Our Bureau
Stillwater, OK
Dr. Anil Kaul, clinical professor and program director of Global Health at Oklahoma State University Center for Health Sciences, recently retired after 17 years of dedicated service in global and public health, including taking a leading role in Oklahoma’s COVID-19 testing services.
“OSU has been like a family, and the Tulsa community has been incredibly supportive. The opportunities provided by OSU-CHS have allowed me to grow professionally, and I have enjoyed contributing to the institution’s mission,” Kaul said.
Growing up in Kashmir, India, Kaul was inspired by his father, a maxillofacial surgeon, and he pursued medicine and dentistry at Madras Medical College and King George’s Medical University, both in India.
His interest in public health began during his obstetrics and gynecology training at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston. His passion further developed at the University of Minnesota, where he worked with the Minnesota Department of Health.
In 2007, Kaul joined OSU-CHS as a faculty member in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology (OBGYN). He established a clinical laboratory, which later evolved into the High-Complexity Diagnostic Laboratory. His job then expanded to teaching global health courses and developing the master’s degree program in global health under the School of Health Care Administration.
“As humans, we are inexorably interconnected and the health of an individual is influenced by the global health of people, animals and the environment,” Kaul said
While the increase in global communication, trade and travel has many benefits, it also creates challenges.
“The movement of people and goods facilitates the spread of infectious diseases, which can lead to epidemics and even pandemics like COVID-19, which touched every corner of the globe,” he said.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, OSU-CHS served as a drive-thru testing location and having Kaul’s High-Complexity Diagnostic Laboratory on site meant people got their results in a matter of hours instead of days.
During his decades-long career, Kaul has had a positive impact on global health, not only by establishing and directing OSU-CHS’s Global Health degree program but also through his international work.
In conjunction with U.S. government and military global health projects, Kaul has traveled across the world training health care workers to detect and respond to emerging infectious diseases.
“Global health is crucial because we are interconnected. The health of individuals is influenced by global factors, and my work has focused on building capacity and training healthcare professionals globally,” he said. “Through global health, we also educate ourselves and learn how to deliver efficient health care in cost-effective ways.”
He’s also been recognized with a number of awards including the Expeditionary Service Award from the U.S. Secretary of State in 2013 and a Lifetime Achievement Award at the Indo-Global Healthcare Summit in 2014.
Kaul said he had overcome challenges and accomplished a lot during his career at OSU-CHS, but he hopes he leaves a legacy of dedication, innovation and service that will inspire future health care professionals.
“I will miss working with my colleagues at OSU-CHS, who always work as a team to achieve our institutional goals. But most importantly I will miss teaching and mentoring our students,” he said. “It is an honor to be a teacher and help our future generation. I’m sure I will continue to pursue these goals even during my retirement.”
