Poonam C. Sharma, MD, PhD, D(ABMM)
Assistant Professor
Department:
SOM-Pathology
Email:
psharma@umc.edu
Education
| University of Mississippi Medical Center, Postdoctoral Fellowship, Clinical Microbiology | 2024 |
| University of Mississippi Medical Center, PhD, Microbiology and Immunology | 2023 |
| Dr. S. C. Government Medical College, MD, Medical Microbiology | 2014 |
| Grant Government Medical College, MBBS, Medicine and Surgery | 2009 |
Specialty Certification Licensure
| Certification, Diplomate of the American Board of Medical Microbiology, American Society for Microbiology | 09/2026 - Present |
| Certification, Antimicrobial Stewardship Certification, Society of Infectious Diseases Pharmacists | 12/2025 - Present |
| Certification, Certification in Infection Control, Certification Board of Infection Control & Epidemiology, Inc. | 08/2025 - Present |
| Certification, Basics of Lean and Six Sigma for the Laboratory, LabCE | 05/2025 - Present |
| Certification, Human Research: Biomedical Research Investigators and Key Personnel, CITI Program | 12/2023 - Present |
| Certification, Technical Supervisor in Microbiology, American Board of Bioanalysis | 06/2024 - Present |
| Licensure, License to practice medicine and clinical microbiology in all the states of India | 04/2009 - Present |
| Certification, Specialist in Microbiology, American Society for Clinical Pathology | 11/2023 - Present |
Current Positions
| Director of Clinical Microbiology Lab, School of Medicine, Department of Pathology | 07/2024 - Present |
| Assistant Professor, School of Medicine, Department of Pathology | 05/2024 - Present |
| Director of Serology Lab, School of Medicine, Department of Pathology | 07/2024 - Present |
| The University of Mississippi Medical Center Jackson, Mississippi 39216 | |
Academic Appointments or Other Previous Appointments
| Postdoctoral Fellow, Department of Pathology, University of Mississippi Medical Center, School of Medicine | 07/2023 - 05/2024 |
| Graduate Research Assistant, University of Mississippi Medical Center, School of Graduate School in the Health Sciences | 01/2019 - 05/2023 |
| Assistant Manager/ Medical Advisor, AstraZeneca and MedImmune, TCS Life Sciences | 12/2016 - 06/2018 |
| Medical Officer, Employees State Insurance Scheme, School of Medicine | 03/2014 - 03/2015 |
| Resident Doctor, Dr. S. C. Government Medical College, School of Medicine | 06/2010 - 06/2013 |
Sponsored Program Funding
| Intramural, Carbapenem-Resistant Bacteria from Hospital Water Drains and Patients | 09/2025 - 03/2026 |
Publications
Journal Article | |
| Goode SS, Quiring RA, Awais M, Brodell RT, Sharma PC Eruptive inflammatory tinea corporis: a case report highlighting the role of molecular testing on formalin-fixed tissue in confirming the causative species AME case reports, 2026;10:44 | 2026 |
| Vidal, A. G. J., Francis, M., Chitanvis, M., Takeshita, K., Frame, I. J., Sharma, P., Vidal, P., Lanata, C. F., Grijalva, C., Daley, W., & Vidal, J. E. Fluorescent antibody-based detection and ultrastructural analysis of Streptococcus pneumoniae in human sputum Pneumonia (Nathan Qld.), 17(1), 4. https://doi.org/10.1186/s41479-025-00157-z | 2025 |
| Heath, C. P., Sharma, P. C., Sontakke, S., Smith, D. J., & Jhaveri, T. A. The Brief Case: Hidden in plain sight- Exophiala jeanselmei subcutaneous phaeohyphomycosis of hand masquerading as a hematoma Journal of clinical microbiology, 62(12), e0106824. https://doi.org/10.1128/jcm.01068-24 | 2024 |
