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DNB Broad Specialty · Book Guide

Books for DNB Community Medicine.

The official NBE curriculum list, reproduced exactly, plus the editions residents actually read in 2026 — with recommended journals, a year-wise reading plan, and the references you'll need for your thesis and practical.

17Titles in the NBE list
10Current-edition picks
10Journals listed
3 yearsReading plan included
Official list

Books NBE lists in the DNB Community Medicine curriculum

These 17 titles are reproduced as they appear in the National Board of Examinations curriculum document for Community Medicine — spelling and abbreviations included. Treat this as the syllabus anchor.

  1. Maxcy-Rosenau-Last Public Health & Preventive Medicine: Wallace RB
  2. Textbook of Community Medicine: Sunder Lal, Adarsh & Pankaj
  3. Park's Textbook of Preventive & Social Medicine
  4. National Health Programmes of India: National Policies and legislation related to health. J. Kishore
  5. Epidemiology in Medical Practice: Barker DJP
  6. Biostatistics: A foundation for Analysis in the Health Sciences: Daniel WW
  7. Oxford Textbook of Public Health: Detels R, McEwen J, Beaglehole R
  8. Control of Communicable Diseases in Man: Benenson AS
  9. Manson's Tropical Diseases: Cook G, Zumla A
  10. Hunter's Diseases of Occupations: Baxter PJ, Adams PH
  11. Hunter's Tropical Medicine and emerging infectious diseases: Strickland GT
  12. A Dictionary of Public Health. J Kishore
  13. Clinical Epidemiology - the Essentials: Fletcher
  14. Epidemiology and Management for Health Care for all: Sathe PV, Sathe AP
  15. Practical & Viva in Community Medicine. J Kishore 2017
  16. Multiple Choice Questions in Preventive & Social Medicine: GPI Singh & Sarit Sharma
  17. Epidemiology and Health Management: By Dr. P.V. Sathe
Read this before you buy. NBE curriculum documents are revised infrequently, so several entries name editions that are now years out of date, and a few titles are out of print. Use this list to know what NBE expects you to have read, then buy the current edition listed in the next section.

Source: NBE DNB Community Medicine curriculum

What residents actually use

Current editions, and what each one is for

The books most residents actually buy. These are the editions in circulation now, with a note on whether each is something you read cover to cover, keep as a reference, or open only for the viva.

  1. Park's Textbook of Preventive and Social MedicinePark K (Bhanot) · 28th edition · core Indian standardThe backbone text; residents read it repeatedly and use each new edition for updated Indian health statistics and programme changes.
  2. Textbook of Public Health and Community Medicine (AFMC/WHO India)Bhalwar R (ed) · postgraduate coreThe most PG-appropriate Indian text - deeper than Park on epidemiology, management and research methods.
  3. Oxford Textbook of Global Public HealthDetels R, Karim QA, Baum F et al · 7th edition · referenceUsed for depth on health systems, policy and global health topics that Park treats briefly.
  4. Maxcy-Rosenau-Last Public Health and Preventive MedicineWallace RB (ed) · 16th edition · referenceWestern reference consulted selectively for occupational, environmental and chronic disease epidemiology.
  5. Modern EpidemiologyLash TL, VanderWeele TJ, Haneuse S, Rothman KJ · 4th edition · advanced epidemiologyFor confounding, bias, effect modification and causal inference at the level DNB expects.
  6. Clinical Epidemiology: The EssentialsFletcher RH, Fletcher SW, Fletcher GS · 6th edition · readable epidemiologyShort and clear; the fastest route to understanding study designs and diagnostic test evaluation.
  7. Methods in BiostatisticsMahajan BK · 9th edition · biostatistics coreThe standard Indian biostatistics text for exam-level calculation questions.
  8. Biostatistics: A Foundation for Analysis in the Health SciencesDaniel WW, Cross CL · 11th edition · biostatistics referenceUsed when the depth of statistical reasoning needed exceeds Mahajan.
  9. National Health Programmes of IndiaKishore J · programmesEssential for programme details, but must be cross-checked against current MoHFW operational guidelines, which change frequently.
  10. Control of Communicable Diseases ManualHeymann DL (ed), APHA · 21st edition · communicable diseaseThe reference for disease-specific control measures and outbreak response, replacing older Benenson editions.
Printed in our shop

Community Medicine books we print most often

These are the community medicine titles residents send us to print most often — the books that actually come through the shop, alongside the official list above.

