Dr. Mithilesh Dronavalli MBBS BMedSc MBiostat MPhil AStat

I want to help prevent and alleviate suffering for the poorest, sickest and most vulnerable people through public health & biostatistics.

I have over 8 years' experience in statistics applied to public health research with 18 articles on PubMed as the statistical or main author. I also have 4 years experience in clinical psychiatry treating patients with mental illness.

I have researched areas of poverty, crime, social disadvantage, perinatal drug abuse, prematurity, bronchopulmonary dysplasia, children with disabilities, mental health, out of home care, addiction, Aboriginal Health, communicable diseases (influenza, Tuberculosis, syphilis, HIV, sexually transmitted infections), cancer, heart disease, smoking cessation, breastfeeding, crime, health and well-being, health education and aged care.

Unique Achievements and Expertise

Led a 15-member team to carry out external communication with the public related to COVID, and adverse event reporting for the COVID vaccine in the Sydney COVID outbreak.
I was a key person in the design, coordination, sample sizing, methods, analysis, and reporting (including publication) of a pragmatic RCT in rural South Africa. I was working remotely and mentoring a team of researchers.
President of a large table tennis association including, 440, 70 teams, 15 clubs. This includes working with the committee, improving processes, uploading scores to a global server using code and organising events.

Degree Related: Honours first class was on mining cardiovascular clinical RCTs using estimation and prediction to generate surrogate markers using clinical data. My Masters of Biostatistics and MPhil has taught me a broad range of statistical methods and the application of these methods.
Experience: I have applied almost all of these techniques in my work leading to publications or significant government reports with myself as the statistical author.I have published many articles and reports, including eighteen PubMed publications.8 years of statistical consulting, data management, analysis, reporting and publication of results.
Ongoing Learning: I supervise research students and teach statistical methods.I have learned and used new statistical techniques independently, including causal mediation analysis.I am trained in and have experience in machine learning techniques such as Random Forest and k-means longitudinal analysis (kml)I have worked for TGA reviewing clinical study reports for approval of and safety of medical devices.
Statistical Consulting: I conceptualise and crystallise processes in data capture, data management, reporting and publication as well as consultation with the clients. I understand their requirements and also offer them innovative medical, public health and statistical advice.Developing and optimising protocols using critical appraisal, the literature, and the principles of excellent, scientifically valid, and relevant study designs.Constructed many Statistical Analysis Plans with client consultation.
Data: I am an expert programmer in R and Stata, and I write reproducible, well-structured and code with comments. I am also familiar with SAS.I have carried out data management at the population level, 1.8 million records level with six different routinely collected government datasets of all babies and their mothers in the last 20 years in the state of NSW in Australia totalling over 20Gb)
Supervision / Teaching: Supervised Honours Students, PhD Students, clinicians, researchers. Taught seminars and tutored in biostatistics

Qualifications and Publications

Evaluating Mental Health Services for the Socially Disadvantaged
Predictors and outcomes of change in socio-economic position over time.

Member Profile: https://www.statsoc.org.au/Sys/PublicProfile/48202292/4702721
Criteria for Accredited Statistician:
Degree in Statistics + 6 years of progressively advanced Statistical Experience + Submission of Major Works + Maintaining Continual Professional Development + 5 yearly re-accreditations

Risk and Treatment Factors of Squamous Cell Carcinoma of the Lip

Biostatistics: Generalised Linear Models, Survival Analysis, Longitudinal and Correlated Data (including multi-level modelling), Advanced R, Stata, Meta-regression, Study Design, Sample Size Calculation, Logic, Variable Selection, Data Linkage, Clinical Trial Design, Probability & Statistical Inference, Pharmacoepidemiology, generating and simulating data, multiple imputation for analysis with missing data and an overview of Machine Learning

Causal Inference: Directed Acyclic Graphs, Propensity Scores, Inverse Probability Treatment Weights, Regression Discontinuity, Differences in Differences, Instrumental Variables, Mendelian Randomisation

Rotations: Rural and Indigenous Health, HIV, Public Health Unit (Communicable Disease and Environmental Health), Childhood Disability, Addiction and Pharmacoepi (TGA)

Coursework: Environmental Health Risk Assessments | Framing Indigenous Health| Health Promotion| Health Policy| Epidemiology and Control of Communicable Disease| Qualitative Research Methods| Environmental Health Risk Assessments | Introduction to teaching and supervision | Grant Writing | PRINCE 2 : Foundations and Practitioners | Good Clinical Practice (GCP) Certified as of 2022 Oct

Conference Presentations: National Rural Health (Oral) | Asia Pacific Heart Failure (2 Posters) 2008 | RACP 2016 (Oral: Gerry Murphy Prize) |Australian Public Health 2019 (Oral)

A Pharmacological mechanism for the Clinical Benefits of Angiotensin Converting Enzyme Inhibitors: Analyses of randomised controlled trials

Taught me broad content and diverse perspectives in a multicultural environment and how to LEARN and THINK.

