Media Release
Mangaluru, Sep 28: Dr Edmond Fernandes, founder and CEO, Center for Health and Development Group and adjunct faculty, department of Public Health, KSHEMA, Nitte University, was recently selected as a legislative fellow, a very prestigious fellowship supported by the US department of state.
The legislative fellowship is managed and implemented by World Learning Inc. Dr Edmond is one among the 12 selected for this prestigious fellowship from India, and the only one from Karnataka.
The goal of the fellowship is to understand and establish networks among mid-level professionals in the US and India. Fellows will be exposed to the working of the US government departments, interface with regard to public policy and relevant streams related to the core nature of their work.
Dr Edmond Fernandes will seek to build and strengthen Indo-US partnerships in terms of public health and policy domains. While in the USA, he will be travelling to the states of Washington DC, Pennsylvania and then later to New York. Dr Edmond Fernandes will be majorly working in the city of Philadelphia – where the declaration of independence and constitution was signed.
The legislative fellowship will also focus on the structure of the US government, legislative processes, the role of civil society and the impact of good governance on the lives of civilians. Dr Edmond Fernandes will also engage in civic leadership engagements and grass-root level activities while in the US and during the Professional Fellows Congress, meet with other mid-level professionals and US Government officials.
As part of the fellowship’s diplomatic mandates, he will host an American counterpart during their visit to India.
Dr Edmond Fernandes is also a member of the Health Task Force, DDMA, government of Karnataka, and has worked extensively in community empowerment programmes in and around the country and across other nations, besides enhancing public health systems wherever the need. He leads CHD Group which is a field-based and field-informed public health organisation which engages in public health risk reduction activities, advocacy, capacity building, monitoring and evaluation.
He is a sought-after disaster health expert, across the country.