Good research questions are everywhere. The ability to answer them rigorously with high quality primary data is rare. This workshop gives you exactly that: the practical skills, frameworks, and confidence to design and lead population-based data collection from start to finish.

Whether you are designing your first survey, preparing for a district-level health study, or looking to sharpen methods you have been using for years, this course will strengthen how you do research.

Professor Solveig Argeseanu Cunningham, PhD, MSc Professor of Global Health, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, USA

Professor Cunningham has spent over 20 years leading large-scale population studies across South Asia, Sub-Saharan Africa, and the Middle East, including studies conducted in India. Her research has been published in the New England Journal of Medicine and the American Journal of Public Health. She brings an international methods perspective directly to this classroom.

Professor Shailaja S. Patil, MD Professor of Community Medicine, BLDE (Deemed University), Vijayapura, Karnataka

One of India’s most experienced research educators, Professor Patil brings 25+ years of teaching, UNICEF consultancy experience, and a track record of leading international collaborative research. She is a recognized PhD and postgraduate guide, and a recipient of the Kalpana Chawla Award for Young Researchers from the Government of Karnataka (2017) and the Best Community Health Professional Award (2025).

This is a skills intensive combination of lectures and hands-on experience. By the end, you will be able to:

• Design rigorous data collection instruments, questionnaires, and protocols from your own research question
• Sample populations correctly, with the right methods and sample size calculations
• Set up and manage field operations with confidence, managing teams, timelines, and quality control
• Budget and plan for real-world data collection constraints
• Translate your findings into data that can inform policy and practice

This course is for you if you are serious about doing population-based research well:

• Students in engineers, health sciences, sociology, social work, humanities, or business.
• Early and mid-career researchers at universities and research institutions.
• NGO staff and program officers who design or oversee data collection.