| Azar, A., Quiring, R., Sharma, P. and Brodell, R. An Unusual Case of Blastomycosis Presenting as "Punched Out" Ulcerations SKIN The Journal of Cutaneous Medicine. 8, 5 (Sep. 2024), 1845–1849 | 2024 |
| Overton, J., Velasquez, A., Cruse, A., Noble, C., Burrow, R., Sharma, P. C., Berlin, W. P., Brodell, R. T., & Sontakke, S. P. Fatal Mucormycosis in a Diabetic Patient: A Case Report and Review of Diagnostic Challenges Cureus, 16(9), e69546. https://doi.org/10.7759/cureus.69546 | 2024 |
| Sharma, P. C., McCandless, M., Sontakke, S. P., Varshney, N., Brodell, R. T., Kyle, P. B., & Daley, W. Navigating Viral Gastroenteritis: Epidemiological Trends, Pathogen Analysis, and Histopathological Findings Cureus, 16(5), e61197. https://doi.org/10.7759/cureus.61197 | 2024 |
| Dwivedi, R., Farrag, M., Sharma, P., Shi, D., Shami, A. A., Misra, S. K., Ray, P., Shukla, J., Zhang, F., Linhardt, R. J., Sharp, J. S., Tandon, R., & Pomin, V. H. The Sea Cucumber Thyonella gemmata Contains a Low Anticoagulant Sulfated Fucan with High Anti-SARS-CoV-2 Actions against Wild-Type and Delta Variants Journal of natural products, 86(6), 1463–1475. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jnatprod.3c00151 | 2023 |
| Maurya, A. K., Sharma, P., Samanta, P., Shami, A. A., Misra, S. K., Zhang, F., Thara, R., Kumar, D., Shi, D., Linhardt, R. J., Sharp, J. S., Doerksen, R. J., Tandon, R., & Pomin, V. H. Structure, anti-SARS-CoV-2, and anticoagulant effects of two sulfated galactans from the red alga Botryocladia occidentalis International journal of biological macromolecules, 238, 124168. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2023.124168 | 2023 |
| Farrag, M., Dwivedi, R., Sharma, P., Kumar, D., Tandon, R., & Pomin, V. H. Structural requirements of Holothuria floridana fucosylated chondroitin sulfate oligosaccharides in anti-SARS-CoV-2 and anticoagulant activities PloS one, 18(5), e0285539. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0285539 | 2023 |
| Sharma, P., Dwivedi, R., Ray, P., Shukla, J., Pomin, V. H., & Tandon, R. Inhibition of Cytomegalovirus by Pentacta pygmaea Fucosylated Chondroitin Sulfate Depends on Its Molecular Weight Viruses, 15(4), 859. https://doi.org/10.3390/v15040859 | 2023 |
| Dwivedi, R., Sharma, P., Eilts, F., Zhang, F., Linhardt, R. J., Tandon, R., & Pomin, V. H. Anti-SARS-CoV-2 and anticoagulant properties of Pentacta pygmaea fucosylated chondroitin sulfate depend on high molecular weight structures Glycobiology, 33(1), 75–85. https://doi.org/10.1093/glycob/cwac063 | 2023 |
| Oh, J. H., Martinez, A. D., Cao, H., George, G. W., Cobb, J. S., Sharma, P., Fassero, L. A., Arole, K., Carr, M. A., Lovell, K. M., Shukla, J., Saed, M. A., Tandon, R., Marquart, M. E., Moores, L. C., & Green, M. J. Radio Frequency Heating of Washable Conductive Textiles for Bacteria and Virus Inactivation ACS applied materials & interfaces, 14(38), 43732–43740. https://doi.org/10.1021/acsami.2c11493 | 2022 |
| Dwivedi, R., Sharma, P., Farrag, M., Kim, S. B., Fassero, L. A., Tandon, R., & Pomin, V. H. Inhibition of SARS-CoV-2 wild-type (Wuhan-Hu-1) and Delta (B.1.617.2) strains by marine sulfated glycans Glycobiology, 32(10), 849–854. https://doi.org/10.1093/glycob/cwac042 | 2022 |
| Pramanik, A., Mayer, J., Sinha, S. S., Sharma, P. C., Patibandla, S., Gao, Y., Corby, L. R., Bates, J. T., Bierdeman, M. A., Tandon, R., Seshadri, R., & Ray, P. Human ACE2 Peptide-Attached Plasmonic-Magnetic Heterostructure for Magnetic Separation, Surface Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy Identification, and Inhibition of Different Variants of SARS-CoV-2 Infections ACS applied bio materials, 10.1021/acsabm.2c00573. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1021/acsabm.2c00573 | 2022 |
