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Dr

Bhargavi Rao

Clinical Associate Professor - Public Health

Global Health and Development

Orcid identifier0000-0002-4406-1636
  • Clinical Associate Professor - Public Health
    Global Health and Development

BIO

I joined LSHTM in 2021 after more than 10 years working at Médecins Sans Frontières (Operational Centre Amsterdam), including leading the Emerging and Infectious Diseases portfolio, dividing my time between COVID-19, malaria and other infectious diseases outbreaks. I have worked in humanitarian responses across multiple contexts, and am a public health clinician with a PhD in infectious disease epidemiology. 

I am developing a portfolio of research on malaria and infectious disease control in public health crises and complex emergencies, with a particular interest in surveillance, early-warning systems, and anticipatory action (linking disease, climate and conflict) as well as vaccination and other mass-interventions strategies in crises.  I am a co-PI for JI-RISE (Jameel Institute Real Time Intelligent Support for Emergencies), which is an project joint with Imperial College London seeking to enhance the modelling of disease and mortality burdens during humanitarian crises, improve the use of mortality, trauma and early warning system data and develop a evidence framework for mortality in humanitarian response.  The project will specifically begin with Gaza but will be designed for global applicability.

 

I currently supervise 5 PhD/DrPH students, focussed on infectious diseases and/or climate in humanitarian crises.  

 

In addition I am one of the co-Programme Directors of the new Distance-Learning Health in Humanitarian Crises programme and also co-module organiser for HHM101 Public Health Information in Humanitarian Crises. I have co-edited the revised Conflict and Health textbook which serves as the basis for the distance learning PHM214 Conflict & Health module which is a core foundation module for the HHC programme.

To keep connected to the operational front-line, I'm continuing in a part-time role at MSF, currently as the OCA Strategic Lead for Research and malaria/infectious diseases specialist, as well as retaining an honorary clinical position with UKSHA.

 

I am currently co-director of the LSHTM Malaria Centre and serve on the steering committee of the Health in Humanitarian Crises Centre.

 

LONDON SCHOOL OF HYGIENE AND TROPICAL MEDICINE APPOINTMENTS

  • Clinical Associate Professor in Humanitarian Public Health
    London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, Global health department, London, United Kingdom1 Jul 2021 - 30 Jun 2025
  • Walport Clinical Academic Fellow
    London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, United Kingdom1 Nov 2007 - 1 May 2015

ACADEMIC POSITIONS

  • Wellcome Trust Clinical Research PhD Fellow
    Imperial College London, Infectious Diseases Epidemiology, United Kingdom1 Jan 2010 - 1 Sep 2013
  • Instructor in Medicine (HIV/TB)
    Harvard Medical School, Boston, United States1 Jun 2005 - 1 Nov 2007
  • Research Fellow
    A.B. Prisma, Lima, Peru, Peru1 Apr 2001 - 1 Aug 2001

NON-ACADEMIC POSITIONS

  • Honorary Public Health Consultant
    UKHSA, United Kingdom1 Jul 2021 - 30 Jun 2025
  • Strategic Lead for Research/Malaria & Infectious Diseases Specialist
    Médecins Sans Frontières‎, London, United Kingdom1 Jul 2021 - present
  • Team Lead: Emerging and Infectious Diseases/Malaria & ID Advisor
    Médecins Sans Frontières‎, London, United Kingdom1 Jan 2015 - 1 Jul 2021
  • Public Health Specialist
    Médecins Sans Frontières‎, London, United Kingdom1 Sep 2013 - 1 Jan 2015
  • HIV & TB Clinical Advisor
    BroadReach Healthcare (South Africa), Cape Town, South Africa1 Jun 2005 - 1 Nov 2007
  • Tropical Diseases SHO/SpR
    Hospital for Tropical Diseases, London, United Kingdom1 Feb 2004 - 1 Sep 2004
  • Infectious Diseases & HIV SHO/SpR
    The Royal Free Hospital, London, United Kingdom1 Aug 2003 - 1 Feb 2004
  • Medical SHO rotation
    Hammersmith Hospital, London, United Kingdom1 Aug 2002 - 1 Aug 2003
  • Medial SHO Rotation
    Royal Postgraduate Hospitals, London, United Kingdom1 Aug 2001 - 1 Aug 2002
  • A&E SHO
    University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, London, United Kingdom1 Aug 2000 - 1 Feb 2001
  • Medicine PRHO
    Birmingham City Hospital, Birmingham, United Kingdom1 Feb 2000 - 1 Aug 2000
  • Surgery PRHO
    John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford, United Kingdom1 Aug 1999 - 1 Feb 2000

DEGREES

  • PhD
    Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
  • Masters in Public Health (MPH)
    Harvard School of Public Health, United States
  • BM BCh (Clinical Medicine)
    University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
  • MA (pre Clinical Medicine)
    University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom

CERTIFICATIONS

  • Certificate of Clinical Training (CCT)
    Faculty of Public Health, London, United Kingdom
  • Fellowship of Faculty of Public Health (FFPH)
    Faculty of Public Health, London, United Kingdom
  • Membership of Royal College of Physicians (MRCP)
    Royal College of Physicians, London, United Kingdom
  • Diploma in Tropical Medicine and Hygiene (DTM&H)
    Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, Liverpool, United Kingdom

POSTGRADUATE TRAINING

  • Certificate of Clinical Training (CCT) in Public Health
    Faculty of Public Health, London, United Kingdom

LANGUAGES

  • French
    Can read, speak and understand
  • Spanish - Latin American
    Can speak and understand
  • Tamil
    Can speak and understand

RESEARCH CENTRES

  • Malaria Centre

TOPICS & DISCIPLINES