Google Scholar (for Article Links): https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=VRfrJpcAAAAJ&hl=en
Dronavalli M, Page A, Sperandei S, Uribe G, Huckel Schneider C, Eastwood J. Determinants and health outcomes of trajectories of social mobility in Australia. SSM Popul Health. 2023 Jan 5;21:101336. doi: 10.1016/j.ssmph.2023.101336. PMID: 36660174; PMCID: PMC9843487. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36660174/
Leonard E, Kwinda Z, Baernighausen T, Dronavalli M, Adam M, Pillay Y. Optimizing knowledge and behavioral intention of women and their partners in the perinatal period in South Africa: a randomized control trial study protocol in the Tshwane district, Gauteng province, South Africa. BMC Public Health. 2022;22(1):1224 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/35725421
James DB, Lee KSK, Dronavalli M, Courtney RJ, Conigrave KM, Conigrave JH, Shakeshaft A. Predictors of length of treatment, discharge reason, and re-admission to Aboriginal alcohol and other drug residential rehabilitation services in New South Wales, Australia. Drug Alcohol Rev. 2021 Oct 13. doi: 10.1111/dar.13388. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 3464442 https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/share/author/MAGGAAKPHZDDFECWT9TK?target=10.1111/dar.13388
Farnbach S, Economidis G, Aiken A, Dronavalli M, Shakeshaft A. A randomised stepped-wedge evaluation of the impact of a guideline-driven process for improving the cultural competence of non-Aboriginal drug and alcohol treatment services.: NDARC, UNSW; 2020. (CONFIDENTIAL GOVERNMENT REPORT, Available on Request)
Ghosh S, Dronavalli M, Raman S. Tuberculosis infection in under-2-year-old refugees: Should we be screening? A systematic review and meta-regression analysis. J Paediatr Child Health. 2019 https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/jpc.14701
Chan DJ, Furner V, Smith DE, Dronavalli M, Bopage RI, Post JJ, et al. Non-AIDS complexity amongst patients living with HIV in Sydney: risk factors and health outcomes. AIDS Res Ther. 2018;15(1):6. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s12981-018-0193-z
Bhagwat MM, Woods JA, Dronavalli M, Hamilton SJ, Thompson SC. Evidence-based interventions in primary care following acute coronary syndrome in Australia and New Zealand: a systematic scoping review. BMC Cardiovasc Disord. 2016;16(1):214. https://bmccardiovascdisord.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12872-016-0388-y
Dronavalli M, Thompson S, Mitchell K, Kerry K, Giele C. Rates of Sexually Transmitted Infection in Aboriginal People and Regional Areas of Western Australia: plotting progress or losing the plot?. 2015 https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Mithilesh-Dronavalli-2/publication/328760852_Rates_of_Sexually_Transmitted_Infection_in_Aboriginal_People_and_Regional_Areas_of_Western_Australia_plotting_progress_or_losing_the_plot/links/5be16d8292851c6b27aa52bc/Rates-of-Sexually-Transmitted-Infection-in-Aboriginal-People-and-Regional-Areas-of-Western-Australia-plotting-progress-or-losing-the-plot
Fricke TA, d'Udekem Y, Richardson M, Thuys C, Dronavalli M, Ramsay JM, et al. Outcomes of the arterial switch operation for transposition of the great arteries: 25 years of experience. Ann Thorac Surg. 2012;94(1):139-45. https://www.annalsthoracicsurgery.org/article/S0003-4975(12)00538-3/fulltext
Yong MS, d'Udekem Y, Robertson T, Horton S, Dronavalli M, Brizard C, et al. Outcomes of surgery for simple total anomalous pulmonary venous drainage in neonates. Ann Thorac Surg. 2011;91(6):1921-7. https://www.annalsthoracicsurgery.org/article/S0003-4975(11)00243-8/fulltext
Sheffield LJ, Irving P, Gupta A, Byron K, Macrae FA, Phillimore H, et al. Thiopurine methyltransferase and thiopurine metabolite testing in patients with inflammatory bowel disease who are taking thiopurine drugs. Pharmacogenomics. 2009;10(7):1091-9. https://www.futuremedicine.com/doi/abs/10.2217/pgs.09.60
https://youtu.be/sOhtbcO0sSQ My Public Lecture on Causation
Dronavalli, Mithilesh, et al. "Determinants and health outcomes of trajectories of social mobility in Australia." SSM-Population Health (2023): 101336. of trajectories of social mobility in Australia https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2352827323000010

Experiences

Perinatal Drug Exposure and short term /long term health / education / out of home care outcomes and service utilisation for babies and their mothers. Results of a population birth cohort 'Joining the Dots' of 1.8 million babies and their mothers in NSW between 2001 and 2020.
Supervising Clinicians and Honours Research Students as a Medical Statistician and co-supervisor.

Statistical Analysis Plans
Data Analysis
Sample Size Calculations
Innovation in Data Related Planning and Tasks
Advising Sponsors in Sponsor Meetings

Approving and Regulating Medical Devices

Leading the external communications team for answering questions from the public regarding the Sydney COVID Lockdown
Leading a team in the management of Adverse Effects following Immunisation for COVID
Contributing to the containment of a COVID outbreak in Lockdown
As an Investigator, designing and overseeing a real world implementation RCT of Co-designed Universal Micro-messaging Health Education Videos for Breastfeeding in Rural Mothers in South Africa.

