Patna: AIIMS-Patna on Tuesday launched a three-day regional training programme to build research capacity among healthcare professionals, academicians and researchers working in the field of nutrition.The NUtrition Research Course to Translate and Utilise Research (Nurture) regional training capsule, is being organised by the institute’s department of community and family medicine in collaboration with the College of Community Science, Rajendra Prasad Central Agricultural University (RPCAU), Pusa, St John’s Research Institute (SJRI), Bengaluru, and Unicef.The programme aims to train participants in nutrition research methodology, study design, data analysis, scientific writing and documentation of research into policy. The initiative seeks to strengthen evidence-based approaches to tackling malnutrition and improve the effectiveness of nutrition programmes.Inaugurating the programme, AIIMS-Patna executive director and CEO Dr Raju Agarwal said eliminating malnutrition required a whole-of-society approach involving healthcare institutions, researchers, academicians, policymakers and development partners.Dr Sanjay Pandey, HoD of community and family medicine and dean (research), said while the recently released NFHS-6 showed improvements in several child nutrition indicators, malnutrition remained a major public health challenge. He said the next phase of country’s nutrition mission would require locally relevant research to identify challenges, evaluate interventions and shape evidence-based policies.
