Nitika Pai
Dr Nitika Pant Pai MD, MPH, PhD, is a tenured Associate Professor in the Department of Medicine, Division of Clinical Epidemiology and a Principal Investigator at the Research Institute of the MUHC. She is also a Member of the Royal Society of Canada’s College of New Scholars, Artists and Scientists. Her global implementation research program in Canada, India and South Africa is primarily focused on point-of-care diagnostics for HIV and associated co-infections (Hepatitis C, Hepatitis B, HPV, bacterial STIs). Her research informs domestic and global policy on point-of-care diagnostics. She develops and incorporates innovation, implementation science, artificial intelligence, to generate solutions that plug health service delivery gaps. She strives to generate clinical, public health and social impact. Her innovations are being implemented nationally & internationally. She serves on many technical working groups for national and international agencies: WHO, Foundation for Innovative Diagnostics, Geneva, PSI Washington, Gates Foundation, Seattle, ASLM, Africa, CDC/PEPFAR, Atlanta, PHAC, Health Canada, CIHR REACH. She has advised the office of the US Congress on Multiplex testing for STBBIs. In terms of global policies, she has also contributed to ASLM/CDC/PEPFAR’s policies on quality of POCT, WHO’s global HIV self-testing guidelines, and WHO’s policy guidance on implementation of HIV self-testing and US policies for POCTs for HIV/STBBIs. She has led many systematic reviews to inform the gaps in policies for POCT and on innovations for UNAIDS 90-90-90 initiative to end the HIV epidemic. Her research has been supported by grants from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, the FRQS, Grand Challenges Canada, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, South African Medical Research Council SHIP and Department of Science & Technology.
Implementation research with point-of-care diagnostics for HIV/AIDS and related co-infections; Epidemiological and clinical research on HIV/AIDS, synthesis of evidence on novel diagnostic and prognostic point-of-care device evaluations; self-testing for HIV and multiplex testing for HIV and co-infections; health care models.
Keywords:Â Infectious diseases epidemiology (HIV/AIDS and related co-infections); global health research (maternal and child health and vulnerable populations); evidence based medicine; diagnostic research; systematic reviews and meta-analyses; teaching of clinical epidemiology.