Doctor of Philosophy (Anthropology), 2002.
Master of Science (Anthropology), 1991.
Bachelor of Science, (Applied Medical Instrumentation), 1989.
Bachelor of Science (Chemistry), 1988.
Vadu Rural Health Program, KEM Hospital Research Centre, Pune, India. (Head from August 2010):
• Leading a team involved in quantitative and qualitative research as also managing a health and demographic surveillance system (HDSS). Team includes anthropologists, medical doctors (Allopathy & AYUSH), environmental scientists, public health professionals, management specialists, pharmaceutical scientists, clinical researchers, data scientists, information technologists, biotechnologists, nurses, health scientists, para medical professionals, and field-based graduate and postgraduate researchers.
• Conceptualizing projects, developing research proposals, securing funding for community-based research, and executing the studies with active community involvement.
• Heading the clinical trial unit that focuses on globally significant and national priority studies.
• Established and is managing the teleconsultation e-health unit, at Women’s Development and Training Centre of KEMHRC, at Pabal, Shirur block.
General Administrator, KEM Hospital Ankit Shirdi Sai Baba Rural Hospital, Vadu Budruk, Pune. (August 2012 to April 2021):
• Administering a 30-bed, multi-specialty secondary care rural hospital staffed with clinicians from different faculties and about 40 paramedical and support staff.
• Raising funds to create and maintain high-tech infrastructure and initiating upgrading of service standards.
• Supervising interns in compliance with the Medical Council of India’s regulations.
• Co-ordinating clinical and research activities.
Research Officer, Centre for Health Research and Development, Maharashtra Association of Anthropological Sciences (MAAS), Pune (April 2001 to July 2002):
• Initiated the first-ever public-private partnership (PPP) programme for tuberculosis control in rural areas involving 65 private practitioners under the Revised National Tuberculosis Control Programme (RNTCP).
Research Officer, Foundation for Research in Community Health, Pune (June 1991 to September 2000):
• Involved in the development and implementation of new studies, especially those related to TB.
• Developed innovative training methods including the setting up of a telemedicine centre in the remote hilly village of Kaldari in Purandar block of Pune, using citizen band radio.
• Designed a mobile conference facility by converting a truck into a bus with help from Tata Motors, the makers of the truck.
• Managed the publications unit. Responsible for marketing publications in India and abroad. Distributed volumes on public health care across every district health office in the state of Maharashtra, then the biggest dissemination activity (paid for by respective district offices) by any non-profit organization.
Serving as Investigator, Co-Investigator or Project Director in 11 research projects that deal with demographic surveillance systems, childbirth migration, tuberculosis, adolescent health, SARS-CoV-2 infection trend, human microbiome, excess mortality, and vaccine trials.
Have earlier led over 50 other projects.
Professor and Head, Vadu Rural Health Program, KEMHRC, a recognized research centre for PhD at Interdisciplinary School of Health Sciences, Savitribai Phule Pune University (SPPU).
Professor, PhD guide at Department of Anthropology, SPPU.
Adjunct Faculty, Centre for Social Medicine, Pravara Institute of Medical Sciences (Deemed University).
Co-supervisor, PhD students, University of Edinburgh, UK
Co-guide, PhD students, Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay.
Affiliate Professor, Faculty of Engineering and Technology, Dr. Vishwanath Karad MIT World Peace University, Pune
Held 11 teaching positions in the past.
• Butler-Williams Scholar at National Institute on Aging (NIA) summer school, 2009-10. Contributed to the Study on Global Ageing and Adult Health (SAGE) that covered Asia and Africa.
• Two-year research fellowship by Tuberculosis Association of India, New Delhi, for research on help seeking behaviour among tuberculosis patients in Pune, 1997-98. This resulted in completion of my PhD field work.
• Two-year fellowship by Tribal Research and Training Institute, Pune, for research on nutritional status of tribal women and children of Dapoli, Ratnagiri, Maharashtra, 1994-95. The study provided evidence regarding the lifestyle and nutritional status of the Katkari tribe, predominant in the region.
• Dr. C. V. Rao Young Scientist Award for research on tuberculosis management in private practice and its implications, 1995. Being selected as an anthropologist (from the several medical scientists who participated) provided confidence to later work with the private practitioners in the world’s first ever rural public-private study, a major step towards controlling TB.
• Two-year fellowship from the Tuberculosis Association of India as financial assistance to initiate PhD work, 1993-94.
• Multiple ICMR positions on TB, noncommunicable diseases, maternal & child health, nutrition, HDSS, air pollution, household energy, helminths, implementation research, diabetes, and studies for north-eastern states.
• Member of four ethics committees.
• Founding member of 8 organizations: health (4), education and development (2), sports (2).
• Have held 15 other honorary positions in the past.
• Expert Committee on Implementation Research, India TB Research Consortium, Indian Council of
Medical Research (ITRC-ICMR). From 2021.
• Institutional Ethics Committee member:
• ICMR-National Institute for Implementation Research on Non-Communicable Diseases, Jodhpur,
Rajasthan. From 2022.
• Post Graduate Institute, YC Medical Hospital, Pimpri, Pune. From 2018.
• State Health Systems Resource Centre (SHSRC), Maharashtra. From 2015.
• PRAYAS Institute, Pune. From 2015.
• Review Group, Implementation Research in Maternal & Child Health and Nutrition, ICMR. From 2018.
• Expert Group/Advisor on Health and Demographic Surveillance System
• Dibrugarh HDSS, Regional Medical Research Centre (RMRC), Assam. From 2018.
• Kasurdi HDSS, Armed Forces Medical College, Pune. From 2017.
• Gorakhpur HDSS, RMRC, Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh. From 2017.
• Janata Vasahat HDSS, ICMR- National Institute of Virology, Pune. From 2015.
• Pravara HDSS, Pravara Institute of Medical Sciences, Ahmednagar. From 2014.
• Household energy expert at RMRC, Bhubaneshwar. From 2017.
• Expert Group on "soil-transmitted helminths", ICMR. From 2017.
• Technical advisory group for verbal autopsy sample registration (the MINErVA Group). From 2017.
• Scientific Advisory Committee, National Institute for Research in Tuberculosis. From 2013.
• Founding Member:
• Save a Child foundation (SaCh), Pune (2022).
• Abhinav Bharat Institute for Rural Development, Pune (2005).
• Organization for Research in Paediatric Health & Neonatology, Pune (1998).
• Association for Health, Education, Assistance and Development (AHEAD), Pune (1996)
Have held 16 other honorary positions in the past.