Dr. Poonam Sharma

DR. POONAM SHARMA VELAMURI

Her research career began in 1997 with M. Sc. (Medical Entomology), Vector Control Research Centre (ICMR), Puducherry and study on, “Screening bacteria for the production of oviposition attractants and/ or stimulants”.As JRF at CSIR-Institute for Genomics & Integrative Biology, Delhi she completed her Ph.D. from University of Delhi, 2010. She had contributed in software designing of BOD Biosensor, various trademarks and copyrights. She was awarded Jawaharlal Nehru Scholarship for Doctoral Studies – 2005. Later at NIMR-ICMR, she gained expertise in monitoring of insecticide resistance, evaluation of efficacy of LLINs, biochemical mechanism of insecticide resistance, etc. She was awarded Post Doctoral Fellow – ICMR, 2012 for strategy for the management of insecticide resistance.Assisted HoD in supervising M.Sc. and Ph.D. dissertations, reviewing Ph.D. thesis and manuscripts. As a Programme Coordinator for Japanese Encephalitis/ Acute Encephalitis Syndrome (JE/AES), 2017-2020at Directorate of National Vector Borne Diseases Control Programme (Dte. of NVBDCP) she had been coordinating with States, ministries for monitoring and evaluation, surveillance and information for decision-making,promoting preparedness and ensuring rapid response at all levels for National Programme for prevention and control of JE/AES in the country.

She had been nominated for monitoring and supervising MDA for filariasis control programme and as a member of Central Team forAES outbreak, 2019 at Muzzafarpur, Bihar. Nominated as Nodal officer for the State of Assam, Manipur, Tripura, Andhra and Telangana for drafting PIPs & ROP for NVBDCP - NPCC meeting.She has been organizing Technical Committee Meeting for JE vaccination, workshops, training and conferences. As an active researcher scholar for more than 15 years she has 13 research publicationin peer reviewed journal and a book chapter. Her Ph.D. study led to 28 patents of which 25 are granted (3 US+2 Indian+2EP and rest in other European countries). She has contributed in compiling susceptibility status of Aedes in India for the manuscript, Moyes et al. 2017 and in preparation of “Operational Manual of Integrated Vector Management India 2015” published by Directorate of NVBDCP, DGHS &MoHFW.

Area of expertise

Epidemiology, Medical Entomology, Vector-borne diseases, Insecticide Resistance Management, Environmental Biotechnology, bioremediation