All India Institute of Ayurveda (AIIA), Ministry of Ayush and the Western Sydney University has announced the appointment of a Joint Academic Chair in Ayurveda. The new position aims to build capacity for the scientific validation of Ayurvedic medicine and aligned inventions such as Ayurveda herbal medicine, yoga and meditation.
According to the press statement, “Associate Professor Shrikrishna Rajagopala from AIIA has been appointed as the Academic Chair in Ayurvedic Medicine.” Rajagopala is currently the Head of the Department of Khaumarabhritya (paediatric department) at AIIA. Assistant Professor Rajagopala has 28 years of experience and expertise in clinical and pharmacological research of Ayurveda interventions for asthma, cerebral palsy, COVID-19, anaemia and muscular dystrophy. Also, he has developed and led important international collaborations of the AIIA. These includes a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Western Sydney University, Australia and clinical research on long COVID with the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, UK.
The Ministry of Ayush has established a program for Ayush Academic Chairs in foreign institutions to foster research collaboration and strengthen cultural ties. This has added momentum to the ongoing initiatives of the Ministry of Ayush in placing India as a global healthcare destination.
Western Sydney University is the first Australian university to participate in this prestigious global program, having signed an MOU in 2021 with the All India Institute of Ayurveda (AIIA) and Ministry of Ayush to jointly establish an Academic Chair in Ayurvedic Medicine.
“This is a great step, and I am sure that this Chair will strengthen our collaborations in promoting Ayurveda based academic and collaborative research activities in Australia. This will certainly help in generating awareness about the potential of Ayurveda”
Vaidya Dr Rajesh Kotecha, the Secretary of the Ministry of Ayush.
The Chair is jointly funded by the Ministry of Ayush and Western Sydney University. It will be based at Western Sydney University’s NICM Health Research Institute.
