I launched my career with a solid training and hands-on experience in laboratory sciences, molecular virology, epidemiology and public health from UK, Canada and USA.

My experience while working for International organisations like NIH, FIH, CDC and WHO exposed me to the immense potential of using epidemiology as a tool to cut across many areas of public health.

My mission is to use epidemiology to bridge the knowledge and expertise gap between the developed and developing nations.

Towards this end I have integrate the tools of epidemiology to address public health problems. My main accomplishments have been in the following areas.

Achievements…

WHO:

• Managed new protocol development, implementation, research and training.

• Developed policy-level criteria documents, guidelines, problem-based training materials, technical and research protocols, blue prints for plan of action and peer-reviewed publications in communicable diseases and environmental health.

• Applied   risk assessment and management tools to solve contemporary health problems in health impact assessment, environmental and occupational health and communicable diseases including application of international health regulations (IHR)

• Built the capacity of laboratory networks for poliovirus eradication, National Influenza Centers (NIC) and H5 reference laboratory, linked national HIV laboratory to Global Reference Laboratory for vaccine development and introduced SOP for arsenic laboratory network to achieve international standards.

• Taught epidemiology, virology and environmental health to policy-makers, government and private epidemiologists in University settings and Field Epidemiology Training Program (FETP)

• Contributed to burden of disease estimate for air pollution, arsenic contamination and occupational healthSupported the eradication of wild poliovirus from the South East Asia Region

• Recruited and managed cohort for HIV vaccine trial in Uganda

CDC-Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia

• Strengthened laboratory based surveillance of various viral diseases         

• Managed multi center cohort studies to assess gynecological manifestations of HPV infection among HIV infected women with 6 study centers within USA 

• Developed study protocols for laboratory aspects of the cohort

• Imparted on-the-bench epidemiology training for graduates of the CDC Epidemic Intelligence Service (EIS) program the gynaecological manifestation of HIV infection in cohorts of commercial sex workers

FHI-Family Health International, North Carolina

•  Introduced stochastic and deterministic models for projecting AIDS/HIV epidemics in Africa and the Caribbean.

• Estimated the health and socio-economic impacts of HIV/AIDS for program managers and policy makers

• Briefed Policy makers on various control strategies for reduction of HIV epidemics

• Participated on the role of co-factors in the transmission of HIV/AIDS

NIH-National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland

•      Characterized the epidemiology of HIV/AIDS in high risk groups.

•      Researched and published original observations on the transmission patterns of HIV-1, HIV-2 & HTLV among risk groups of intravenous drug users, gay man and persons with hemophilia 

•      Proposed a model of HIV and HPV in the genesis of anal carcinomas 

•      Developed study protocols for implementing field studies of cervical cancer among HIV positive subjects

Government of Mauritius

• Responsible for formulation and policy advice pertaining to Public Health, Epidemiology, Virology and Global Health

• Technical implementation of International Health Regulations (IHR 2005)

• Formulation of preparedness plans on emerging infections including Pandemic influenza viruses, chickungunya, Dengue, Ebola, MERS, and ZIKA etc.

Capacity building of health personnel for disease surveillance and control

Universities and Academic Networks

• Researched and published over 20 original articles including substantiating the etiological role of HPV in the genesis of cervical cancer

• Taught include basic and applied epidemiology, Bio-statics, Social Determinants of Health, Chronic Disease Epidemiology, Public Health and Policy, Integrated Strategy for SDGs, Control of  Communicable and Emerging Diseases, Research Methods and  Virology for medical science graduates, health professionals, and MPH students, 

• Supervised undergraduate and post graduate students for thesis work

• Edited and and contributed to Health Policy Document for NASAC

• Assessed Climate change and health impacts of non communicable diseases in Africa for MAST

  NIH-Bethesda

a.    Built the capacity of laboratory networks to achieve international standards for polio eradication and avian influenza virus surveillance for WHO.

b.    Characterized the sensitivity and specificity parameters for the laboratory diagnosis of HPV

c.    Build the capacity of a Regional Virology Laboratory in Southern Ontario   

My Background

EDUCATIONAL QUALIFICATIONS

I am a Canadian University graduate with double specialty in Epidemiology and virology covering over 20 years of international health experience from WHO, CDC, USAID/FHI and NIH-encompassing infectious diseases, non-communicable diseases and environmental health. Proven track-record in global health capacity building. Designed and implemented programs using all aspect of epidemiology. Tackled new and emerging international health paradigms.  Strong strategic thinker and networking promoter. I provide consultation in English and French and have good working knowledge of Spanish.

1. UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN, ANN ARBOR, MICHIGAN, SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH:CERTIFICATION IN ACADEMIC COMPETENCY IN EPIDEMIOLOGY

2. MCMASTER UNIVERSITY, ONTARIO, CANADA: PHD IN MEDICAL SCIENCES ( HOST RESISTANCE PROGRAM, EPIDEMIOLOGY & VIROLOGY

3. MCMASTER UNIVERSITY, ONTARIO, CANADA, MSC BIOLOGY ( MOLECULAR VIROLOGY) AND BSC (HONS) BIOLOGY.

4. CANADIAN SOCIETY OF LABORATORY TECHNOLOGY - LCST ( ADVANCED VIROLOGY) & ART ( VIROLOGY

5. INSTITUTE OF MEDICAL LABORATORY SCIENCES, UK: FELLOW ( SPECIAL VIROLOGY) AND ASSOCIATE ( VIROLOGY.

selected Oral Presentations in International Fora

• Society of Risk Assessment, New Orleans,

• Keynote address in American Society of Environmental Epidemiologist, New York

• HPV meeting, Heidelberg

• Arsenic Meeting, San Diego

• Keynote Speaker on Impactful Research, University of Mauritius

• Association of Commonwealth Universities

• Various WHO fora

• Guest speaker on National MBC TV Mauritius, RadioPlus Mauritius and Asian the News behind the news.

  Peer-reviewed Publications

• Original articles published in: AIDS RESEARCH AND HUMAN RETROVIRUSES, Canadian Journal of Medicine, Journal of Infectious Diseases, Journal of Clinical Microbiology, International Journal of Cancer, WHO Bulletins, WHO Technical Series, Elsevier Reference Module in Biomedical Sciences, Network of African Science Academies Agency for Toxic Substance and Disease Registry (ATSDR)

• Articles on contemporary health issues in various Mauritian press including L’Express, Defi-Media, Le Mauricien, La Sentinelle, etc.

  MY COUNTRY EXPERIENCE INCLUDES:

  ANTIGUA, BARBADOS, BANGLADESH, BHUTAN, BURKINA FASO, BOTSWANA, BURUNDI, CANADA, CAMEROON CHINA, DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF NORTH KOREA, DOMINICA, EGYPT, GABON, INDIA, INDONESIA, JAMAICA, KENYA, MALDIVES, MYANMAR, MAURITIUS, NEPAL, PANAMA, SRI LANKA, ST. LUCIA, ST. VINCENT, TRINIDAD, TIMOR LESTE, THAILAND, USA, UGANDA AND ZIMBABWE.