Dalla Lana School of Public Health

Faculty Member

Prabhat Jha MD, DPhil

Research Interests

• Large scale epidemiology studies of the major causes of death in developing countries (tobacco, alcohol, blood pressure, blood cholesterol, indoor air pollution, fertility)
• Methods of epidemiological research in low-resource settings, including randomized intervention studies
• Use of routine mortality data for analytic epidemiology
• Tobacco control policy in developed and developing countries

Education & Training History

D. Phil Epidemiology and Public Health

University of Oxford

M.D. Medicine

University of Manitoba

Other Affiliations

2013–2015

International Advisory Board Member – The Lancet Global Health

2013

Scientific Committee: International Conferences on Public Health Priorities in 21st Century

2011–present

Editorial Advisory Board – Demography India Journal, India

2011–present

Board of Directors – University of Toronto Schools, Toronto, Canada

2011–2102

Advisory Board – Economic Study on the economic burden of NCDs, Harvard School of Public Health and the World Economic Forum

2012–present

Expert Advisory Committee – Millennium Village Projects, Columbia University, USA

2011–present

Management Committee – Asian Institute of Public Health, India

2010–present

Scientific Review Committee – American Association for Cancer Research, USA

2010–2011

Advisory Panel – Canada’s Strategic Role in Global Health, Canadian Academy of Health Sciences

2009–present

National Health Insurance Expert Committee – Government of South Africa, South Africa

2009–present

Advisory Committee – National AIDS Control Organization, Government of India, India

2008–2011

Advisory Board – Canada Gairdner Foundation Awards, Canada

2008–2009

Committee on the US Commitment to Global Health – Institute of Medicine, USA

2008–2010

Consultant – Africa and Eastern Europe Departments, World Bank, USA

2007–2011

Advisory Board – Institute of Global Health, Emory University, USA

2007–2010

Core Advisory Group on The Lancet India series – The Lancet Journal, UK

2007–2009

Scientific Advisory Committee – 13th World Conference on Tobacco and Health, USA

2007

Steering Committee – School of Public Health Review, University of Toronto, Canada

2006–present

International Advisory Committee – UK BioBank, UK

2006–2007

Scientific Director – Short Course on HIV/AIDS Evidence, 2006 International AIDS Conference, Canada

2005–2006

Committee on Cancer Control in Developing Countries – Institute of Medicine, USA

2005

Documentary Consultant on Global Infectious Disease – The Fifth Estate, CBC TV, Canada

2004–present

Ministerial Advisory Committee on Tobacco Control – Government of Canada, Canada

2003–2008

Acting Scientific Director – Global Infectious Disease Evidence Alliance, University of Toronto, Canada

2008–2009

International Advisory Board – National Rural Health Mission, Government of India, India

2006–present

Senior Fellow – Massey College, University of Toronto, Canada

2003–2009

Technical Panel – India AIDS Initiative, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, USA

2003–2007

Steering Committee – Policy Research Network, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, USA

2003–2006

Editorial Board – Canadian Medical Association Journal, Canada

1999–2006

Steering Committee – Cardiovascular Disease Research Initiative in the Developing Countries, World Heart Foundation

1999–2006

Council Member – Scientific Section on Epidemiology, World Heart Federation, Switzerland

1997 – 2006

Editorial Board – Nutrition & Population Journal, World Bank Health, USA

1994

Medical Licensure – US Board of Medical Examiners, USA

1992 – 1994

Steering Committee (Project Epidemiologist) – Heart Outcomes Prevention Evaluation Study, Canadian Cardiovascular Collaboration

1989

Medical Licensure – The Medical Council of Canada, Canada

1988–1989

Medical Internship – University of Manitoba and University of Toronto, Canada.

Primary Teaching Responsibilities

• Masters and Doctoral students.

