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Sridhar Venkatapuram

Dr Sridhar Venkatapuram

Senior Lecturer in Global Health and Philosophy

Research interests

  • Biomedical and life sciences
  • Ethics
  • Human Rights

Biography

Sridhar Venkatapuram is Senior Lecturer (Associate Professor) in Global Health and Philosophy. He is based at the King’s Global Health Institute where he is Deputy Director, and Director of Global Health Education and Training.

Sridhar conducts impact driven interdisciplinary research that aims to improve understanding and realization of health equity and justice. He is known for helping establish the area of ‘health justice’ philosophy, for engaging with and advising public/global health practitioners, and for amplifying ethical reasoning in public/global health education, research, and practice. He has been at the forefront of public/global health ethics for over 25 years starting in the early 1990s as the first researcher at Human Rights Watch to focus directly on health-related human rights violations (HIV/AIDS in India).

He has won numerous awards, grants, and fellowships including Wellcome Trust Research and Senior Research Fellowships. He has been elected to prestigious professional organizations, commissions, and panels including the RSA, Faculty of Public Health, Human Development and Capability Association, and Lancet-Univ. of Oslo Panel on Global Governance for Health.

Sridhar has worked with or advised diverse organizations such as Population Council, Soros Foundations, Doctors of the World, Minorities Rights Group International, Health Foundation, and the World Health Organization (HQ, MENA). His academic training is in a range of disciplines, including International Relations (Brown University), History (SOAS), Public Health (Harvard University), Sociology (Cambridge University) and Political Philosophy (Cambridge University).

His doctoral dissertation on the philosophical argument for a moral/human right to 'the capability to be healthy' was examined and passed without corrections by Amartya Sen, Nobel laureate, economist and philosopher. It formed the basis of his first book, Health Justice: An argument from the capabilities approach (Polity Press). His latest book is a co-edited collection of scholarship on the philosophy of public health.

He is currently serving as an ethics advisor for:

  • WHO COVID-19 Clinical Management/Treatment Guideline Development Group
  • WHO Ebola Infection Prevention Control Guideline Development Group
  • NHS London Ethics Advisory Committee
  • Chair, International Resource Group for Global Health Justice (IRG-GHJ).

Sridhar welcomes communication from research students with projects strongly grounded in both philosophy and health sciences.

He can be found at @sridhartweet

Research

  • Health, inequality and social justice
  • Global health ethics
  • Human rights and health, political philosophy

Sridhar’s academic research and expertise is in global/public health, human rights, ethics and philosophy. He aims to bridge normative reasoning, particularly about social/global justice, equity and rights with relevant natural and social sciences related to human health and health inequalities.  

Further details

See Sridhar's research profile

    Research

    42564057_presentation-wide
    The Centre for the Humanities and Health

    A multidisciplinary forum interfacing the humanities, health, science & society.

    News

    Conference to address global justice theory and practice post Covid-19 Pandemic

    A new conference will bring together experts, policymakers and philosophers from around the world to discuss how the Covid pandemic has focused attention on...

    Global Health Justice - Water

    King's academic works to ensure an ethical response to COVID-19

    Dr Sridhar Venkatapuram has been making sure that ethics and human rights inform responses to COVID-19 worldwide

    Dr Sridhar Venkatapuram talking at a microphone

    Events

    18Apr780x440-special-issue-launch-image

    Launch event: Theorizing the social in mental health research and action

    What does a social perspective on mental health look like? And why does it matter? Join us as we explore these questions at our launch of the special issue...

    Please note: this event has passed.

    14OctSHEW

    Recalibrating Global Justice philosophy: Part one - Panel Presentations

    Panels on the pressing global policy issues that can help recalibrate global justice philosophy.

    Please note: this event has passed.

    14OctDr Alakija 780 x 440

    Recalibrating Global Justice Philosophy: Part two: Public Lecture

    A public lecture by Dr Ayoade Alakija who is a World Health Organisation Special Envoy

    Please note: this event has passed.

    13OctGlobal Health Justice - Water - 780x440 joshua-lanzarini-JQwzKcHLHoc-unsplash (1)

    Recalibrating Global Justice philosophy: Graduate student and early career researcher presentations and discussions

    We would like to invite doctoral students and post-doc researchers to present their current work on global justice

    Please note: this event has passed.

    08Jul1908x558_globe-paper

    KGHI Research Seminar - Global Health Ethics

    Focusing on King's research in Global Health Ethics

    Please note: this event has passed.

    Features

    King's contributes to pandemic response

    Staff and students from across the King’s community are supporting efforts to combat the novel coronavirus (Covid-19) outbreak.

    Coronavirus CDC promo

      Research

      42564057_presentation-wide
      The Centre for the Humanities and Health

      A multidisciplinary forum interfacing the humanities, health, science & society.

      News

      Conference to address global justice theory and practice post Covid-19 Pandemic

      A new conference will bring together experts, policymakers and philosophers from around the world to discuss how the Covid pandemic has focused attention on...

      Global Health Justice - Water

      King's academic works to ensure an ethical response to COVID-19

      Dr Sridhar Venkatapuram has been making sure that ethics and human rights inform responses to COVID-19 worldwide

      Dr Sridhar Venkatapuram talking at a microphone

      Events

      18Apr780x440-special-issue-launch-image

      Launch event: Theorizing the social in mental health research and action

      What does a social perspective on mental health look like? And why does it matter? Join us as we explore these questions at our launch of the special issue...

      Please note: this event has passed.

      14OctSHEW

      Recalibrating Global Justice philosophy: Part one - Panel Presentations

      Panels on the pressing global policy issues that can help recalibrate global justice philosophy.

      Please note: this event has passed.

      14OctDr Alakija 780 x 440

      Recalibrating Global Justice Philosophy: Part two: Public Lecture

      A public lecture by Dr Ayoade Alakija who is a World Health Organisation Special Envoy

      Please note: this event has passed.

      13OctGlobal Health Justice - Water - 780x440 joshua-lanzarini-JQwzKcHLHoc-unsplash (1)

      Recalibrating Global Justice philosophy: Graduate student and early career researcher presentations and discussions

      We would like to invite doctoral students and post-doc researchers to present their current work on global justice

      Please note: this event has passed.

      08Jul1908x558_globe-paper

      KGHI Research Seminar - Global Health Ethics

      Focusing on King's research in Global Health Ethics

      Please note: this event has passed.

      Features

      King's contributes to pandemic response

      Staff and students from across the King’s community are supporting efforts to combat the novel coronavirus (Covid-19) outbreak.

      Coronavirus CDC promo