Purnima Madhivanan, MBBS, MPH, PhD
Purnima Madhivanan is an Associate Professor with Tenure in the Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health. She holds joint appointments in the College of Medicine, Bio5 Institute, Comprehensive Center for Pain & Addiction, and is a member of the UA Cancer Center. She completed her medical training in India and received a MPH/PhD in Epidemiology from the University of California Berkeley. She completed her postdoctoral training at San Francisco Department of Public Health on Clinical Trials Management. She is currently the Director of the NIH funded Global Health Training Program at UA and serves as a co-PI for the GHES consortium in collaboration with Stanford, Yale and University of California, Berkeley. She also directs the Fogarty-Fulbright Fellowship program for University of Arizona. She is the Founding Director of Public Health Research Institute of India located in Mysore, Southern India.
Cancer Focus
For over 25 years, Dr. Madhivanan has been a leader in global health, with extensive experience directing multi-site domestic and international clinical and translational studies. Her work has attracted significant funding from prestigious organizations including the National Institutes of Health (NIH), Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), Merck & Co., and ViiV Healthcare to name a few. Dr. Madhivanan's research program is dedicated to addressing health inequities in disadvantaged populations. She elucidates the intricate dynamics of poverty, gender, and social determinants of health, with a particular focus on their impact on women and children in rural and limited-resource communities. Her fieldwork spans multiple continents and diverse settings, including India, Peru, Haiti, the Dominican Republic, Colombia, Nigeria, Ethiopia, South Africa, and the United States. Her current research is at the critical intersection of infectious and chronic diseases, with a primary focus on cancer prevention. This includes examining the role of the vaginal and gut microbiome in women's reproductive health and cancer, and leading implementation research on integrating cervical cancer screening, particularly using self-collection methods, into HIV care and primary care settings globally. As a testament to her profound impact and expertise, Dr. Madhivanan has authored over 200 peer-reviewed publications. She has served as Principal Investigator (PI) on numerous federal and foundation grants, and as a mentor and investigator on a wide array of NIH, CDC, and industry-sponsored studies and clinical trials. Furthermore, Dr. Madhivanan provides invaluable guidance as an advisor to various state departments of Public Health, non-profit organizations, and governmental research bodies.