| Pramanik, A., Sharma, P. C., Patibandla, S., Gao, Y., Ruppa-Kasani, V., Goli, J., Kumar, A., Chatterjee, A., Sinha, S. S., Bates, J. T., Bierdeman, M. A., Tandon, R., & Ray, P. C. Blocking SARS-CoV-2 Delta Variant (B.1.617.2) Spike Protein Receptor-Binding Domain Binding with the ACE2 Receptor of the Host Cell and Inhibiting Virus Infections Using Human Host Defense Peptide-Conjugated Graphene Quantum Dots ACS omega, 7(9), 8150–8157. https://doi.org/10.1021/acsomega.2c00113 | 2022 |
| Dwivedi, R., Samanta, P., Sharma, P., Zhang, F., Mishra, S. K., Kucheryavy, P., Kim, S. B., Aderibigbe, A. O., Linhardt, R. J., Tandon, R., Doerksen, R. J., & Pomin, V. H. Structural and kinetic analyses of holothurian sulfated glycans suggest potential treatment for SARS-CoV-2 infection The Journal of biological chemistry, 297(4), 101207. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbc.2021.101207 | 2021 |
| Yan, L., Song, Y., Xia, K., He, P., Zhang, F., Chen, S., Pouliot, R., Weiss, D. J., Tandon, R., Bates, J. T., Ederer, D. R., Mitra, D., Sharma, P., Davis, A., & Linhardt, R. J. Heparan sulfates from bat and human lung and their binding to the spike protein of SARS-CoV-2 virus Carbohydrate polymers, 260, 117797. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.carbpol.2021.117797 | 2021 |
| Tandon, R., Sharp, J. S., Zhang, F., Pomin, V. H., Ashpole, N. M., Mitra, D., McCandless, M. G., Jin, W., Liu, H., Sharma, P., & Linhardt, R. J. Effective Inhibition of SARS-CoV-2 Entry by Heparin and Enoxaparin Derivatives Journal of virology, 95(3), e01987-20. https://doi.org/10.1128/JVI.01987-20 | 2021 |
| Jin, W., Zhang, W., Mitra, D., McCandless, M. G., Sharma, P., Tandon, R., Zhang, F., & Linhardt, R. J. The structure-activity relationship of the interactions of SARS-CoV-2 spike glycoproteins with glucuronomannan and sulfated galactofucan from Saccharina japonica International journal of biological macromolecules, 163, 1649–1658. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2020.09.184 | 2020 |
| Tandon, R., Mitra, D., Sharma, P., McCandless, M. G., Stray, S. J., Bates, J. T., & Marshall, G. D. Effective screening of SARS-CoV-2 neutralizing antibodies in patient serum using lentivirus particles pseudotyped with SARS-CoV-2 spike glycoprotein Scientific reports, 10(1), 19076. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-020-76135-w | 2020 |
| Deepali Belurkar, Poonam Sharma, Poorva Sule Hospital-Based Seroprevalence Among Suspected Cases of Dengue in a Tertiary Care Hospital Journal of Evolution of Medical and Dental Sciences 2017; 6(49):3777-3780 | 2017 |
| S. R. More, P. C. Sharma, S. S. Raut and V. S. Rathod Antifungal susceptibility pattern of Candida dublinienses recovered from HIV infected patients Int. J. Curr. Microbiol. App. Sci 2013; 2(5): 215-219 | 2013 |
| P. C. Sharma, S. S. Raut, S. R. More, V. S. Rathod, V. M. Gujar The microbiological profile of ventilator associated pneumonia J. Evolution Med. Dent. Sci. 2012; 1(3): 192-197 | 2012 |
Abstracts | |
| Samra Mariyam, Swathi Yarlagadda, Brittany Van Buren, Kassandra Moton, Sumit Sontakke, Robert Brodell, Patrick Kyle, William Daley, Poonam Sharma Enhancing Epstein-Barr Viral Load Testing Through Adoption of an FDA-Approved Nucleic Acid Amplification Method Mississippi Academy of Sciences, Biloxi, Mar 2026 | 2026 |