We print files you send us. We do not host, sell or supply book PDFs — send us a file you are entitled to print and we print and bind it.

Journals

Journals NBE lists for Community Medicine

Journal club and the “recent advances” parts of the theory paper come from here. You do not need to read all of them — pick the two Indian journals and one international one and follow them properly.

Indian Journal of Community MedicineIndian Journal of Preventive and Social MedicineAmerican Journal of EpidemiologyBritish Journal of EpidemiologyLancetIndian Journal of Public HealthIndian Journal of Medical ResearchNational Medical Journal of IndiaWHO BulletinJournal of Epidemiology & Community Health
Reading plan

What to read, and when

Three years is less time than it sounds. The order below is what works for most DNB Community Medicine residents — broad and readable first, reference-level later, revision and drilling last.

Year 1

Build the base

Read Park cover to cover once, then start Bhalwar's AFMC textbook for postgraduate depth. Learn field epidemiology by doing - family studies, community diagnosis, one outbreak investigation. Build the biostatistics base with Mahajan and finalise the thesis protocol and sample size.

Year 2

Go deep, collect thesis data

Move to Fletcher and Modern Epidemiology for study design and bias, Oxford Textbook for health systems and policy, and Kishore plus current MoHFW guidelines for national programmes. Do rotations in NTEP, RCH and the epidemiology cell with matching reading. Run thesis field work.

Year 3

Revise, drill, submit

Revise Park plus Bhalwar against previous DNB theory papers with timed written answers, keeping a separate updated sheet of current national health statistics. Drill the practical format - family/community long case, epidemiological exercises, spotters and public health management scenarios.

Thesis

References for your thesis

Protocol, methodology and reporting standards examiners expect you to have followed.

  • Research Methodology: Methods and Techniques - C.R. Kothari
  • Designing Clinical Research - Hulley SB, Cummings SR et al
  • Sample Size Determination in Health Studies (WHO, Lwanga & Lemeshow); OpenEpi, G*Power
  • STROBE, CONSORT, PRISMA, COREQ checklists
  • ICMR National Ethical Guidelines (2017)
  • Data sources: NFHS-5/6, SRS, NSSO, HMIS, Census of India, GBD India reports
  • Software: Epi Info, SPSS, R, EpiData
Practical & viva

What the practical actually tests

Books and material specifically useful for the clinical, spotter and viva stations.

  • Practical & Viva in Community Medicine - J. Kishore
  • Manual on Practicals in Community Medicine - A.M. Kadri
  • Epidemiology and Health Management - P.V. Sathe (family/spot case format)
  • Family study and community diagnosis proformas - used for the DNB long case
  • IMNCI, RMNCH+A, NTEP, NVBDCP and IDSP operational guidelines from MoHFW
  • Vaccine, cold chain, insecticide, water sanitation and nutrition instrument spotters
  • Epidemiological exercises: outbreak investigation, rates, sensitivity/specificity, life tables
  • Interpretation of NFHS-5 tables and standard growth/nutrition charts
Frequently asked

DNB Community Medicine books — questions

Which books should I read for DNB Community Medicine?

The titles on this page are the ones residents and departments actually use, each with the edition in circulation now. Start with the first one listed and add the references as your reading deepens.

Which single book should I start with in first year of DNB Community Medicine?

Park's Textbook of Preventive and Social Medicine by Park K (Bhanot) is the usual anchor. The backbone text; residents read it repeatedly and use each new edition for updated Indian health statistics and programme changes.

Are the editions listed here current?

Yes — we list the edition in circulation now for each title. Editions move quickly, so confirm the current one before you buy or print.

Do I need to buy every book on the list?

No. Most residents own three or four and use the department or library copy for the rest. That is exactly why printing selected chapters from a PDF works out cheaper than buying volumes you will open twice.

Can you print these books for me?

We print from the PDF you send us. Send the file on WhatsApp with your page count and whether you want colour, black and white or mixed, and we print, bind and deliver anywhere in India. We do not supply copyrighted book files.

How much does it cost to print a set of notes?

Black and white is 50 paise per page, colour is Rs 1 per page, and binding is Rs 40 per copy. A 400-page mixed set with binding usually works out around Rs 300 plus delivery.

Printing your DNB Community Medicine reading?

Send the PDF on WhatsApp — colour Rs 1/page, B&W 50p/page, binding Rs 40. Printed, bound and delivered anywhere in India.

Other specialties

Book guides for all 30 DNB broad specialties