Awards / Recognitions
Academic Honours Received:
Awarded Senior Research Fellowship (SRF) of council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), Extra Mural Research Division, New Delhi from October 1997-2000.
Awarded Research Assistantship in Japanese Foundation of AIDS Prevention (JFAP) in Tokyo Sponsored Indo-Japanese Collaborative research project on HIV/AIDS in India during 1994-1997.
Awarded CHANDRAN MEMORIAL Prize during the year 1988-1989 for Academic Excellence in Zoology.
Membership in Professional Organizations
National Level:
Life member and resource person of Indian Red Cross Society.
Life and executive member of Society for Environmental Research and Value Education.
Life member of Indian Society for Environmental Health.
International Level:
Annual member of International AIDS society.
Event Organised
Actively participated and rendered help in organizing one regional and two National Workshops / Seminars on ?Fungal infection? and Laboratory Diagnosis of Opportunistic Infections in AIDS?, Organized by Institute of Microbiology, Madurai Medical College, Madurai. As Organizing Secretary, conducted State Level Intercollegiate Student?s Seminar on Zoonotic and Communicable Diseases (2013) in Thiagarajar College.As a member of organizing committee chaired the scientific session as judge in state level intercollegiate students seminar twice in a year since 2008.
Achievements
Post Graduate Research Experience and Scientific Contributions
Contributions to Epidemiological Research:
Notable contribution has made to the knowledge of epidemiology of two retroviruses viz., HIV / HTLV1 among South Indian population with special attention to Madurai city and surrounding areas. The population Screened included the following categories.
1. Healthy Volunteers:
a) Blood Donors
b) Antenatal women
2. Peer Groups:
a) Prisoners
b) Construction Workers
c) Load men
d) Inmates of orphanage
3. Disease categories:
a) Patients attending STD Clinic
b) Patients with Uveitis
c) Patients attending surgical oncology Dept. for lymphoma / leukemia
d) Patients with pulmonary Tuberculosis in Dept. of Thoracic Medicine
Seroepidemiology of HIV / HTLV1 was carried out in the randomized blood samples collected from various South Indian cities. (Uma and Thiruvalluvan, Project Reports submitted to Japanese Foundation of AIDS prevention (JFAP) for Indo Japanese collaborative works during 1994-1997).
Contributions to Basic / Clinical Research:
Basic Research works was carried out among HIV asymptomatics and clinical AIDS cases by follow-up studies as mentioned below:
1. Absolute (Total) lymphocyte counts once in 3-6 months.
2. CD4 /CD8 ratio by immunofluoresence technique once in 3-6 months.
3. Co-culture of HIV (only in full blown AIDS cases) and detection of HIV antigen by Immunofluoresence test.
4. Absolute CD4 count by FACS in selected cases.
Clinical diagnosis of HIV / EBV/ HSV/MCV/VZV/HPV was carried out in association with the help of concerned physicians to find out symptomatology, the opportunistic infections like Pneumocystis carinii, Candida, Cryptosporidium, bacterial infections of respiratory tract including AFB, associated diseases like syphilis, Hepatitis, Urogenital mycoplasma and susceptibility to endemic diseases prevalent to this region.
Contributions to Postgraduate Teaching and Research Guidance:
As part of the Ph.D. Programme, involved in teaching Microbiology to undergraduate medical students as well as medical officers of primary health centers (in-service training) at Institute of Microbiology, Madurai Medical College.
Involved in teaching the subjects of Immuno Biology, Microbial Genetics, Medical Microbiology, Immunology of Infectious Diseases, Vaccinology, Immunotechnology, Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering to Postgraduate students of Immunology & Microbiology programme of The American College and presently rendering teaching tasks in MSc.,Microbiology ,MSc., Zoology and BSc Industrial Microbiology programmes of Thiagarajar college, Madurai. Guided nearly forty Research projects which were awarded to M.Sc., Microbiology and MSc., Immunology & Microbiology students in collaboration with Madurai Medical College/Government Rajaji Hospital, Mohan Kumaramangalam Medical college Hospital, Salem and Government Hospital of Thoracic Medicine , Tambaram Sanatorium, Chennai etc., Four of the projects were sponsored by Tamil Nadu State Council for Science and Technology (TNSCST).