Professional Summary & Appointments

2010–present

Endowed Chair in Disease Control – Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, Canada

2008–present

Director – Lombard Insurance Global Poverty Action Lab, St. Michael’s Hospital, Canada

2007–present

Professor – Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, Canada

2011–present

Senior Editor – eLife Sciences, USA

2004–2009

Research Scholar – McLaughlin Centre for Molecular Medicine, University of Toronto, Canada

2002–2011

Canada Research Chair of Health and Development – University of Toronto, Canada

2002–present

Senior Editor and Chief Epidemiologist – Disease Control Priorities Network, USA

2002–present

Professeur Extraordinaire – Institut universitaire de médecine sociale et préventive, Université of Lausanne, Switzerland

2002–present

Co-Investigator – Ontario Tobacco Research Unit, Canada

2002–2007

Associate Professor – Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, Canada

2001–present

Co-Director – International Tobacco Evidence Network, Health Policy Center, USA

1994–1995

Young Professional – World Bank, USA

1992–1994

Research Fellow – Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences, University of Toronto, Canada

1991–1993

Visiting Scientist – Cancer Epidemiology Unit, University of Oxford, England

Honours & Awards

2012

Officer of the Order of Canada – Governor General of Canada, for contributions to epidemiology and economics of global health

Luther L Terry Award – American Cancer Society – for Ground breaking Research on Tobacco Control – 15th World Conference on Tobacco or Health 2012, Singapore

2011

Albie Award for Best Writing in Global Political Economy – Foreign Policy Magazine, USA

Special President’s Award – Global Organization of People of Indian Origin, India

Arthur’s Award for Rapid Scientific Impact – St. Michael’s Hospital, Toronto, Canada

2010

One of 25 Transformational Canadians – The Globe and Mail Newspaper, Canada

Professional Male of the Year – Indo-Canada Chamber of Commerce, Canada

2009

Global Leadership Award (Finalist) – British Medical Journal, England

2008

One of 12 Outstanding Medical Scientists in Toronto – The Globe and Mail Newspaper, Canada

2004

Premier’s Research Excellence Award – Government of Ontario, Canada

2003

Top 40 Canadians Under age 40 – The Caldwell Partners, Canada

1998

Gold Medal – Poland Health Promotion Foundation, Poland

Reward for Excellence in Supervision – World Bank, USA

1993

Research Fellowship – Heart and Stroke Foundation of Ontario, Canada

1992

Thorlakson Foundation Traveling Lectureship – University of Manitoba, Canada

1990 – 1992

Research Fellowship – St. Boniface Hospital Research Foundation, Canada

1989 – 1992

Rhodes Scholar – University of Oxford, Oxford, England

1988

Jack Hildes International Health Scholarship – University of Manitoba, Canada

1988

Best Actor– Faculty of Medicine, Beer & Skits Night, University of Manitoba, Canada

