About Us

Dr. Nitin Ambadekar is a senior public health technocrat with over 25 years of experience in the Public Health Department, Government of Maharashtra. He is currently serving as the In-charge Executive Director of SHSRC, while simultaneously holding the regular post of Director of Health Services–I. In these roles, he provides strategic leadership in health policy formulation, programme supervision, and health system strengthening across the state. Dr. Ambadekar holds an MBBS, MD in Preventive and Social Medicine from Government Medical College, Nagpur, and a Ph.D. in Public Health. His career spans district, divisional, and state levels, with key positions including District Health Officer, Regional Deputy Director, Joint Director (Hospitals), and Additional Director at the State Family Welfare Bureau. At the state headquarters, he has overseen hospital administration, supply chain and procurement, budgeting, HR management, and large-scale public–private partnership projects. He played a significant leadership role during the COVID-19 pandemic, contributing to policy decisions, surveillance, and hospital preparedness. Earlier in his career, he worked with the World Health Organization (WHO) as a Surveillance Medical Officer under the National Polio Surveillance Project, strengthening disease surveillance systems. As Executive Director (I/C) of SHSRC, Dr. Ambadekar has been pivotal in strengthening SHSRC’s technical role in capacity building, public health research, monitoring and evaluation, and policy support. Under his guidance, SHSRC has developed key state-level documents including the Hospital Administration Manual, Primary Health Centre Manual, and Maternal and Child Death Analysis Reports. A prolific researcher, he has multiple publications in national and international journals and is associated with several ICMR-funded and multi-centric implementation research projects, contributing significantly to evidence-based public health practice in Maharashtra.

Dr. Sanjay Deshmukh, an ENT Surgeon by profession, public health expert and renowned transformative leader, has been serving as the Deputy Executive Director of SHSRC since Aug. 2022. With an MBBS and MS in ENT from B.J.G.M.C, Pune (1998), and NABH Certified assessor. He brings over three decades of administrative and field experience in Public Health Department. He held post of Civil Surgeon & regional Deputy Director for more than 5 years As part of her academic inclination, Dr. Deshmukh has also contributed through books like PHC Manual, Hospital Administrative Manual, Medical Oxygen Management System, training modules for Vatsalya, Cervical Cancer. As Deputy Executive Director of SHSRC, Dr. Deshmukh continues to shape public health education through Webinars & Workshops, Public Health research studies and policy in Maharashtra. His instrumental in expansion & reshaping of SHSRC.

Mrs. Mukta Gadgil is an Anthropologist working in the field of Public health for more than 10 years. Trained both in quantitative and qualitative researchmethodologies, she has worked on several research/implementation projects related toReproductive and child heath, HIV/AIDS, gender discrimination and community health. She is specialized in designing, implementing, and monitoring and coordinating research studies. Being specialized in Anthropology her core area of interest is community health action. Currently at SHSRC she is primarily involved in strengthening the community processes such as CBMP, RKS, VHNSCs and ASHA. As she is having a good eye for data analysis, she is also involved in the MIS data monitoring and analysis of MIS data. As part of this she was also involved in activities related to data quality improvement. In order to strengthen the skills regarding population studies she has completed her Masters degree in Population Studies (MPS, Distance Learning) from IIPS, Mumbai in May 2017. Currently she is pursuing her PhD in Public Health from Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS), Mumbai.

Dr. Prachi Chikane is a Public Health Expert with a academic background, having completed her BHMS and Postgraduate degree in Public Health (MPH) from Pune University. She brings over seven years of experience in the public health domain, with demonstrated expertise in health systems research. Dr. Prachi Chikane has been actively involved in the design, coordination, and execution of research studies, including data collection, analysis & report writing. She has played a crucial role in developing Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for the SHSRC–Institutional Ethics Committee for Research (IECR) and successfully facilitating its registration with the Department of Health Research (DHR), Government of India. In addition to research and ethics oversight, she is responsible for planning, coordinating, and supervising the internship programme at SHSRC, providing technical guidance and mentoring to interns from public health disciplines. She is well regarded for her analytical skills and scientific and technical writing. She is also actively involved in the preparation of State Health Accounts for Maharashtra, in coordination with the National Health Systems Resource Centre (NHSRC).