Acting as Academic counselor to Certificate / Diploma course in ?AIDS & Family Education?of Indira Gandhi National Open University,(IGNOU) New Delhi. In addition acting as a member in Board of question setting in Manonmanium Sundaranar University ,Alagappa University,Madurai Kamaraj University,and other Autonomous colleges affiliated to them for UG and PG level programmes of Zoology, Microbiology and Biotechnology besides acting as external examiner / Guide/Co-guide for MPhil. Zoology, Biotechnology / Microbiology programmes.
Contributions to Community Work / Participation in Health Education:
Participated in various health camps in rural and urban areas of the Tamil Nadu State, organized by Govt. and Non Government organizations, which involved.
a) collection of blood for epidemiological research
b) free distribution of medicines to the poor and
c) health education by STD / AIDS awareness programmes.
The medico-social factors and demographic distribution related to STD / AIDS are well analysed during the health camps among different peer groups / communities.
Contributions to Administrative works:
Administrative works with reference to maintenance of confidential AIDS reports, counseling to asymptomatic HIV follow-up cases, correspondence with state AIDS control Society / National AIDS control organization regarding National HIV testing policy and submission of research proposal allied to their interests such as Siddha drug trial, have been done besides routine research works.
Details of Sponsored/Collaborative Research Works:
Sponsored Extramural Research Projects
1. Guided for the award of Tamil Nadu State Council for Science and Technology (TNSCST) Student Project Scheme 2012-2013 on ?Studies on Co-Bacterial association of FMD among livestock of Madurai region? under the sector of Veterinary Sciences.
2. Guided for the award of Tamil Nadu State Council for Science and Technology (TNSCST) Student Project Scheme 2007-2008 on ?Isolation identification and antibacterial activity of probiotics in milk? under the sector of veterinary Sciences.
3. Guided for the award of Tamil Nadu State Council for Science and Technology (TNSCST) Student Project Scheme 2005-2006 on ?Evaluation of Catalase activity to determine the ositive and negative role of TB co infection in HIV seropositives? under the sector of Medical ciences.
4. Guided the award of Tamil Nadu State Council for Science and Technology TNSCST) Student Project Scheme 2001-2002 on ?Natural alkaloids against Multi Drug Resistant Clinical Isolates of HIV / AIDS?. It has won the first prize for presentation under the sector Medical Sciences at seminar cum exhibition of Student Project Scheme organised by TNSCST at Thiruvalluvar College of Engineering, Vandavasi on 12th Dec.2002.
Sponsored Intramural Research Projects:
1. Received Financial Assistance from Research and Development Committee(R&D) of The American College, during the year 2005-2006 for the research work on ?Transferable Drug Resistance in MDR organisms?.
2. Received Financial Assistance from Research and Development Committee (R&D) of The American College, during the year 2004-2005 for the research work on ?Prevalence and pattern of drug resistant fungal infection in Immunocompromised cases?.
Collaborative Research Projects with National Institute for Research in Tuberculosis, (ICMR) Madurai campus.
1. Estimation of serum reactive nitrogen intermediates as prognostic marker in HIV
patients suffering with Tuberculosis and Opportunistic infections.
2. Evaluation of Catalase activity to determine the positive and negative role of TB
co infection in HIV seropositives
Collaborative Research Projects with Govt.Mohan Kumaramangalam Medical college
Hospital, Salem:
1. Analysis of erythrocyte indices and Randomly Amplified Polymorphic Gene profile
of drug resistant E.coli among HIV Seropositives
2. Epidemiology of HIV and RAPD analysis of Multi Drug Resistant Staphylococcus
aureus among HIV Seropositives
3. Analysis of Reactive Nitrogen Intermediates, Immune cells and Erythrocytes indices
in HIV and TB Co- Infection
4. Studies on Body composition, Micronutrients and Hematological profile in patients
with Acquired Immunodeficiency syndrome
5. Epidemiology and Magnesium deficiency in Acquired Immunodeficiency syndrome
6. Iron deficiency and Anaemia in Acquired Immunodeficiency syndrome
7. Serum bactericidal activity and Zinc deficiency in Acquired Immunodeficiency
syndrome
8. Relevant prevalence of Mycoplasma hominis and Ureaplasma urealyticum
serogroups in HIV seropositive women
9. Seroprevalence of HIV types and Sexually transmitted diseases among
HIV/AIDS Patients.
