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Abstract: Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) pose a significant and growing burden in Nepal, accounting for a disproportionate proportion of mortality and disability. NCDs are currently the leading cause of mortality in Nepal, responsible for an estimated 73% of all deaths, and their impact is increasing across all age groups, including children, adolescents, and adults. The presentation will detail the wide range of environmental, behavioural, and biological risk factors associated with NCDs, highlighting the need for a multi-sectoral action plan to prevent and manage NCDs. To effectively address this rising burden, the crucial role of implementation research, which is gaining increasing recognition in Nepal, will be discussed. This includes evaluating the effectiveness and feasibility of interventions, identifying implementation barriers and facilitators, and generating local evidence to inform policy and practice. Key components such as a multisectoral approach, strengthened primary healthcare, and robust surveillance systems will also be covered. Finally, the presentation will specifically address the burden of disease in Nepal, the prevalence of common NCDs and their risk factors, and possible areas for future implementation research on NCDs in the country.

Bio: Dr. Dhimal is an Environmental Health Scientist with over 20 years of research, teaching and policy formulation experience working in Nepal, Maldives, Timor-Leste, Sri-Lanka and Germany (as a guest scientist). His primary area of expertise is on environmental health, with a focus on climate change and global health. Currently, he works as a Chief/Senior Research Officer at the Nepal Health Research Council (NHRC). He is also an Associate Academician at the Nepal Academy of Science and Technology (NAST) and a Visiting Faculty member at Tribhuvan University, Kathmandu University, and Pokhara University, as well as at Columbia University and Yale School of Public Health, Yale University, USA. He served as a contributing author of sixth assessment report of United Nation’s IPCC 2022 and also serving a commissioner at the Lancet Commission on Sustainable Health Care. He is also a recipient of the Institute of Tropical Medicine (ITM) Scientific Excellence Award 2023 and elected Fellow of the International Science Council (ISC) since December 2023, which is the highest honour that can be conferred on an individual by the ISC. He has supervised several Master and PhD students from Nepal and abroad. As a result of his academic works, he has published over 400 technical reports and peer-reviewed research articles in international, peer-reviewed journals, including the Lancet, BMJ, eLife and Nature. His Google Scholar citation accounts for more than 74000 citations with an H-index of 76.  He has given more than 100 invited talks and keynote presentations in Asia, Africa, Europe and the USA.