Worked for the Indian Council of Medical Research in various capacities from 1986 to 2020. Initially, I took part in clinical trials related to filariasis, abdominal TB, pulmonary TB, lymph node TB and renal TB when I joined the Tuberculosis Research Centre in 1986. From 1988 onwards, I was associated with epidemiological studies related to HIV-1, HIV-2 and HIV associated tuberculosis at the National Institute of Virology and then from 1991 onwards at the National AIDS Research Institute. My research interests have also focused on subtyping of HIV in India (subtype C, A, B, and recombinants), development of an HIV Virus Bank at NARI in India, on anti-HIV-drug resistance molecular epidemiology studies carried out in HIV infected individuals, the use of ART in HIV infected individuals,. and later on with the studies on the management of HIV as well as HIV associated tuberculosis, which were funded by the AIDS Clinical Trials Group (ACTG), Indian Council of Medical Research and by the National AIDS Control Organization (NACO). While at NARI, I helped to establish the HIV drug resistance laboratory, carried out molecular epidemiological studies on monitoring for HIV-1 drug resistance in the Indian setting with the assistance of WHO and NACO in India and the results showed that both in Maharashtra and in Tamil Nadu, the incidence of HIV Drug Resistance was around 9% in those who were freshly started on first line ART regimen at the end of one year of ART. Prevalence of HIV-1 drug resistance was also studied in primigravida women in the Kakinada region of Andhra Pradesh an the results obtained have been published as a manuscript. The results of the HIV drug resistance testing was very helpful in guiding physicians to decide on which ART regimen to use in those failing on first line ART regimens.

The results of the ACTG 5175 study (for which I was the PI at NARI in Pune) showed that a tenofovir based ART regimen was less toxic than the ART regimens containing AZT. This helped to formulate guidelines for using Tenofovir in the first line ART regimens in India. I was also associated with studies related to prevention of transmission of HIV from mother to child using nevirapine and these studies were carried out in collaboration with Sassoon General Hospital, NARI and Johns Hopkins University. These studies also helped to formulate the NACO guidelines for the prevention of HIV transmission from HIV infected mother to their children using a safe three drug ART regimen in HIV positive pregnant women.

I was also associated with the HPTN 052 study where the results showed that if ART was started early when CD4 counts were high (>500 cells/cu.mm), then HIV transmission could be prevented in the discordant couple setting and it could also prevent the onset of tuberculosis in the HIV infected study participants. While I was at the National Institute for Research in Tuberculosis (NIRT) from 2015 to 2020, I helped to initiate the VPM 1002 Vaccine Trial for the prevention of TB in asymptomatic household contacts of TB cases in the Chennai region.

I was also associated with the initiation and conduct of the National TB Prevalence Survey carried out all over India during the period 2017 to 2020. This survey has recently been completed. This was a collaborative effort between ICMR, Central TB Division and the WHO.

I was associated with the evaluation of the point of care (POC) Truenat Real-Time PCR assay for the diagnosis of tuberculosis and the results of the study helped the assay to be taken up by the Government of India for the diagnosis of TB by the Central TB Program in India and also helped in obtaining the approval by WHO for the use of the Truenat Assay for detection of TB in India and in the international settings. This project for evaluation of the Truenat Assay for TB was funded by the Indian Council of Medical Research, Department of Biotechnology and the World Health Organization.

The COVID epidemic broke in India in 2019 and I helped to establish the COVID laboratory at NIRT in Chennai. In addition, I was an investigator in the National Serosurvey for COVID carried out by the ICMR in 2020.

I superannuated in June 2020 from the ICMR and joined the Dr. D Y Patil Medical College, Hospital and Research Centre as the Director, Medical Research in August 2020 and have been associated COVID related and tuberculosis related research studies. In addition, I have been involved with monitoring of the research activities of all the Departments at Dr D Y Patil Medical College, Hospital and Research Centre for NAAC, NMC and NIRF related activities.

Publications: 175 publications in journals and 11 Chapters in books

Research Projects: 23 research projects either as Principal Investigator (PI),Co- PI or Investigator Helped to make a videofilm for creating awareness on tuberculosis and this video is available at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=puAypRbJEJk