Professor Mohan Gupte initiated and established the National Institute of Epidemiology and Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) School of Public Health in India in 1999. Through these two arms, he started the movement of applied epidemiology training in India, focusing on empowerment of middle-level public health officers. These officers established the foundation of public health surveillance and outbreak investigations in their respective regions. Today his students are occupying leading positions in public health services in various states in India.

Prof. Mohan Gupte was a World Health Organization (WHO) Epidemiologist in the Smallpox Eradication Campaign in India and his contributions were widely appreciated. He is an acknowledged global expert in leprosy and has been awarded with a lifetime achievement award and the International Gandhi Award for his work at the international level.