The Department of Community Medicine, Medical College, Thiruvananthapuram is the premier public health training and research institution for medical professionals in the state of Kerala, India. The prime objective of the institution is to produce quality public health professionals, capable of playing major roles towards the realization of complete health and wellbeing in the state of Kerala and the country as a whole. Established in 1953, the department is the first of its kind in India.The department offers two postgraduate courses for medical professionals; MD in Community Medicine (3 years) and Diploma in Public Health (2 years). In addition, the department sensitizes the undergraduate medical students towards being public health minded while pursuing their career. The department promotes quality medical research and collaborates with governmental and non-governmental agencies in carrying out public health activities all over the state. The academic activities of the department include teaching and training of undergraduate and postgraduate students in community medicine. A postgraduate diploma course in Public Health was started in 1962, and ours is the only department presently having such a course in the whole of India. In addition to this, our faculty takes up part time teaching and training assignments for BSc Nursing. BSc MLT, D.Pharm, M-Phil and PGDMCH Course under IGNOU. The service programmes of the department consist of Preventive clinic , Local OP , RNTCP OP, Swasthya Clinic, Pain & Palliative Clinic, Diabetes and Hypertension Clinic, Hospital Sanitation, Disaster Management Unit, Medical Camps, AIDS Surveillance etc. The department has also been functioning as Sentinel Surveillance unit under National-Programme for the control of Blindness. A Regional Cell for Prevention of Epidemic and Infectious Diseases (PEID) is functioning in the Department with a Professor of the Department in charge. A professor of the department is in charge of the State PEID cell
The Statewide Iodine Deficiency Disorder Survey in collaboration with AIIMS, New Delhi and ICCIDD was a challenge successfully completed by the department. National level Vitamin-A and IFA supplementation evaluationprogramme was also boldly undertaken. The Department played a key role in the decentralization process of the state by providing guidelines and assisting manpower development in the health sector. The department is collaborating with the total sanitation and health mission with a view improve the sanitation and health situation of the state. Presently our department is involved in the ModernisingGovernment programme of the Government of Kerala. The senior faculty members of the department serve as resource persons and consultants for the government of Kerala and other voluntary bodies in the field of public health and allied specialties. The department over years has created interdisciplinary Innovations in medicine academics. The Head of the Department of Community Medicine is a State Level Consultant to the National Aids Control Programme and Revised National Tuberculosis Control Programme (RNTCP)
The Head of the Department is the member of State Rapid Response Teams (RRT)
A coordinating Centre for IPEN ( INDIA CLEN Programme Evaluation Network)
