Amit Yadav, PhD, MPhil

Inspiration

As a student of law, I realized the significant role domestic and international law can play in bringing about social and global change. I was delighted to be part of the tobacco control lawyers appointed in early 2007 to work on tobacco control in India by HRIDAY and CTFK. Firsthand experience of international public health policy-making at the 2^nd Session of the Conference of Parties of the FCTC (COP2) in 2007 in Bangkok was the turning point for me to dedicate my skills and knowledge in tobacco control. Introduction to the Framework Convention Alliance (FCA) provided me the opportunity to experience and learn from the global scientific, research, legal, and policy community and effectively using the gained knowledge to address domestic policy challenges. Within a year, I was able to contribute in strengthening the smoke free policy in India in a meaningful way.

Impacts

2019: Systematic review working with National Institute for Cancer Prevention and Research, Noida, India defined in place legislation of electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS), this evidence will likely embolden policy crafters to protect their own populations.
2019: Member of the working group constituted to develop road map for SLT control in Sri Lanka, which prepared the five-year strategic roadmap for prevention, and control of SLT and areca nut use in the country.
2017-18: Review and evaluation of global progress and implementation of the smokeless tobacco control (SLT) policy in collaboration with global experts on the subject matter and the FCTC Convention Secretariat to assist Parties to implement their FCTC obligation vis-à-vis SLT control.
2017: Review and development of a Legal and Policy Framework to Support Implementation of the WHO FCTC Protocol to Eliminate Illicit Trade in Tobacco Products which contributed to the ratification of the FCTC Protocol by India.
2016: The government of India passed regulations requiring larger and stronger pictorial health warnings on tobacco products packaging. I worked from my position within the FCA Board to monitor the implementation of this regulation, and ensure that manufacturers complied.
2011-12: Worked with key stakeholders to deliberate on the available policy options to curb SLT use in the country at the National Consultation on SLT which resulted in prohibition on use of tobacco and nicotine as an ingredient in food items putting complete ban on several kinds of SLT products in the country.
Worked in close collaboration with the state governments in adoption, implementation and advancing of stronger and effective tobacco control efforts and initiatives.

Strategies

Publish in professional journals: To create actionable evidence, which may be used in policy crafting
Join committees, boards, and panels: To develop consensus and keep conversations centered on evidence and health impacts
2016-2019 Framework Convention Alliance (FCA) Board member: Contributed to the strengthening of the Organization in effectively advocating for full implementation of FCTC globally and participated in the deliberations at COP7 in 2016 and COP8 in 2018.
2014: Expert panel on finalizing the larger pictorial health warnings later notified by the MoHFW in October 2014.
2013: Co-Chair Organizing Committee of International Conference on Public Health Priorities in the 21st Century – The Endgame for Tobacco adopted the conference declaration calling upon all countries to fully implement FCTC and advance endgame strategies in their tobacco control efforts.
2012: Member of the Australia India Taskforce on Tobacco Control – contributed to the development of the feasibility report on plain packaging in India.
Work with government entities: To ensure evidence is accessible and understandable
- Work with the WHO and Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India on various tobacco control policy aspects
- Senior Consultant to the WHO-FCTC Global Knowledge Hub on Smokeless Tobacco at the National Institute of Cancer Prevention and Research, Uttar Pradesh, India
Legal consultant with Public Health Foundation of India (2010-15)
Contribute to public discourse: The article Smoking e-cigarettes is more injurious to health published as an opinion editorial published in leading Indian daily supporting ban on ENDS in India. The article contributed to both public and policy discourse and generated lot of social media attention, especially on twitter with active interaction with public and vaping organization.

Timeline

My undergraduate degree was in Economics, followed by an LLB in law, an LLM in human rights law, an MPhil in special economic zones and internally displaced people, a PhD in tobacco and trade, and now a postdoc in the CVRI. My PhD thesis was Public Health, Tobacco, and International Trade and Investment Treaties of India: A Constitutional Analysis.

My focus straddles how large organizational structures and policies affects the most vulnerable people. Much of my training was done in India, which means that some of the battles I anticipate working on, like tobacco use in the public realm, have been fought for a few decades here in the United States.

The landscape in India is large, and difficult to characterize all at once, but it is changing rapidly. My hope is that the voice of science can stay loud enough in the crowd of industry when trying to gain the attention of policy makers.