Professional Experience:
A committed public health specialist with a proven track record of success to reach vulnerable children in high priority districts and states with different cultural, socioeconomic, and epidemiological challenges through effective implementation of VPD Surveillance and RI strengthening strategies.Working experience of more than twenty-three years in various public health positions (as a public health programme officer of communicable diseases, Teacher of Community Medicine in Medical Colleges and currently as Surveillance Medical Officer of WHO-India, NPSN since July 2005
Core areas of activities are health & immunization system strengthening, new vaccine introduction, vaccination campaign, AEFI surveillance, Vaccine Preventable Disease surveillance, implementation of Polio end game strategies, elimination of Measles-Rubella, and health emergencies including Covid 19 pandemic response. Served as WHO International Consultant in Sierra Leone (3 months1 week) to control EVD outbreak and Nigeria (3 months) to interrupt transmission of WPV and improve immunization status. Entrusted as State SMO and proactively involved in state level capacity building, providing technical assistance, and presenting gap analysis with recommendation in STFI, review meetings and strategic planning meetings. Currently focusing on strengthening urban immunization in Kolkata and other NUHM cities of West Bengal through planning and guiding baseline survey, designing action toolkit with SMART objectives based on system building blocks for the state, evidence-based advocacy, planning for community engagement especially for high-risk areas and areas with vaccine avoidance behaviour, integration of private sectors and Medical Colleges in Routine Immunization and strengthening MR Elimination activities.
Deployed to North East states for technical leadership to strengthen Routine Immunization system, introduction of new vaccines and Implementation of MR Vaccination Campaign in Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur and Mizoram. Also deployed at Tripura with additional charge of State SMO for more than one year and worked successfully in collaboration with partners for tOPV bOPV switch, introduction of RVV and JE in addition to other core activities.