From evidence to sustained practice.
What happens after evidence is generated? I study how interventions are adopted, assessed, and adapted in health systems—and where policy and practice diverge.
View this project portfolio ↓- Health and abuse among homeless young men in Delhi
- Understanding and mitigating cholera risk in India
- Research priorities for zoonoses control
- Peri-urban human–animal–environment interfaces
- Fluoroquinolone resistance in diarrheal E. coli
- National Surveillance System for Enteric Fever in India
- SaniPath Typhoid study in urban slums
- Rotavirus vaccine interchangeability trial
- PLACID convalescent plasma trial
- HCQ prophylaxis and SARS-CoV-2 infection among health care workers
- Evaluation of typhoid conjugate vaccine introduction in Navi Mumbai
- AMR surveillance assessment tool for Southeast Asia
- AMR situation analysis for India
- National Task Force on COVID-19 secretariat
Project portfolio
I follow evidence into programs and policy.
I examine how evidence is assessed, translated into policy, and used in public-health programs. The work below spans vaccine introduction, AMR surveillance, national policy development, and evidence support during the early COVID-19 response.
Select a project to read its study record.
Official project titleEvaluation of a Typhoid Conjugate Vaccine (TCV) Introduction Program — Navi Mumbai, India
I worked on the evaluation of Navi Mumbai’s typhoid conjugate vaccine introduction, examining the program in the setting where it was actually delivered.
- My involvement
- May 2018–October 2019*
- Funding agency
- WHO India
- Total funding
- ₹2,100,000
approximately US$31,000 - My role
- Co-Investigator
- Principal Investigator
- Shanta Dutta, ICMR–National Institute of Cholera and Enteric Diseases
- Setting
- Navi Mumbai, India
The evaluation
The study examined the public-health effects of TCV introduction, including typhoid disease burden and environmental detection of Salmonella. The broader collaborative evaluation also considered implementation and economic questions relevant to future vaccine decisions. Collaborators included the Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation, ICMR–National Institute of Cholera and Enteric Diseases, WHO India and WHO headquarters, the International Vaccine Institute, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and Stanford University.
My role and responsibilities
- Contributed to implementation of the evaluation as a Co-Investigator.
- Coordinated Health Ministry Screening Committee and institutional ethics clearances and supported regulatory compliance.
- Helped develop post hoc analysis protocols for evaluating the introduction program.
*The evaluation continued beyond October 2019; this date marks the end of my tenure at ICMR–NICED.
Official project titleDevelopment of an Evaluation Tool for Conducting Situation Analysis of AMR Surveillance Programs in Southeast Asia
I contributed to the construction and validation of a WHO SEARO commissioned situation-analysis tool for assessing the strengths and gaps of AMR surveillance and containment programs.
- Project period
- June 2015–December 2017
- Commissioned by
- World Health Organization South East Asia Regional Office
- My role
- Senior Research Associate, Public Health Foundation of India
July 2015–January 2017 - Principal Investigator
- Manish Kakkar, Public Health Foundation of India
Project description
The tool provided a structured way to examine national plans, surveillance systems, antimicrobial use, infection prevention, stewardship, research, and coordination across human and animal health. It was designed to help country teams identify implementation gaps and monitor progress.
My contribution
At the Public Health Foundation of India, I reviewed evidence and worked with colleagues to develop and refine the assessment approach. The tool was subsequently applied in regional situation analyses, including pilots in Indonesia, Maldives, and Sri Lanka.
Assessment instrument
Evaluation Tool for Conducting Situation Analysis of AMR Surveillance Programs in Southeast Asia. WHO South East Asia Regional Office, 2015 to 2017.
Related publication
Kakkar M, Chatterjee P, Chauhan AS, Grace D, Lindahl J, Beeche A, Jing F, Chotinan S. Antimicrobial resistance in South East Asia: time to ask the right questions. Global Health Action. 2018;11(1):1483637. doi:10.1080/16549716.2018.1483637.
Official project titleSituation Analysis of AMR and its Containment in India
I undertook a scoping review of India’s AMR landscape for a WHO-commissioned policy assessment.
- Project period
- June 2015–December 2017
- Commissioned by
- World Health Organization Country Office for India
- My role
- Senior Research Associate, Public Health Foundation of India
July 2015–January 2017 - Principal Investigator
- Manish Kakkar, Public Health Foundation of India
Project description
The review brought together evidence on resistance, antimicrobial use, surveillance, infection prevention, stewardship, and existing policy responses in human and animal health. The review led to the development of a background paper that was presented at the inter-ministerial review meeting and informed discussions leading to India’s first National Action Plan on AMR.
My contribution
I reviewed research and policy material and helped synthesize the findings into an account of where India had data, programs, and regulatory arrangements in place and where important gaps remained. The assessment brought the evidence base into the policy discussions that preceded the National Action Plan.
Policy report
World Health Organization Country Office for India. Antimicrobial resistance and its containment in India: Background paper. Inter-Ministerial Review Meeting on Antimicrobial Resistance. November 2016.
Peer-reviewed publication
Kakkar M, Walia K, Vong S, Chatterjee P, Sharma A. Antibiotic resistance and its containment in India. BMJ. 2017;358:j2687. doi:10.1136/bmj.j2687.
I managed the secretariat for India’s National Task Force on COVID-19 through the Translational Global Health Policy Research Cell at ICMR.
- Institution
- Translational Global Health Policy Research Cell, ICMR and Department of Health Research, New Delhi
- Period
- March–July 2020
- My role
- Public Health Scientist; manager of the Task Force secretariat
- Working group
- Managing member, Epidemiology and Surveillance Working Group on COVID-19
Secretariat work
I organized the materials and processes needed for expert deliberation: meeting agendas, background documents, evidence summaries, minutes, and follow-up on recommendations. I also conducted policy research and helped draft documents reflecting the Task Force’s collective decisions.
My contribution
I coordinated meetings and prepared evidence for discussions on surveillance, testing, clinical management, and research priorities. As the evidence and operational constraints changed, I maintained the documentation and follow-up needed to support the Task Force’s deliberations and recommendations.
As a member of the Epidemiology and Surveillance Working Group, I also supported agenda development, background reviews, research prioritization, and protocol discussions. This connected the working group’s technical questions to the wider Task Force process.