Mrs. Rani Nanaware is an experienced Human Resource professional with over six years of expertise in the Public Health sector. She has previously served as Program Manager-HR at the National Health Mission (NHM), Arogya Bhavan, Mumbai, for 4.5 years, where she played a key role in strengthening HR systems and processes across the state. Since March 2024, she has been working as a Senior Consultant (HR & Policy) at SHSRC Maharashtra. In this role, she leads major HR initiatives, supports policy development, and contributes to building efficient HR systems. She holds an MBA in Human Resources and a Diploma in Labour Laws, and has been experienced extensively in various HR functions including recruitment, selection, staff deployment, and overall HR management. She has played an active role in drafting HR policies, preparing Terms of Reference (TORs), and developing various welfare policies and frameworks for the human resources working under NHM. In her current role, she is responsible for the overall HR management at SHSRC, contributing to multiple HR mandates, policy Development, and system strengthening activities. She is also actively involved in district-level field visits and assessments to strengthen implementation on the ground.

Dr. Sharad Gore is a Medical Doctor and Public Health Professional. His preferred work area is Public Health Care Research & Administration. He has been serving as the Sr. Consultant, Public Health, SHSRC since March 2017 with an BHMS, MD (Hom. Medicine), MPH, MBA. He has worked in Department of AYUSH under NRHM. He was also worked as Asst. Professor in Medical College for 6 years. He worked in Covid-19 Positive Cases & Death cases Data Reconciliation, management &analysis. He has deep interest in improving the public health status He has undertaken many research works which are published various national and international journals. Currently he is working on Maternal & Child Death Analysis, Ranking system of district officials & various health facilities across Maharashtra. Also engaged in AI based Health Research studies.

Dr Swapnil is a Public Health Specialist with more than 12 years of extensive multicultural experience in programme development & Policy, Research and Health System Strengthening etc. Dr Swapnil previously worked with the premier institutions such as SHSRC, PHFI, UNDP, ICMR, and AIIMS etc. He has been instrumental in carrying out PIP review and played crucial role in State level Evaluations in Himachal Pradesh and Odisha. Currently in SHSRC, he contributed to Hospital administration manual and got involved in initiation of Clinical webinars (with MMC Credit point) for MOs in since Dec 2022. Dr Swapnil is currently working as Co-Principal Investigator on the project entitled “Childhood Lead Exposure Surveillance in Maharashtra” Dr Swapnil had undergone various National and state level trainings such as GCP, health Policy, Cervical Cancer etc. He is former INDVAC Fellow for advanced Vaccinology (CMC Vellore). Moreover, he had undergone training on Public Health Policy Leadership and Management conducted by AIIMS Jodhpur. He has special interest in Implementation Research, Health Technology Assessment etc. He has several publications in national and international journals. He is a life member of IPHA and EFI.

Dr. Geetanjali Ghule is a dedicated Medical Doctor and Public Health Professional with qualifications in BHMS and MPH. Since October 2022, she has been serving as Program Manager – Public Health at the State Health Systems Resource Centre (SHSRC), where she oversees overall program management, administrative functions, and coordination of workshops, trainings, and review meetings. She has contributed significantly to various research projects at SHSRC, including proposal and tool development, coordination, and field-level data monitoring. Previously, she served as a Site Surveillance Officer in an AEFI study and has presented a paper at the Indian Public Health Association (IPHA) conference. With strong experience in Public Health Program implementation and research management, Dr. Geetanjali remains deeply involved in field visits and monitoring activities, ensuring evidence-based practices strengthen state health systems.

The Admin & Accounts Officer will provide essential support to both the administrative and finance teams. This role involves handling daily administrative responsibilities as well as assisting with accounting tasks such as invoicing, data entry, and financial reporting. The ideal candidate is organized, detail-oriented, and able to manage multiple tasks efficiently. Assist with daily administrative tasks, including managing emails, phone calls, and scheduling appointments. Maintain accurate and up-to-date financial records. Process invoices, receipts, and payments. Prepare and submit expense reports. Assist in the preparation of financial statements and reports. Coordinate with vendors and suppliers regarding billing, payments and other official work. Support the finance department in tracking budgets and expenditures. Perform data entry and ensure the integrity of financial information. Assist with internal and external audits. Working with SHSRC since January 2016.

Graduate from Kolhapur University. Has 17 years of work experience in managing Accounts, Audit -Finance and All type of administrative work. Working with SHSRC since December 2009.

Graduate from Pune University. Has 17 years of work experience in managing information on various health programs from the district level, and carrying out all the procedures related to implementing the ASHA questionnaire programand administrative work. Working with SHSRC since October 2009.

Mrs. Poonam More is a statistical investigator with a academic background, having completed her Postgraduate degree in Statistics from Kolhapur University. She has been serving as the statistical assistant for HMIS, SHSRC since Sep 2021. With demonstrated expertise in data related works and all the work related to data handling, data anlysis. He was also worked as Asst. Professor for 2 years.

Smt. Asha Kawade is a Librarian with academic background, working in the field of Public health for more than 6 years .In addition to her library and information management work, she possesses some administrative work and has actively coordinated video conferences, training programs and workshops