Staff Profile

Educational Qualification

PhD (Biostatistics), M Sc (Biostatistics)

Personal Statement

As a Scientist at ICMMR-NIRT, I lead the statistical design and analysis for clinical and epidemiological studies, translating complex data into actionable public health evidence. My core expertise lies in Biostatistics, clinical trials, survival analysis, and meta-analysis of diagnostic test accuracy studies. I have over 40 peer-reviewed articles and contributions to WHO guidelines through active membership in the Cochrane Infectious Diseases Group. I am dedicated to rigorous evidence synthesis and research methodology, and I am proficient in R, STATA, and SPSS.

Research Focus

• Count regression models

• Survival analysis

• Clinical trials

• Systematic review and meta-analysis of diagnostic test accuracy studies

• Predictive modeling

Ongoing projects as Principal investigator

• TB Vaccine India study for accelerating development and introduction of tuberculosis vaccine: A mathematical modelling approach

Significant Publications

1. Bhaskar A, Thennarasu K, Philip M, Jaisoorya TS. Regression models for count data with excess zeros: A comparison using survey data. Quant Methods Psychol [Internet]. 2023;19(1):1–13. Available from: http://dx.doi.org/10.20982/tqmp.19.1.p001
2. Bhaskar A, Ponnuraja C, Srinivasan R, Padmanaban S. Distribution and growth rate of COVID-19 outbreak in Tamil Nadu: A log-linear regression approach. Indian J Public Health [Internet]. 2020;64(Supplement):S188–91. Available from: http://dx.doi.org/10.4103/ijph.IJPH_502_20
3. Gopalan N, Senthil S, Prabakar NL, Senguttuvan T, Bhaskar A, Jagannathan M, et al. Predictors of mortality among hospitalized COVID-19 patients and risk score formulation for prioritizing tertiary care-An experience from South India. PLoS One [Internet]. 2022;17(2):e0263471. Available from: http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0263471
4. Nambiar P, Jangam K, Roopesh BN, Bhaskar A. Peer victimization and its relationship to self-esteem in children with mild intellectual disability and borderline intellectual functioning in regular and special schools: An exploratory study in urban Bengaluru. J Intellect Disabil [Internet]. 2020;24(4):474–88. Available from: http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/1744629519831573
5. Inbaraj LR, Daniel J, Sathya Narayanan MK, Srinivasalu VA, Bhaskar A, Rajendran P, et al. TB-LAMP (loop-mediated isothermal amplification) for diagnosing pulmonary tuberculosis in children. Cochrane Libr [Internet]. 2023;2023(9). Available from: http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/14651858.cd015806
6. Inbaraj LR, Daniel J, Sathya Narayanan MK, Srinivasalu VA, Bhaskar A, Scandrett K, et al. Truenat MTB assays for pulmonary tuberculosis and rifampicin resistance in adults and adolescents. Cochrane Database Syst Rev [Internet]. 2025;3(3):CD015543. Available from: http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/14651858.CD015543.pub2
7. Gopalan N, Srinivasalu VA, Chinnayan P, Velayutham B, Bhaskar A, Santhanakrishnan R, et al. Predictors of unfavorable responses to therapy in rifampicin-sensitive pulmonary tuberculosis using an integrated approach of radiological presentation and sputum mycobacterial burden. PLoS One [Internet]. 2021;16(9):e0257647. Available from: http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0257647
8. Bhaskar A, Ponnuraja C. Comparison of regression models for binary outcome variables in clinical trials. Curr Sci [Internet]. 2020;119(12):2010. Available from: http://dx.doi.org/10.18520/cs/v119/i12/2010-2013
9. Saravanan P, Dusthackeer VNA, Rajmani RS, Mahizhaveni B, Nirmal CR, Rajadas SE, et al. Discovery of a highly potent novel rifampicin analog by preparing a hybrid of the precursors of the antibiotic drugs rifampicin and clofazimine. Sci Rep [Internet]. 2021;11(1):1029. Available from: http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41598-020-80439-2
10. Inbaraj LR, Manesh A, Ponnuraja C, Bhaskar A, Srinivasalu VA, Daniel BD. Comparative evaluation of intensified short course regimen and standard regimen for adults TB meningitis: a protocol for an open label, multi-center, parallel arms, randomized controlled superiority trial (INSHORT trial). Trials [Internet]. 2024;25(1):294. Available from: http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/s13063-024-08133-6

Awards and Honours

• NIMHANS Institute Fellowship to pursue his doctoral studies (2014)

• Certificate of Appreciation from Elsevier (2023)

• Smt. Surajkali Jain Award from the Indian Society for Medical Statistics (2024)

Research Profiles