Indian Doctor Wins Wiley Research Heroes Prize 2025

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Indian Doctor Wins Wiley Research Heroes Prize 2025: Dr. Chandrakant Lahariya, an Indian public health expert, won the Wiley Research Heroes Prize 2025 in the Impact Beyond Academia category. He became the first Indian to receive this global recognition for policy-oriented research impact.

This award highlights India’s growing influence in global health governance and research-driven policymaking. It reflects a shift from academic-only research towards implementation-focused public policy research.

Wiley Research Heroes Prize

The Wiley Research Heroes Prize is a global award recognising researchers whose work creates real-world impact. It focuses on inclusive research, policy relevance, and social transformation.

The 2025 edition received over 2,000 global nominations. Only five researchers worldwide were selected across categories.

The award prioritises research that moves beyond journals and classrooms. Its core objective is policy translation, community benefit, and governance-level change.

Static GK fact: Wiley is a globally renowned academic publishing institution founded in 1807, known for scientific and research publications.

Impact Beyond Academia category

The Impact Beyond Academia category recognises researchers whose work directly shapes policy and governance. It values implementation over citation metrics and institutional rankings.

Research impact here is measured through policy adoption, public health outcomes, and system-level reforms. This approach reflects modern global research evaluation frameworks.

The category aligns with UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), especially health-related targets. It strengthens the role of evidence-based governance.

Dr. Chandrakant Lahariya’s profile

Dr. Chandrakant Lahariya is a public health researcher, academician, and medical practitioner. He is a former World Health Organization (WHO) staff member.

He has consistently worked at the intersection of research, governance, and policy design. His work focuses on translating scientific evidence into actionable systems.

He represents a new model of policy-integrated research leadership. This model prioritises social outcomes over institutional prestige.

Static GK Tip: WHO was established in 1948 and functions as the global coordinating authority on international public health.

Core research contributions

His research spans vaccination programmes, maternal and child health, and primary healthcare systems. These areas directly influence national health indicators. He has worked on conditional cash transfer models for healthcare access. Such models improve healthcare utilisation in low-income populations.

His focus areas are critical for universal health coverage (UHC). They support long-term healthcare sustainability models.

National and global significance

This achievement places India on the global research impact map. It strengthens India’s position in global health diplomacy.

It highlights India’s role in policy-driven health innovation. It also supports India’s soft power in international governance forums.

The recognition promotes research accountability and public impact. It reinforces the importance of implementation science.

Static GK fact: India’s public health system operates through a three-tier structure — primary, secondary, and tertiary healthcare.

Broader policy relevance

The award strengthens the idea that research must serve public systems. It encourages governments to adopt research-backed governance models. It supports the shift from theoretical research to outcome-driven frameworks. This aligns with modern public administration principles.

It also reinforces the role of knowledge translation in governance. Research becomes a governance tool, not just an academic output.

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Indian Doctor Wins Wiley Research Heroes Prize 2025: