Profile Summary

• Consultant Microbiologist and Infection Control Officer with over 9 years of experience.
• Expertise in infection control, antimicrobial stewardship, outbreak management, and molecular diagnostics.
• Strong academic background with extensive teaching, research, and publication contributions.
• Passionate about improving infection control practices and laboratory standards in healthcare settings.

Education & Training

• Post-Doctoral Fellowship in Hospital Infection Control, JIPMER, Pondicherry (2019–2020)
• MD in Clinical Microbiology, Kasturba Medical College, Manipal (2016–2019)
• MBBS, Nanjing Medical University, China (2007–2011)
• Internship, Osmania Medical College & Hospital, Hyderabad (2012–2013)

Professional Experience

• Consultant Microbiologist and Infection Control Officer, Sindhu Hospitals, Hyderabad (June 2024 – Present)
• Regional Consultant Microbiologist and ICO, Medicover Hospitals, Hyderabad (2022 – June 2024)
• Consultant Microbiologist and ICO, Yashoda Hospitals, Hyderabad (2020 – 2022)
• Senior Resident (PDF – HICC), JIPMER, Pondicherry (2019 – 2020)
• Tutor (Junior Resident), Kasturba Medical College, Manipal (2013 – 2016)

Expertise & Responsibilities

• Implementation of Hospital Infection Control Policies and HAI surveillance (CAUTI, CLABSI, VAE, SSI)
• Conducting ICU/ward infection control rounds and antimicrobial stewardship audits
• Policy drafting for BMW, NSI PEP, COVID SOPs, and outbreak management
• Endotoxin testing and environmental surveillance (water, air, surfaces)
• Reporting and correlation of blood culture results with clinical conditions
• Coordination of internal NABH audits and training healthcare staff
• Conducting training workshops and awareness campaigns on hand hygiene and infection control

Technical Skills

• Diagnostic Tools: VITEK-2, MALDI-TOF, GeneXpert, MGIT, FilmArray
• Molecular Techniques: PCR, Microarray, Chemiluminescence assays
• Skilled in CLSI/EUCAST-based AST interpretation
• NABH Internal Auditor
• Knowledge of biostatistics and research methodology
• SOP development and training module creation

Research & Dissertation

• Postgraduate Dissertation: Study of latent tuberculosis and their conversions/reversions in household contacts of smear-positive TB patients in South Coastal Karnataka

Scientific Presentations

• ICPIC 2023, Geneva – Presented two studies on COVID transmission prevention and blood culture contamination reduction
• CAHOCON 2023 – Audit on blood culture practices
• HISICON 2021 – Speaker on antimicrobial stewardship
• Presented at multiple national and international conferences (CIDSCON, DIAGNOCON, ESIC, BD-TB Symposium, etc.)

Publications

• Authored 13+ peer-reviewed articles

Key publications include:

• “Impact of hand hygiene audit in COVID care units of India” – IJMM
• “Multimodal intervention to improve blood culture collection” – JGID
• “Catheter-related bloodstream infections in ICUs” – IJMM
• “Use of PPE during COVID-19” – JCDR
• “Compliance comparison of hand hygiene in ICUs vs wards” – AJIC
• “Burkholderia cepacia infection in a non-CF patient” – Access Microbiology

Notable Contributions

• Conducted and organized national-level infection control workshops
• Designed hand hygiene competitions and awareness initiatives in hospitals
• Played a pivotal role in implementing infection control audits and reporting systems
• Contributor to the National Hand Hygiene Study by JIPMER (2021–22)