Shri Vijay Bala Yogendra Shivakumar, MD

Pune, India
Role: 
Staff
Protocol Specialist
Shivakumar Headshot

Dr. Shivakumar's professional journey is marked by a deep commitment to advancing public health and research in the field of tuberculosis (TB). With a wealth of experience and a strong academic background, he plays a pivotal role as a clinician and protocol specialist for the RePORT India consortium at the Johns Hopkins University Office in India.

In 2013, Dr. Shivakumar embarked on his career at the ICMR-National Institute for Research in TB in Chennai, where he served as a field clinician and site coordinator for C-TRUIMPH. This role involved recruiting a cohort of active TB patients and their household contacts and closely monitoring their health over a two-year period. His work at this stage laid the foundation for his future contributions to TB research and public health initiatives.

In 2016, Dr. Shivakumar made a significant transition by joining the Johns Hopkins team in India. Here, he took on the role of the overall project coordinator for C-TRIUMPH, overseeing participant enrollment in both Chennai and Pune. His dedication to managing the study and its related sub-studies has been unwavering.

Dr. Shivakumar's research interests are driven by a passion to better understand and combat the complexities of TB. He has delved into the infectiousness of extrapulmonary TB, focusing on its implications for treatment outcomes. His work also seeks to mitigate risk factors for TB-related fatalities and gain insights into sub-clinical TB among household contacts of adult pulmonary TB patients.

As part of his educational journey, Dr. Shivakumar completed a Master of Public Health in Epidemiology and Health Systems at the ICMR-National Institute of Epidemiology in Chennai. During this program, he made substantial contributions by supporting the Tamil Nadu state NTEP cell. His responsibilities included conducting a surveillance evaluation of "Nikshay," a pivotal tool for TB surveillance in India. He not only presented his findings at national and international conferences but also conducted a comprehensive situation analysis of TB within the state. This analysis included a detailed examination of trends in TB-related deaths between 2017 and 2021.

In addition to his TB-focused work, Dr. Shivakumar has actively participated in public health initiatives. He supported the "Tamil Nadu Kasanoi Erapilla Thittam" initiative, which aimed to reduce TB-related deaths. His input on assessing disease severity and providing valuable feedback at in-patient care centers in Coimbatore district, Tamil Nadu, has contributed to improving patient care.

Furthermore, his dedication to epidemiology led him to conduct a Shigella outbreak investigation in Shivamogga, Karnataka. He presented the findings of this investigation at a field epidemiology conference in Canberra, Australia. Dr. Shivakumar's journey in public health and TB research is marked by significant achievements and a relentless commitment to making a positive impact. His aspirations include pursuing a Ph.D. in Epidemiology to further contribute to India's goal of achieving a TB-free nation.

Tuberculin skin test and QuantiFERON-Gold In Tube assay for diagnosis of latent TB infection among household contacts of pulmonary TB patients in high TB burden setting

Post Date: 
2018-08-01
   |   
Countries: 
India
Publication: 
PLoS One
World Health Organization (WHO) recommends systematic screening of high-risk populations, including household contacts (HHCs) of adult pulmonary tuberculosis (TB) patients, as a key strategy for elimination of TB. QuantiFERON-TB Gold In-Tube (QFT-GIT) assay and tuberculin skin test (TST) are two commonly used tools for the detection of latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI) but may yield differential results, affecting eligibility for TB preventive therapy.

Diabetes and prediabetes among household contacts of tuberculosis patients in India: Is it time to screen them all?

Post Date: 
2018-06-01
   |   
Countries: 
India
   |   
Clinical Sites: 
BJGMC
Publication: 
International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease
SETTING: Pre-diabetes mellitus (pre-DM) and DM increase the risk of developing tuberculosis (TB). Screening contacts of TB patients for pre-DM/DM and linking them to care may mitigate the risk of developing TB and improve DM management. OBJECTIVE: To measure the prevalence of pre-DM/DM and...

Addressing knowledge gaps and prevention for tuberculosis-infected Indian adults: a vital part of elimination

Post Date: 
2018-05-02
   |   
Countries: 
India
   |   
Clinical Sites: 
BJGMC
Publication: 
BMC Infectious Diseases
BMC Infectious Diseases : Our survey among TB patients' household contacts with evidence of recent exposure found that knowledge is poor and families are confused about disease transmission.

Cohort for Tuberculosis Research by the Indo-US Medical Partnership (C-TRIUMPH): protocol for a multicentric prospective observational study

Post Date: 
2016-02-25
   |   
Countries: 
India
   |   
Clinical Sites: 
BJGMC
NIRT
Publication: 
BMJ Open
Introduction: Tuberculosis disease (TB) remains an important global health threat. An evidence-based response, tailored to local disease epidemiology in high-burden countries, is key to controlling the global TB epidemic. Reliable surrogate biomarkers that predict key active disease and...

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