Investigating the role of Social Disadvantage in Criminal Trajectories of those using Drugs as the index offence.
Evaluation of an Aboriginal Cultural Competency Program for non-Aboriginal Drug Rehabs
Supervising an Aboriginal PhD Student in research for a Continuous Quality Improvement of Aboriginal Residential Drug Rehabs
RCT Evaluating Health Education Videos for Breastfeeding delivered by "Mentor Mothers" for Poor Mothers in South Africa. In collaboration with Stanford University and Heidelberg University

Assessing the effectiveness of oseltamivir prophylaxis in preventing Influenza outbreaks in Aged Care Facilities.
Estimating Childhood Disability in Southwest Sydney and advocating a state-wide Child Disability Register
Outbreak Control (eg Measles; Gastro in a school, child care or aged care facility; Influenza in an Aged Care Facility)
Educating district aged care facility managers ad nursing staff on managing and preventing the spread of influenza outbreaks in a one day teaching session
Environmental Health Risk Assessments (PFAS, M12 noise and vibration, Establish Surveillance for Lead Notification with a high-risk Lead Battery Manufacturer, Mercury in Fish)
Speeding up the management of Syphilis notification through automating repetitive data entry tasks using R and Adobe Optical Character Recognition for data extraction and processing.
Teaching and upskilling staff in research methods and assisting the Medical Epidemiologist in reporting and surveillance work (Annual STI report | Published Meta-Analysis of Gonorrhoea prevalence and antibiotic resistance for studies in the past 30 years in Australia and New Zealand)
Assessing the need for screening for Latent Tuberculosis Infection for refugee children under 2 years

Worked in a high turn over Psychiatric Emergency Care Centre attached to an Emergency Department.
Worked in Addiction Dual Diagnosis, Old Age Psychiatry and Child Psychiatry.
Completed 3 year Education Program in Psychiatry at the Brain and Mind Research Institute
Completed the Opioid Substitution Treatment Accreditation Course

Systematic Review, Meta Analysis and Safety Filter

HIV research and gaining exposure to HIV medicine as well as training and enabling staff in research methods.
HIV Complexity - Described the increasing burden of comorbidities in patients with HIV, where care needs a multi-disciplinary team approach. Used directed acyclic graphs.
HIV Smoking Audit - Predicting which patients will benefit most from a smoking cessation intervention
Completed the HIV Prescriber Course

Systematic Review as the first author to assess measurement tools of general health and wellbeing.
Commissioned review of Sexual Health Services in Western Australia by the Department of Health in a team.
Designed and Delivered Seminars: 1. Understanding and Evaluating Advanced Quantitative Methods 2. Use of Social Media for Public Health
Co-ordinating principal investigator on a complex GP Audit of patients with Acute Coronary Syndrome after discharge from hospital
National Finalist for Gerry Murphy Prize at RACP Congress

Worked in Psychiatry treating Aboriginal People with mental illness from remote areas.
Took the history and mental state of patients and liaised with the multidisciplinary team. Prescribed medication, performed on-call duties, did ECT under supervision
Taught Medical students about psychiatry regularly by teaching them psychiatric theory and interview skills

Developed a Quantitative Data Analysis Plan for the 45 and Up study in the pharmacoepidemiology field.
Investigated a New Indication for a cholesterol-lowering agent.

Worked empathically under pressure, Treated quite severe mental illness
Caring for mentally ill patients under consultant psychiatrist supervision
o Elicit History and Mental State to adjust medication. o Communicate with the multidisciplinary team and family+carers of the patient. o Clozapine and Outpatient Clinics

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Public Health Medical Advisor & Statistician

Leadership

Epidemiology / Biostatistics

Doctoral Student (PhD)

Western Sydney University

AStat (Accredited Statistician)

Statistical Society of Australia

MPhil

University of Sydney, NHMRC Clinical Trial Centre

Masters of Biostatistics and Ongoing Learning

Monash University

Training in Public Health Medicine

Australian Faculty of Public Health Medicine

MBBS BMedSc First Class Honours in Biostatistics

University of Melbourne

High School Certificate

Fort St Selective High School

Major Works (18 Pub Med Publications) +500 citations

Medical Biostatistician

In-house Lead Biostatistician

Senior Public Health Medicine Registrar / Medical Advisor (Pharmacoepidemiology)

Senior Public Health Medicine Registrar in Communicable Diseases (Sydney COVID Lockdown)

Research Fellow (Biostatistics)

Public Health Medicine Registrar in Public Health Unit / Biostatistician

Psychiatry Registrar

Public Health Medicine Registrar / Medical Advisor (Pharmacoepidemiology)

Public Health Medicine Registrar / Biostatistician

Public Health Medicine Registrar / Research Fellow / Biostatistician

Psychiatry Registrar

Research Fellow (Biostatistics and Pharmacoepidemiology)

Psychiatry Registrar

Medical Internship