Professor Murthy presented: ‘Ophthalmic Research: The Driving License to Steer Change Effectively’ at #ISGEO2025 Sunday 27th April 2025.

GVS Murthy is an international leader in eye health, holding positions as Professor of Public Health Eye Care and Disability at the International Centre for Eye Health, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, and President of the Pragyaan Sustainable Health Outcomes (PRASHO) initiative.

Prof Murthy completed his undergraduate medical schooling from Guntur Medical College, India in 1979 and his postgraduate residency training at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi in 1985. He later did his MSc in Community Ophthalmology at the Institute of Ophthalmology, University of London in 1996.

Prof Murthy then went on to establish the first Community Ophthalmology Department in the public sector in India and headed the department since its inception at Dr. R.P.Centre for Ophthalmic Sciences, AIIMS until 2010.

In 2010 he established the LSHTM Overseas Centre of Excellence (The South Asia Centre for Disability Inclusive Development & Research) at Hyderabad, India as a collaborative project between LSHTM-PHFI.

He has also worked at WHO, Geneva on the Childhood Blindness Program and was a UNAIDS Consultant with National Aids Control Organization (NACO).

He is an international expert on public health for disability and has been engaged in generating evidence on health care access for people with disabilities.

He has undertaken research projects in India, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Nigeria, Nepal and Sri Lanka.

He recently founded PRASHO, which aims to foster public health programmes and understanding that encompass promotive, preventive and therapeutic services.

Alongside his research work, he serves on the editorial board of the Journal for Community Eye Health, Indian Journal of Ophthalmology, Advances in Public Health & Journal of Biomedical Research.

He is the author of over 300 publications.

Beyond all of these accomplishments, ISGEO notes with appreciation that Prof Murthy has served ISGEO in multiple roles over the years including as Trustee and as convener of the 2018 ISGEO 25th Congress in Hyderabad.