Background: Public Health Evidence South Asia (PHESA) is a new initiative started in January 2013 aiming to meet the public health evidence needs of the South Asia region. The initiative, which is part of a satellite of the Cochrane Public Health Group, is based within Manipal University and apporved by the Cochrane collaboration registration and monitoring group. PHESA is the outcome of more a years of deliberations, meeting, video conferences etc. It is centered in Manipal led by Prof. Sreekumaran Nair (Dr. TMA Pai Endowment Chair in Systematic Reviews and Evidence Based Public Health, & Statistical Editor, CPHG) and Dr Ruhi Saith (Senior Consultant, Oxford Policy Management & Developing Countries Editorial consultant, CPHG).

Objectives: The major task of PHESA is to build capacity to address South Asia evidence priorities in the domain of public health. The satellite plan includes mentoring reviewers for Public Health reviews, production of review relevant to south Asian region, translation of the knowledge into policy through network of govt. and local level institutions.Primary research including methodological development is also another objective.

Methods: The whole initiative is based on mentoring approach. We identified different set of people for this mentoring. A group of 15–20 young medical students have been identified for the systematic review appreciation programme. Another group of similar number of medical faculty have been identified for evidence creation and translation. A group of experience systematic reviewers have been identified for mentoring these new mentees. Now we are contacting a group of senior public health policy makers to get relevant questions into place. We connect these mentees and mentors. We are in the process of exploring funding for the mentoring programme.

Results: Our early experience provide confidence that the programme will work and PHESA will be a successful attempt.

Conclusions: Our initial work givel confidence of success.