Mallika Alexander, MBBS
Dr. Alexander is the project manager for the PRACHITi and PARTHISA study. These studies examine immunological changes in HIV positive and negative pregnant women with latent and active tuberculosis at Byramjee Jeejeebhoy Government Medical College Clinical Research Site (BJGMC-CRS) in Pune, India. She is also managing a pilot study on postpartum diabetes mellitus in women with gestational diabetes (GDM) currently and heading the site team in implementation of a large study on GDM, HIV and Pregnancy (PraGaTHi) slated to be initiated in late 2022. A gynecologist by training, her research interests are improving women’s health, prevention of HIV and AIDS, microbicides, and HPV related cancers.
She has more than 30 years of multidisciplinary experience. Prior to joining BJGMC-CRS, she was the medical manager at National AIDS Research Institute (NARI) for eight years, where she managed implementation of clinical trial studies under the NIH HIV Prevention Trial Network (HPTN), Adult AIDS Clinical Trails Group (ACTG) and Microbicide Trial Network (MTN). She was the Investigator of Record (IoR) for the safety and acceptability of nonmedicated vaginal ring trial study (MTN 005). While she was at NARI, she led the regulatory cell ensuring that the clinical trials were conducted within the framework of Good Clinical Practice and Ethical principles. She also worked as a research scientist at KEM Hospital Research Centre (KEMHRC) for 15 years, where she implemented hospital-based and community-based research studies under the aegis of the Indian Council of Medical Research. Some of the important clinical research studies implemented include the Prevalence of Reproductive Tract Infections in Low Risk and High Risk Women in Pune, and the Phase II b Clinical Trial of Norplant 1, etc.
While at KEM HRC, she spearheaded social science research funded by Population Council, India, on the sexual behavior of over 8000 adolescents and youth in urban and rural Pune, a little researched topic in an era of pandemic HIV. She followed this up with interventional research funded by DFID, India, for improving parent-child communication on sexual and reproductive health—an area identified as needing interventions.
Other sphere of her work was improving skills of primary healthcare providers at public health facilities at the village, district, and state level in Maharashtra, India. She conducted hands-on training on maternal and child health for medical officers and paramedical workers at primary health centers (PHC) as well as district level and state level trainers.
She obtained her MBBS degree from Christian Medical College (CMC), Vellore, and a Diploma in obstetrics and gynecology from Bharathidasan University, India. After graduating she worked as a resident gynecologist for seven years at a mission hospital in interiors of Maharashtra, serving 30 villages. She has published scientific articles in peer reviewed journals and has presented papers in national and international conferences.
