To promote academic and collaborative research, the Department of Ayush has announced the establishment of an Academic Chair in Ayurvedic Science at Western Sydney University in Australia.
In a press release on Tuesday, the ministry formally announced the establishment of an Ayurveda Academic Chair at the NICM Health Research Institute, within a three-year tenure. They also announced that Dr. Rajagopala S., Associate Professor and Head (Kaumarabhritya Department), All India Institute of Ayurveda (AIIA), New Delhi, has been selected for the post of Academic Chair.
Vaidya Rajesh Kotecha, Secretary, Ministry of Ayush and the Australian delegation headed by Prof. Barney Glover, Vice-Chancellor and President, Western Sydney University gathered for the occasion. Various dignitaries including Pramod Kumar Pathak, Special Secretary, Dr. Manoj Nesari, Consultant (Ayurveda), Prof. Tanuja Nesari, Director, AIIA, Dr. Vidyarthi Director MoA, Dr. Rajagopala S and other Ministry officials, with Ms. Paramita Tripathi, Joint Secretary (Oceania), Ministry of Foreign Affairs marked the occasion with their presence.
The Academic Chair has been established to support academic and collaborative research activities in Ayurveda. This includes herbal medicine and yoga, as well as the design of academic standards and short and medium-term courses and educational guidelines. They will also provide academic leadership within the Australian regulatory framework. Another task at hand is developing strategies for translating and integrating evidence-based Ayurveda medicines into conventional healthcare.
Vaidya Rajesh Kotecha, Secretary, Ministry of Ayush said: “This is a big step and I am sure this chair will strengthen our collaboration in promoting academic and collaborative research activities in Australia. This will also help translate the research results to integrate with the public health system to have credible evidence of our scientific practices.”
A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) has now been signed for Ayush Chair with 16 other countries. It is an attempt to promote and position Ayurveda and Yoga as the soft power of our country. To promote international cooperation, the Ministry of Ayush has also developed a central sector regulation. This is to promote and strengthen awareness about Ayush Systems of Medicine, as well as to facilitate international promotion, development and recognition of this system in other countries and to support experts in international exchange.
The Ministry of Ayush was established on November 9, 2014, with the aim of reviving the knowledge of the ancient systems of medicine and ensuring that it is developed and disseminated in our healthcare system.
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