BIO

Professor and Head – Life Course Epidemiology at Public Health Foundation of India. I have a medical degree (MBBS) from Kasturba medical college, Manipal, and have completed MPH and PhD from University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). I have two decades of experience in public health research, practice, and academics. I began my career at the Center for Community Medicine, All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi as a Junior Resident. I also worked with the World Health Organization (WHO), where I led the efforts in stopping polio transmission in the state of Karnataka. I initiated advocacy for Measles surveillance in Karnataka leading to the constitution of Multi Year Plan (MYP) for Measles elimination in India. I have been awarded the prestigious intermediate, and now the senior fellowship of Wellcome Trust-DBT India Alliance to start and expand a cohort study in Bangalore. The cohort is named as MAASTHI (Maternal Antecedents of Adiposity Studying the Transgenerational Role of Hyperglycemia and Insulin). 

Latest Publication

Cesarean section (C-section) delivered infants are more likely to be colonized by opportunistic pathogens, resulting in altered growth. We examined whether C-section (elective/emergency) vs vaginal delivery was associated with altered weight and linear growth at 1 year of life..