Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare, Dr Mansukh Mandaviya laid the foundation stone for the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) School of Public Health and BSL III Laboratory at ICMR-Regional Medical Research Centre (RMRC), Bhubaneswar. The Minister also inaugurated the annex building of ICMR-RMRC in the presence of Union Minister of Education and Skill Development & Entrepreneurship, Dharmendra Pradhan and Union Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare, Dr Bharati Pravin Pawar.

The ICMR School of Public Health at RMRC, Bhubaneswar will provide participants with a professional, critical and interdisciplinary education, equipping them with the skills to explore and respond to current public health challenges. The Public Health Academic programme has been started at the centre since 2018 under the aegis of School of Public Health, Bhubaneswar. This course is affiliated to Utkal University, Odisha (NAAC A+) and recognised by Department of Health & Family Welfare, Govt. of Odisha. This is the second ICMR School of Public Health in the country. Currently admission of fifth batch for MPH course (2022-24) has been completed.

The Annex building has been constructed for high end laboratory and administrative purpose. The centre has initiated next generation sequencing (NGS) as a tool for undertaking studies on genomic epidemiology of pathogens. The NGS facility is currently contributing SARS-CoV-2 genomic surveillance data to the Indian SARS-CoV-2 Genomics Consortium (INSACOG) and also providing identification of emerging and re-emerging diseases. The building will house sophisticated laboratories like bioinformatics facility, Proteomics study facility, e-library and medical museum.