Reynold Washington, MD, DNB

Dr. Reynold Washington is a medical professional and community health specialist with more than three decades of public health experience. He is an associate professor in community health sciences at Rady Faculty of Health Sciences.

Dr. Washington completed his medical degree in community health from St. John’s Medical College and Hospital, Bangalore University in 1994. He also holds a Diplomate of the National Board of Exams in social and preventive medicine from New Delhi.

Dr. Washington has served in various capacities as a technical advisor with organizations like the World Health Organization (WHO) Southeast Asia Regional Office (SEARO), the India-Canada Collaborative HIV/AIDS Project (ICHAP), the AIDS Prevention and Control Project (APAC), Voluntary Health Services (VHS), the Karnataka State AIDS Prevention Society (KSAPS), and National AIDS Control Organization (NACO). He has demonstrated leadership for systems development for HIV prevention, care, treatment and support, and built a strong coordinated network of non-government organizations, government departments and academic institutions.

His research is focused on identifying and working with the most vulnerable and hard-to-reach populations, in the design and delivery of a standard package of services that address critical gaps, and in ensuring equity in health outcomes. Dr. Washington's research themes include health services training, health surveillance, infectious diseases such as HIV and tuberculosis, and maternal, neonatal, and child health. He is affiliated with the TB Operations Research Group Technical Member, Karnataka State TB Cell, India, and the Indian Council of Medical Research, and he is a reviewer for several journals, including the Indian Journal of Medical Research, BMC Health Services, Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research, Journal of Infection and Public Health, and Indian Journal of Occupational and Environmental Health.

Dr. Washington has been instrumental in initiating and scaling up sustainable innovations including HIV sentinel surveillance in Karnataka, colour-coded drug packs for syndromic management of sexually transmitted infections, design, implementation and scale-up of the link worker scheme for rural HIV programming, integration of the PPTCT program with the national rural health mission (NRHM), and child care with the department of women and child development. He has worked with large international donors including the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, USAID, Clinton Foundation, Global Fund and the WHO.

Dr. Washington has received numerous awards and accolades for his contributions to community health in Karnataka and India. These include the V R Bhat Oration award for “Timely Action to End TB” at Indian Medical Association, Mangalore in August 2018, an award from St John’s National Academy of Health Sciences for more than a decade of community health services in 2017, a medallion and citation from the Governor General of Canada for promotion of bilateral research and programs that translated into national policy in February 2014, and the B. M. Patil Oration award from the Karnataka Association of Community Health for significant contributions in Community Health in Karnataka and India in December 2013.

Currently, Dr. Washington provides technical guidance for the Regional Resource Training Centre network and First Referral Unit services for the Gates-funded RMNCH project in Uttar Pradesh, coordinates the University’s partnership with the NITI Aayog, provides technical leadership for infectious disease and surveillance initiatives across multiple sites, and for the University of Manitoba’s Innovation hubs in India.

Education

Doctor of Medicine, Community Health, St John’s Medical College and Hospital, Bangalore University (1994)

Diplomate of the National Board of Exams: Social and Preventive Medicine, New Delhi (1994)

Awards

V R Bhat Oration on “Timely Action to End TB” at Indian Medical Association, Mangalore (August 2018)

Award from St John’s National Academy of Health Sciences for more than a decade of Community Health services (2017)

Medallion and citation from the Governor General of Canada for promotion of bilateral research and programs that translated into national policy (February 2014)

B. M. Patil Oration award from the Karnataka Association of Community Health for significant contributions in Community Health in Karnataka and India (December 2013)