| Tejas Maheshwari, Akhila Arvind, Vamshi Gorantla, Brittany Van Buren, Kassandra Moton, Vonda Clack, Sumit P. Sontakke, Robert T. Brodell, Patrick B. Kyle, William P. Daley, Poonam C. Sharma Enhancing Antimicrobial Stewardship in the Clinical Microbiology and Serology Laboratories at University of Mississippi Medical Center Mississippi Academy of Sciences, Biloxi, Mar 2026 | 2026 |
| Ishaa Saleem Siddiqui, Breera Khan, Brittany V Buren, Kassandra Moton, Sumit P. Sontakke, Robert T. Brodell, Patrick B. Kyle, William P. Daley, Poonam C. Sharma Importance of Updating the Breakpoints for Pseudomonas aeruginosa Susceptibility Testing at University of Mississippi Medical Center Mississippi Academy of Sciences, Biloxi, Mar 2026 | 2026 |
| Kavya Maheshwari, Poonam Sharma Antimicrobial Resistance in Mississippi: Implications for Stewardship and Public Health Mississippi Academy of Sciences, Biloxi, Mar 2026 | 2026 |
| Akhila Aravind, Sumit Sontakke, Vonda Clack, Darlene Hamilton, Patrick Kyle, William Daley, Robert Brodell, Poonam Sharma Optimizing Blood Culture Practices to Address Supply Interruptions Mississippi Academy of Sciences, Biloxi, Mar 2025 | 2025 |
| Navdeep Kaur, Akhila Aravind, Nazar Rahmanov, Poonam Sharma, Ithiel Frame Case of Lepromatous Leprosy Mississippi Academy of Sciences, Biloxi, Mar 2025 | 2025 |
| Tejas Maheshwari, Vamshi Gorantla, Sumit P. Sontakke, Patrick B. Kyle, Robert T. Brodell, William P. Daley, Poonam C. Sharma Complex Presentations of Disseminated Blastomycosis Beyond the Lungs Mississippi Academy of Sciences, Biloxi, Mar 2025 | 2025 |
| Dallas J. Smith, Vaisak Nair, Drashti Shah, George R. Thompson, Ilan Schwartz, Harrison White, Kaya Curtis, Poonam Sharma, Rachel McMullen, Kaitlin Benedict, Jeremy A.W. Gold, Samantha Williams, Shari R. Lipner, Avrom S. Caplan, Eva Rawlings Parker, Peter G. Pappas, Paschalis Vergidis Demographic and Clinical Characteristics of Patients with Chromoblastomycosis and Eumycetoma in Eight Medical Centers, United States American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene annual conference, New Orleans, Nov 2024 | 2024 |
| Akhila Arvind, Cara F. Pridmore, Poonam C. Sharma, Sumit Sontakke, Dallas J. Smith, Tulip A. Jhaveri Rare Case of Subcutaneous Phaeohyphomycosis Caused by Exophiala jeanselmei American Society for Clinical Pathology Annual Meeting, Chicago, Sep 2024 | 2024 |
| Sharma P., Sontakke S., Beeton K., Brodell R., Kyle P., Daley W Exploring Group B Streptococcus Colonization in Pregnancy: Impact on Maternal and Neonatal Health Outcomes AAB Conference and CRB Symposium, Las Vegas, May 2024 | 2024 |
| Rohini Dwivedi, Marwa Farrag, Poonam Sharma, Deling Shi, Sandeep Misra, Priya Ray, Jayanti Shukla, Fuming Zhang, Robert Linhardt, Joshua Sharp, Ritesh Tandon, Vitor Pomin The sulfated fucan from Thyonella gemmata presents high anti-SARS-CoV-2 but low anticoagulant activity Mid-South Glycoscience meeting, University of Mississippi, Oxford, June 2023 | 2023 |
| Marwa Farrag, Rohini Dwivedi, Poonam Sharma, Deepak Kumar, Ritesh Tandon, Vitor H. Pomin Structural specificity in anticoagulant and anti-SARS-COV-2 properties of holothurian fucosylated chondroitin sulfate oligosaccharides Mid-South Glycoscience meeting, University of Mississippi, Oxford, June 2023 | 2023 |
| Antim K. Maurya, Poonam Sharma, Priyanka Samanta, Anter A. Shami, Sandeep K. Misra, Fuming Zhang, Reena Thara, Deepak Kumar, Deling Shi, Robert J. Linhardt, Joshua S. Sharpa, Robert J. Doerksen, Ritesh Tandon, Vitor H. Pomin Structure, anti-SARS-CoV-2, and anticoagulant effects of two sulfated galactans from the red alga Botryocladia occidentalis Mid-South Glycoscience meeting, University of Mississippi, Oxford, June 2023 | 2023 |
