Sitaram Bhartia Institute of Science and Research was founded in 1979 to conduct research in medicine and pure and applied sciences. Under the aegis of its first director, Dr. N. Gopinath, Sitaram Bhartia Institute of Science and Research conducted one of the largest community based studies of coronary artery disease in India. It then took up a large study of blood pressure in Indian school children. These studies yielded valuable information on the risk factors for cardiovascular disease in our country. They also helped establish norms for normal blood cholesterol and blood pressure in our population.

Another major area of research has been nuclear medicine where the Institute has participated in multi-centric trials sponsored by the International Atomic Energy Authority. These projects have focused on improving imaging for heart and other body organs. Other areas of research have been of diabetes, nutrition, adult metabolic syndrome, environment and health, pediatrics, child and adolescent mental health, adult psychiatry, and obstetrics and gynecology.

Current research conducted by the Institute focuses on obtaining health-related data specific to our population, developing clinical programs for bridging the gap between internationally accepted practice guidelines and care typically delivered in the Indian setting, studying aspects of medical care that are usually ignored in our environment, studying etiology of disease in the Indian population, and analyzing medical literature for meta-analysis and development of evidence-based guidelines.

Research that has been conducted has led to various publications (international) including in reputed indexed journals. It has led to some original observations, which have implications for clinical management and forming public health policy. The research has also been presented in international scientific forums like the American Diabetes Association and European Association of Nuclear Medicine; and in National Scientific Bodies including Indian Academy of Pediatrics, Association of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.