About Department

About Department of Community Medicine

The Department of Community Medicine deals with one of the core subject in 3rd Minor phase of MBBS course. Community Medicine subject is taught in 1st, 2nd and 3rd Minor phase of MBBS course. One-year compulsory rotatory Internship training of the interns is an essential component of the department. One of five and half years of MBBS course, students are attached to Community Medicine department for four and half years till the completion of Internship. Department holds the Hippocratic Oath swearing ceremony for graduating doctors of this prestigious Twin Institute.
Community Medicine is a branch of Medicine essentially dealing with healthcare issues that effect entire community. It is concerned with the study of the history and life cycle of a particular disease in a population. It studies the influence of the environment on health, the influence of the lifestyle on health and prevention of disease at the community level. Strategies for prevention and control of all the health problems are designed by experts in the field of Community Medicine. Planning, Organization and Administration of health care services is also an important role of Community Medicine experts.
Major activities of the department are Teaching, Training, Health care services and Research.
Courses run are Undergraduate- MBBS, BPTh, BOTh, BPMT, Nursing GNM, Postgraduate- MD (Community Medicine), PhD, Fellowship in Prevention and control of Infectious diseases.
The Department of Preventive and Social Medicine now known as Community Medicine at Seth G.S. Medical College was first established in 1959 with Dr. D.N. Pai as its first head. The Urban Health Centre was started at Malvani in 1978 for comprehensive health services.

Important Milestones

1959: Separate Department of Preventive and Social Medicine established at GSMC
1973: Dr. D.N. Pai, then Professor & Head of the Department received "Padmashree" award for his exemplary work in the field of Family Planning.
1968: PSM was identified as a separate subject for full question paper in MBBS course
1978: Malvani Urban Health Centre was established
1985-86: Naigaon was adopted as a field practice area under the department
1992: First conference of Mumbai branch of IAPSM was hosted by the department
1993: General OPD services under the department, started at KEM Hospital
2012: Recognition of the department for PhD studies under MUHS

Heads of the Department

Sr No.	Head of the Department	Tenure
1.	Dr. Datta N.Pai	1959-1981
2.	Dr. Mrs. Vijaya R. Bhalerao	1982-1991
3.	Dr. Mrs. Parimala S. Subramanian	1992-2002
4.	Dr. R.R. Shinde	2002-2017
5.	Dr. Gajanan D. Velhal	2018 to 2022
6.	Dr. Vijaykumar Singh	2022 to till date

Recent Achievements under the current Professor and Head, Dr. Vijaykumar Singh

Operational Yellow fever centre
Oral and Cancer screening in General OPD
Functional Under-five and Geriatric OPD services in Community
Functional Urban Health Training Center
Functional NCD screening corner
Functional Rural Health Training Centre

Vision

To emerge as a centre of excellence in teaching, training, services, research and health management in the domain of Community Medicine and Public health.
To create a cadre of competent professionals having skills & abilities to evolve innovative health policies and programs for Community development at National & International level.

Mission

We, as a department, collectively and diligently strive to achieve the goals and objectives of the department and utilize our professional expertise for planning, coordination and implementation of quality academic programs, to develop community health/ public health professionals in compliance with the directives of the MCI and MUHS.
We recognize that health is a medium of socio-economic development and that primary health care with an epidemiological approach is the key to ensure holistic health care.
We adopt & practice the principles of modern management and Medical Education Technology to impart quality medical education and provide an empowering learning environment, to evolve Leadership in Public health Management in students/trainees who will influence health policies, programs and collaborative partnerships at National & International levels.