7th December, 2025
A plenary session titled “Youth at the Forefront of Tobacco Control: Leveraging Digitalisation and Research for a Tobacco-Free India” was successfully conducted by RCTC on 7 December 2025, from 11:00 am to 11:45 am, at Goa Medical College, during the IAPSM Young Leaders National Conclave (YLNC) 2025. The session was attended by 45 participants, including public health professionals, young leaders, researchers, and students.
The session commenced with welcome remarks by Prof. Sonu Goel, who set the context by underscoring the importance of youth leadership, digital innovation, and evidence-based approaches in accelerating tobacco control efforts in India. This was followed by a structured panel discussion, chaired by Dr. Abhilash Sood and Dr. Nitin Dhupdale, which brought together experts from academia, public health practice, digital health, and civil society. The panellists—Dr. Manish Singh, Dr. Upendra Singh Bhadauria, Prof. Abhijit Nadkarni, and Mr. Roland Martins—deliberated on integrating tobacco control into medical and public health curricula, strengthening research engagement among students, leveraging digital tools and artificial intelligence for cessation and prevention, and enhancing the role of NGOs and community-based organisations in youth outreach. The discussion emphasized inter-sectoral collaboration, capacity building, and scalable youth-led interventions. The session concluded with an interactive question-and-answer segment, during which participants shared reflections and sought practical insights, reinforcing the pivotal role of young professionals in advancing India’s tobacco control agenda.