| Priyanka Samanta, Sushil K. Mishra, Rohini Dwivedi, Seon Beom Kim, AyoOluwa O. Aderibigbe, Poonam Sharma, Fuming Zhang, Pavel Kucheryavy, Mary Zoepfl, Ke Xia, Reena Thara, Robert J. Linhardt, Michael A. McVoy, Ritesh Tandon, Vitor H. Pomin, Robert J. Doerksen Study of Marine Natural Products as Anti-SARS-CoV-2 Agents Using Molecular Modeling American Chemical Society, Northeast Chemistry Research Conference, Boston, June 2023 | 2023 |
| Priyanka Samanta, Sushil K. Mishra, Rohini Dwivedi, Seon Beom Kim, Antim K. Maurya, AyoOluwa O. Aderibigbe, Poonam Sharma, Fuming Zhang, Anter A. Sharmi, Pavel Kucheryavy, Mary Zoepfl, Ke Xia, Reena Thara, Deepak Kumar, Deling Shi, Robert J. Linhardt, Michael A. McVoy, Joshua S. Sharp, Ritesh Tandon, Vitor H. Pomin, Robert J. Doerksen Study of Marine Natural Products as Anti-SARS-CoV-2 Agents Using Molecular Modeling Glycobiology, Gordon Research Conference, Mount Snow, Vermont, July 2023 | 2023 |
| Priyanka Samanta, Sushil K. Mishra, Rohini Dwivedi, Seon Beom Kim, AyoOluwa O. Aderibigbe, Poonam Sharma, Fuming Zhang, Pavel Kucheryavy, Mary Zoepfl, Ke Xia, Reena Thara, Robert J. Linhardt, Michael A. McVoy, Ritesh Tandon, Vitor H. Pomin, Robert J. Doerksen Study of Marine Natural Products as Anti-SARS-CoV-2 Agents Using Molecular Modeling Society for Glycobiology annual meeting, Amelia Island, Oct 2022 | 2022 |
| Priyanka Samanta, Sushil K. Mishra, Rohini Dwivedi, Seon Beom Kim, AyoOluwa O. Aderibigbe, Poonam Sharma, Fuming Zhang, Pavel Kucheryavy, Mary Zoepfl, Ke Xia, Reena Thara, Robert J. Linhardt, Michael A. McVoy, Ritesh Tandon, Vitor H. Pomin, Robert J. Doerksen Study of Marine Natural Products as Anti-SARS-CoV-2 Agents Using Molecular Modeling Mid-South Glycoscience Meeting, Oxford, Jun 2022 | 2022 |
| Priyanka Samanta, Sushil K. Mishra, Rohini Dwivedi, Seon Beom Kim, AyoOluwa O. Aderibigbe, Mary Zoepfl, Poonam Sharma, Fuming Zhang, Pavel Kucheryavy, Ke Xia, Reena Thara, Robert J. Linhardt, Michael A. McVoy, Ritesh Tandon, Vitor H. Pomin, Robert J. Doerksen Study of Marine Natural Products as Anti-Sars-Cov-2 Agents Using Molecular Modeling MALTO medicinal chemistry-pharmacognosy meeting, Oxford, May 2022 | 2022 |
| Rohini Dwivedi, Priyanka Samanta, Poonam Sharma, Fuming Zhang, Sushil Mishra, Pavel Kucheryavy, Seonbeom Kim, AyoOluwa O. Aderibigbe, Robert J. Linhardt, Ritesh Tandon, Robert J. Doerksen, Vitor H. Pomin Isolation and structural characterization of a new fucosylated chondroitin sulfate: anti-SARS-CoV-2, anticoagulant and binding properties of holothurian sulfated glycans Winter GlyCORE Symposium, Oxford, Oct 2021 | 2021 |
| Rohini Dwivedi, Priyanka Samanta, Poonam Sharma, Fuming Zhang, Sushil Mishra, Pavel Kucheryavy, Seonbeom Kim, AyoOluwa O. Aderibigbe, Robert J. Linhardt, Ritesh Tandon, Robert J. Doerksen, Vitor H. Pomin Isolation and structural characterization of a new fucosylated chondroitin sulfate: anti-sars-cov-2, anticoagulant and binding properties of holothurian sulfated glycans South-Eastern Magnetic Resonance Conference, Virtual, 2021 | 2021 |
| Priyanka Samanta, Rohini Dwivedi, Poonam Sharma, Fuming Zhang, Sushil K. Mishra, Pavel Kucheryavy, Seonbeom Kim, AyoOluwa O. Aderibigbe, Robert J. Linhardt, Ritesh Tandon, Vitor H. Pomin, Robert J. Doerksen Computational study of anti-SARS-CoV-2 and binding properties of novel fucosylated chondroitin sulfates from sea cucumbers The North American UGM & Conference, Virtual, Sep 2021 | 2021 |
