Dr. Rohit C Khanna reappointed as the Regional Chair (South-East Asia) and on the Executive Board (IAPB)

Dr. Rohit C Khanna has been reappointed as the IAPB Regional Chair (South-East Asia) for the 2^nd term. Dr. Khanna has also been appointed to the Executive Board of the IAPB.

Dr. Khanna is the Network Director for the Public Health Unit of L V Prasad Eye Institute (LVPEI) – The Gullapalli Pratibha Rao International Centre for Advancement of Rural Eye Care. He is also an Adjunct Associate Professor of Ophthalmology at School of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Rochester, USA, and Conjoint Associate Professor at the University of New South Wales, Australia. He is also an active participant in various working groups of the International Agency for Prevention of Blindness (IAPB) and World Health Organization (WHO).

His areas of clinical interest are cataract and glaucoma. An alumnus of the Government Medical College in Nagpur and an LVPEI fellow, he holds dual master’s degrees in Community Eye Health and Public Health from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and The Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health respectively.

Dr Khanna has led multiple studies, including the cohort of Andhra Pradesh Eye Disease Study (APEDS) – a milestone study. He has to his credit over 200 peer-reviewed publications, including in journals such as Lancet Global Health as well as all other major ophthalmology journals. He is on the editorial boards of several journals and has been awarded several prestigious research grants for his work focusing on studying the outcomes of different interventions as well as on geriatric and child eye health. His research has been supported by the Wellcome Trust DBT-India Alliance, Wellcome Trust UK, USAID and several NGOs like Lions International, CBM etc.

In collaboration with the University of New South Wales, Dr Khanna was involved in designing the Master’s Program in Community Eye Health and is also the course convenor of the Diploma and Master’s program led by LVPEI in Community Eye Health. A recipient of the IAPB Eye Health Leader Award and Asia Pacific Academy of Ophthalmology’s Blindness Prevention Award, Dr Khanna has vast experience in leading capacity building initiatives and working as consultant for both national and global organizations, including IAPB and WHO.

Under his continued leadership, we look forward to advancing eye health to greater heights across South East Asia.