After completing his medical graduation from Maulana Azad Medical College, New Delhi, Dr. Harish Nair specialized in Paediatrics from Maulana Azad Medical College and All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi. In 2001, he joined the World Health Organization’s National Polio Surveillance Project– India as a Surveillance Medical Officer where he was able to achieve Global Standards of Excellence in AFP surveillance in the seven districts of Haryana (bordering Delhi) under his supervision. Using epidemiological tools, he was able to hypothesize the local circulation of Wild Polio Virus in this region which was hitherto undetected. Upon its subsequent laboratory confirmation, he mobilised the various stakeholders to make the area Polio free and strived hard to strengthen routine immunization in these areas. In 2006, he was appointed a National Consultant (NRHM) with the Futures Group International in a USAID funded position, where he played a key role in operationalising the National Rural Health Mission and was pivotal in establishing the MIS under NRHM.

As part of the PHFI’s Future Faculty Programme (2007–08), he pursued his Masters in Public Health Research at the University of Edinburgh (United Kingdom) where he was placed at the top of his batch and awarded MSc (with Distinction). During the course of his MSc he worked with International Experts on the Global Burden of Disease Project and led the study on producing burden estimates due to Respiratory Syncytial Virus associated Acute Lower Respiratory Infections in Young Children. Upon return to the PHFI in 2008, he worked on several successful grant applications and led research initiatives in Child Health. As a faculty at IIPH, he was involved in teaching Epidemiology and Economic Evaluation in the Post Graduate Diploma Programmes, developing curriculum in Epidemiology both for a PGD and MPH programmes and Training of Medical College Faculties in Epidemiology as part of Training of Trainers for the Post Graduate Diploma in Epidemiology for State and District Level Consultants appointed under IDSP. Currently he is a research scholar with the Centre for Population Health Sciences, Global Health Academy, The University of Edinburgh. Here he is leading studies to estimate global burden of disease due to severe pneumonia in children and the global burden of disease due to acute lower respiratory infections associated with influenza and other respiratory viruses in young children.

Dr. Nair also has a Post Graduate Diploma in Adolescent Pediatrics and Post Graduate Diploma in Health and Family Welfare Management. He has numerous short stories to his credit and has also been awarded First Prize for his Essay on National Integration by the Servants of the People Society (of India). He has several publications in prestigious International and National peer reviewed journals and is also a reviewer for international journals. His core areas of interest in research lie in Child Health and Infectious Disease Epidemiology (particularly respiratory viruses). His secondary areas of interest include Maternal Health and Human Resources in Health.