career, spanning over 35 years, he has trained/taught over 6,000 health professionals including physicians, health education specialists, dietitians, community health nurses, health care administrators, epidemiologists, sanitarians, health and development workers, allied health professionals, and others. He has designed and taught a variety of undergraduate and graduate courses in health behavior, health education, and health promotion at 13 national and international universities working full-time or part-time (University of Nevada, Las Vegas, Jackson State University, University of Cincinnati, the University of Nebraska at Omaha, the University of Nebraska at Lincoln, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Southern Illinois University at Carbondale, Central Michigan University, Walden University, National University, The Ohio State University, Saint Mary's College of Minnesota and Minnesota State University, Mankato). He has worked for local health departments (City of Columbus, OH; Douglas County Health Department, NE; City of Cincinnati Health Department, OH etc.); state health departments/agencies (OH, MS, NE, Ohio Commission on Minority Health, etc.); federal government agencies (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention -- CDC, National Institutes of Health - NIH, United States Environmental Protection Agency – USEPA, etc.); invited keynote presenter at universities (Chongqing Medical University, China; Lincoln Memorial University; University of Arkansas; University of Oklahoma); non-profit agencies (American Cancer Society, American Lung Association, Charles Drew Health Center, Indian Chicano Health Center, Voluntary Health Association of India, etc.); professional organizations (American Public Health Association, American School Health Association); and international agencies including governments of other nations (European Union, World Health Organization, Swiss Development Corporation, Government of Mongolia, Government of India, Associazione Italiana Amici di Raoul Follereau (Italy), etc.). He is a prolific researcher and as of June 2024 had published 15 books, over 400 peer-reviewed research articles, and over 500 other publications and secured funding for over $10 million (h-index 54, i-10 index around 250, and over 16,000 citations). He is ranked in the top one percentile of global scientists from 176 subfields by Elsevier. He has been awarded several prestigious honors including several American Public Health Association awards (Lyndon Haviland Public Health Mentoring Award, ICTHP Impact Award; J. Mayhew Derryberry Award; Alcohol Tobacco and Other Drugs Section Lifetime Achievement Award; Cancer Forum’s Public Health Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Award); The Ohio State University awards (William Oxley Thompson Early Career Award; William R. Gemma Distinguished Alumnus Award from the College of Public Health Alumni Society; Distinguished Alumni Achievement Award from the College of Medicine); University of Nevada, Las Vegas Awards (Harry Reid Silver State Award, Outstanding Graduate Faculty Leadership Award, Outstanding Faculty Member of the Year Award, Community Engagement Community-Based Research Faculty Award) among many others. His research interests are in global health, developing and evaluating theory-based health behavior change interventions, obesity prevention, stress-coping, community-based participatory research, and integrative mind-body-spirit interventions.

Dr. Ram Lakhan, BMR, MS, Dr.PH, is a tenured Associate Professor in the Department of Health and Human Performance at Berea College in Kentucky. He has a therapeutic degree in Intellectual Disabilities from India. Dr. Lakhan started his career in Asia and has brought his medical, behavioral, political, sociological, and cultural perspectives through this work. He has planned and implemented large-scale community health projects that revolved around addressing health targets and indicators of Millennium Developmental Goals (MDGs). Dr. Lakhan has extensive experience working with World Health Organization professionals. Later in the United States, he systematized his knowledge in epidemiological approaches attaining the highest degree in this field, and has shared his acumen from this perspective. He has worked extensively in public health for people with intellectual disabilities, mental illness, and their family members in the remotest areas of central India. He has implemented large-scale community-based mental health programs, obtained several grants, and conducted research. He has published numerous data-based, peer-reviewed papers in academic journals and six book chapters in the textbooks of prestigious publishers including Springer and Oxford University Press. His scholarly work revolves around global health and mental health issues in people with intellectual disabilities. His application of behavior change theories in improving health outcomes for special populations is highly acknowledged among academicians and researchers.