Current Research Projects

2013-2016 CFI: No:31713 Integrated Million Death Study e-Platform

2013-2014 CIHR: Operating Grant Reproductive and Chlld Health

2012-2014 NIH: Disease Control Priorities Global Cancer PI

2011-2015 CIHR HOPE Fellowship for Dr. Usha Ram, Mentor

Representative Publications

1. Arora P, Nagelkerke N, Monihedin M, Dhingra N, Jha P. Female sex work interventions and changes in HIV and syphilis infection risks from 2003 to 2008 in India. BMJ Open, 2013.
2. Singhal P, Quiñonez C, Jha P. Changes in social inequality in smoking-attributable upper aero digestive tract cancer mortality in Canadian males between 1986 and 2001. BioMed Central: Public Health. 2013 Apr 10; 13:328.
3. Hsiao M, Morris SK, Malhotra AK, Jha P. Time-critical mortality conditions in low- and middle-income countries. Lancet, 2013 381, P 993 – 994, 23 March 2013
4. Jha P, Ramasundarahettige C, Landsman V, Rostron B, Thun P, Peto R. The hazards of smoking and benefits of stopping in the US during the 21st century: nationally representative prospective cohort study. NEJM, 2013, Jan 24
5. Jha P. Mathematics and malaria. Elife. 2012;1:e00385. Epub 2012 Dec 18.
6. Forman D, Franceschi S, Sankaranarayanan R, Bray F, Ferlay J, Dikshit R, Jha P, Wild CP. Do cervical cancer data justify human papillomavirus vaccination in India? Epidemiological data sources and comprehensiveness. J R Soc Med. 2012; 105(9):365-6.
7. Singhal S, Gupta PC, Dikshit R, Jha P. Increased risk of coronary heart disease in female smokers. Lancet. 2012 Mar 3;379(9818):802;
8. Jha P, Nugent R, Verguet S et al. Chronic Diseases, Copenhagen Consensus, Challenge Paper, 2012.
9. Jamison DT, Laxminaryan R, Jha P, Ord T. Infectious and childhood diseases. Copenhagen Consensus, Challenge Paper, 2012.
10. Jagnoor J, Suraweera W, Keay L, Ivers RQ, Thakur J, Jha P. Unintentional injury mortality in India, 2005: Nationally representative mortality survey of 1.1 million homes. BMC Public Health. 2012 Jun 28;12(1):487.
11. Jha P. Counting the Dead is among the world’s best investments to reduce premature mortality. Medical Hypothesis, 2012.
12. Hum R, Jha P, McGann A, Yuling Y. Enzyme kinetics and global child and adult mortality changes from 1970-2007. eLife, 2012 in press.
13. Suraweera W, Morris SK, Kumar R, et al. Deaths from symptomatically identifiable furious rabies in India: A nationally representative mortality survey. PLoS Neg Trop Dis 2012; 6(10): e1847.
14. Morris SK, Awasthi S, Khera A, et al. Rotavirus mortality in India: Estimates based on a nationally representative survey of diarrheal deaths. Bull of WHO 2012;90:720-727.
15. Kwong JC, Ratnasingham S, Campitelli MA, others, Jha P et al. The Impact of Infection on Population Health: Results of the Ontario Burden of Infectious Diseases Study Plos One, 2012; 7(9): e44103.
16. Arora P, Nagelkerke NJD, Jha P. A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Risk Factors for Sexual Transmission of HIV in India PLos One, 2012; 7(8): e44094.
17. Jha P. Avoidable Deaths from Smoking: A Global Perspective. Public Health Reviews, 2012: Vol 33, No 2.
18. Jha P. Death and Taxes Epidemiological and Economic Evidence on Smoking. Global Heart, 2012: 7(2):139-142.
19. Patel V, Ramasundarahettige C, Laxmi V, others, Jha P (Senior Author). A Nationally Representative Survey of suicide mortality in India. Lancet, 2012; 379: 2343-2351.
20. Dikshit R, Gupta PC Ramasundarahettige C others, Jha P (Senior Author). Cancer mortality in India: A Nationally Representative Survey. Lancet 2012; 379: 1807-1816.
21. Montgomery AL, Morris SK, Bassani DG, Jha P et al. Factors Associated with Physician Agreement and Coding Choices of Cause of Death using Verbal Autopsies for 1130 Maternal Deaths in India. PLoS One, 2012; 7: e33075.
22. Hsiao M, Morris SK, Bassani DG, Montgomery AL, Thakur JS, Jha P. Factors associated with physician agreement on verbal autopsy of over 11500 injury deaths in India. PLoS One, 2012; 7(1): e30336.
23. Giovino GA, Mirza SA, Samet JM, Gupta PC, Jarvis MJ, Bhala N, Peto R, Zatonski , Hsia J, Morton J, Palipudi KM, Asma S; GATS Collaborative Group (inc Jha P). Tobacco use n 3 billion individuals from 16 countries: an analysis of nationally representative cross-sectional household surveys. Lancet. 2012 Aug 18;380(9842):668-79.
24. Palipudi KM, Gupta PC, Sinha DN, Andes LJ, Asma S, McAfee T; GATS Collaborative Group (inc Jha P). Social determinants of health and tobacco use in thirteen low and middle-income countries: evidence from Global Adult Tobacco Survey. PLoS One. 2012;7(3):e33466.