NICED : Scientists

Professional Experience

Dr. Pallavi Indwar is a clinical researcher currently serving as Scientist-D in the discipline of Clinical Medicine at the ICMR-National Institute for research in bacterial Infections(ICMR-NIRBI), Kolkata. She holds a Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS), from the Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences, Ranchi, Jharkhand, a Master of Public Health (MPH) in Epidemiology & Health Systems from the ICMR- School of Public Health, ICMR-NIE, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, and a Post Graduate Diploma in One Health (PGDOH) from the Kerala Veterinary and Animal Sciences University, Wayanad, Kerala. She is presently pursuing her doctoral research (Ph.D.) under the Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), with a focus on infectious diseases and antimicrobial resistance. Since joining the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) in October 2011 and taking up her current post in September 2022, Dr. Indwar has been engaged in multidisciplinary research addressing public health challenges at the human-animal-environment interface, with a particular emphasis on diarrheal diseases, outbreak investigations, and AMR surveillance in community and hospital settings. She is the Principal Investigator and Co-Investigator in several key intramural studies, including a three-year project titled Correlating Antibiotic Prescription Patterns with Resistance in Commensal Bacteria for One Health-Based Stewardship Intervention (AMR-OH), which integrates clinical data, microbiological surveillance, and stewardship practices. Another important initiative under her leadership includes a two-year community-based survey in North 24 Parganas district, West Bengal, to assess the prevalence of soil-transmitted helminths and acceptability of stool testing among under-five children. Dr. Indwar also contributes to ongoing multiomics-based investigations and hospital-based diarrhea surveillance aimed at pathogen detection, genotypic profiling, and disease burden estimation. She is part of a national-level antigenic characterization study group that maps circulating enteric pathogens and supports vaccine policy decisions. Her recent publications reflect the diversity of her research engagement, including articles on rotavirus strain diversity following vaccine rollout (Vaccine, 2025), spatial epidemiology of cholera using geospatial clustering (The Lancet Regional Health - Southeast Asia, 2024), health systems research on Direct Benefit Transfer in TB patients (Clinical Epidemiology and Global Health, 2024), and a field investigation of a cholera outbreak in a rural setting in the state of West Bengal (International Journal of Hygiene and Environmental Health, 2024). She has also authored a brief clinical report on neurological manifestations of rotavirus infection in infants (Indian Pediatrics, 2023). With a research vision grounded in clinical research, in the principles of One Health and evidence-based epidemic preparedness, Dr. Indwar continues to contribute innational infectious disease control strategies through applied clinical epidemiology and integrated public health research.

Research Experience

I am currently working as Scientist-D in the discipline of Clinical Medicine at ICMR-NIRBI, Kolkata, and I am engaged in clinical research focused on infectious diseases, outbreak response, and antimicrobial resistance within a One Health framework. I serve as Principal Investigator for a three-year study titled Correlating Antibiotic Prescription Patterns with Resistance in Commensal Bacteria, that investigates resistance trends to inform stewardship strategies. As Co-Investigator, I contribute in a two-year community-based helminthiasis study assessing STH burden and diagnostic acceptability among children under five, and a hospital-based diarrheal surveillance platform integrating clinical, microbiological, and molecular tools. I have been actively involved in outbreak investigations, including cholera outbreaks confirmed through geospatial cluster analysis and field epidemiology. My recent publications in journals such as Vaccine, The Lancet Regional Health - Southeast Asia, and International Journal of Hygiene and Environmental Health reflect my ongoing contributions to evidence-based disease control.

 

Research Interests

My research interest aligns with the interface of clinical epidemiology, infectious disease surveillance, and antimicrobial resistance, grounded in a One Health perspective. I am particularly focused on enteric pathogens, including rotavirus and Vibrio cholerae, and their evolving genomic diversity in post-vaccine and endemic contexts. I aim to integrate hospital-based surveillance with field-based community research to enhance early detection and response strategies. I am also interested in applying epidemiology and approaches to understand outbreak patterns and pathogen evolution. In the long term, my goal is to contribute to public health preparedness through policy-relevant research in antimicrobial stewardship and integrated surveillance systems.

Projects

Extramural (Title, Duration) as Co-Investigator

• Pan-India antigenic characterization of dengue viruses: Early warning signal for a
  potential pandemic

Intramural (Title, Duration) as Principal Investigator

• Correlating Antibiotic Prescription Patterns with Resistance in Commensal Bacteria for One Health-Based Stewardship Intervention (AMR-OH)-(Duration-3 Years)
• Survey of Soil-Transmitted Helminth and to explorethe acceptability of stool test offer for children under five years to inform different treatment approachesfor HelminthInfestation, North 24 Parganas District, West Bengal, India, 2022- (Duration- 2 years)
• Detection of rotavirus in children under five years hospitalized with acute gastroenteritis with neurological manifestations in Kolkata - (Duration 3 years)

Intramural (Title, Duration) as Co- Investigator

• Multiomics approach to identify potential host factors associated with DAAs treatment
  failure in HCV infected patients. (Duration-3 Years)
• Hospital based surveillance system for diarrhoeal diseases- (Ongoing Institute Project)