Women’s Health Priorities and Interventions in order to spread awareness in Integral University

 Lucknow, In keeping with the narrative on Gender and retain the focus on the well-being of women, the department of Bioengineering  and the Women’s Study Centre of Integral University in collaboration with International Society for Medical Food and Nutrition, KGMU, organised an International seminar on Lifestyle Diseases : Women’s Health Priorities and Interventions in order to spread awareness. The seminar included sessions on highlighting Advocacy for Women, Establishing a Work-Life Balance and tackling lifestyle diseases related to women such as Diabetes and various types of cancers afflicting women in India today. 

According to most recent studies, a breast cancer patient is found every four minutes in India. A most recent study by the Energy Policy Institute in India at the University of Chicago has listed most polluted cities of India the findings of which state that residents of Lucknow and Kanpur could end up losing 9.3 years of their expected life on the basis of the poor ambient air quality of the two cities. 

The seminar on women’s health and work-life balance aimed to highlight the importance of personal well-being in the lives of working women. It addressed mental health issues, musculoskeletal problems, nutritional needs, and healthy practices. By fostering awareness and support, this seminar seeks to empower women to prioritize their health alongside their professional and personal responsibilities.

The Vice-Chancellor, KGMU Lucknow, Prof. Soniya Nityanand was the chief guest on the occasion. She is a renowned and highly experienced medical professional, furthering the hoary legacy of the institution she leads. Speaking at the function, she highlighted some key health ailments that afflict working women. Dr Nityanand extended support to all women in the audience for any kind of medical tests and treatment at both King George’s Medical University and Dr. Ram Manohar Lohia Institute of Medical Sciences, the two prime medical institutes of the city that are headed by her.
 Dr. Nityanand also suggested that Integral University formulate strategies and solutions to help its women workforce to combat lifestyle and submit a proposal to the state ministry of health and forward the same to policy makers for its implementation

The keynote lecture for the inaugural session was delivered by Dr. Farah Usmani, Global Vice President SAFAR Foundation and an international Health, Gender and Development expert associated formerly with the United Nations. Dr Usmani delved into her 25 years’ experience in policy and programming leadership and focussed on the welfare of women and girls at global, regional, and national levels.  Earlier, Integral University’s Prof. Alvina Farooqui delivered the welcome address followed by an introduction to the Seminar by the University Registrar, Prof. Mohd. Haris Siddiqui. 
The subsequent sessions were enriched by addresses of renowned medical professionals like Prof. Nuzhat Husain, Ex-Director & Dean, Dr. Ram Manohar Lohia Institute of Medical Sciences, Ms. Toolika Rani, Squadron Leader, G-20 Brand Ambassador of Uttar Pradesh (Higher Education) and last, but in no way the least, the very eminent researcher and academician, recognised among the top 10 women in STEM in India, Prof. Qamar Rahman, Distinguish Prof. & Dean Research (S&T), Amity University, Visiting Professor, Rostock University, Germany. The young and dynamic Pro-Chancellor, Integral University, Dr. S. Nadeem Akhtar, presided over the function as patron. 

Drawing accolades with his sensitive and emotional address, the Controller of Examinations and patron, Prof. Abdul Rahman Khan, peppered his speech with eloquent Urdu couplets in praise of women and womankind, drawing a huge round of applause from the audience. 
The University had organised several pre-events in the run-up to the seminar like a painting competition on the theme “Health and Wellbeing” and PCOS Awareness program to attract a younger audience to the sessions under the aegis of the Dept., of Obstetrics and Gynaecology of Integral Institute of Medical Sciences and Research (IIMSR) on the occasion of PCOS Awareness month.

On the occasion the dignitaries also released a souvenir with informative articles and research abstracts on the seminar theme. The technical sessions followed addressed by medical professionals, academicians and scientists of international repute like Dr. Deepa Kapoor, former obstetrician and gynaecologist at SGPGI and presently Assistant Director, Gynaecology Division, Tender Palm Hospital, Dr. Farah Arshad, Breast surgeon, Sahara Hospital, Dr. Ritu Trivedi, Senior Principal Scientist, Endocrinology CSIR-CDRI,  Ms. Shalini Srivastava, Sr. Dietician, KGMU, Lucknow Convenor NetPro.FaN, Lucknow, Dr. Nagma Abbasi, Founder and CEO NexGen Life Sciences Pvt. Ltd.