| Priyanka Samanta, Rohini Dwivedi, Poonam Sharma, Fuming Zhang, Sushil K. Mishra, Pavel Kucheryavy, Seonbeom Kim, AyoOluwa O. Aderibigbe, Robert J. Linhardt, Ritesh Tandon, Vitor H. Pomin, Robert J. Doerksen Anti-SARS-CoV-2 spike protein binding properties of fucosylated chondroitin sulfates GlyCORE symposium, Oxford, Jul 2021 | 2021 |
| Priyanka Samanta, Rohini Dwivedi, Poonam Sharma, Fuming Zhang, Sushil K. Mishra, Pavel Kucheryavy, Seonbeom Kim, AyoOluwa O. Aderibigbe, Robert J. Linhardt, Ritesh Tandon, Vitor H. Pomin, Robert J. Doerksen Anti-SARS-CoV-2 spike protein binding properties of fucosylated chondroitin sulfates Drug Discovery and Development Colloquium, Virtual, Jul 2021 | 2021 |
Dissertation | |
| Poonam C. Sharma Glycosaminoglycan-Based Broad-Spectrum Inhibitors of Respiratory Infections University of Mississippi Medical Center | 2023 |
| Poonam C. Sharma Isolation and Characterization of Oropharyngeal and Esophageal Candida Species in HIV Infected Patients Maharashtra University of Health Sciences | 2014 |
Book Chapter | |
| Sumit Sontakke, Poonam Sharma, Rebecca Worsham, Kishan Kadur, Chandana Bhargavi, Olugbenga Morebise Vaccine Nanotechnology for the Prevention of Infectious Diseases In: Chaughule, R.S., Lokur, A.S. (eds) Applications of Nanotechnology in Microbiology. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-49933-3_4 | 2024 |
Presentations
| Platform Presentations, Genome Editing, Mississippi Academy of Sciences, Biloxi, Mississippi | 03/2025 |
| Regional Invited Seminars/Lectures, Infectious Diseases Clinical Case Conference | 11/2024 |
| Poster Presentation, Improving Blood Culture Practices: Volume Optimization, Contamination Reduction, and Resource Conservation, University of Mississippi Medical Center, Annual Excellence Showcase | 11/2024 |
| Regional Invited Seminars/Lectures, Infectious Diseases Clinical Case Conference, UMMC | 05/2024 |
| Poster Presentation, Policy Recommendations and Best Practices for Advancing Women's Careers in Biomedical Education, Department of Advanced Biomedical Education (DABE) Research Day. University of Mississippi Medical Center | 05/2024 |
| Poster Presentation, Addressing Recall Issues in Multiplex PCR Molecular Testing: Enhancing Diagnostic Stewardship for Effective Gastroenteritis Management, American Association of Bioanalysts | 05/2024 |
| Poster Presentation, Exploring Group B Streptococcus Colonization in Pregnancy: Impact on Maternal and Neonatal Health Outcomes, OBGY annual research day, UMMC | 05/2024 |
| Poster Presentation, Addressing Recall Issues in Multiplex PCR Molecular Testing: Enhancing Diagnostic Stewardship for Effective Gastroenteritis Management, Tri State Pathology Conference | 04/2024 |
| Poster Presentation, Analysis of Viral Gastroenteritis at the University of Mississippi Medical Center | 10/2023 |
| Platform Presentations, Inhibition of Human Cytomegalovirus and Influenza A Virus by Pentacta pygmaea Fucosylated Chondroitin Sulfate, American Society of Virology | 06/2023 |
| Platform Presentations, Fucosylated Chondroitin Sulfate from Pentacta pygmaea as a Potential Inhibitor of Cytomegalovirus Infection, American Society for Microbiology South Central branch | 10/2022 |
| Poster Presentation, Fucosylated Chondroitin Sulfate from Pentacta pygmaea as a Potential Inhibitor of Cytomegalovirus Infection, SGSHS Annual Research Day, UMMC | 10/2022 |
| Platform Presentations, Inhibition of SARS-CoV-2 Wuhan-Hu-1 Strain and Delta Variant (B.1.617.2) by Marine Sulfated Glycans, American Society of Virology | 07/2022 |
| Invited Symposia, Glycosaminoglycan Based Broad Spectrum Inhibitors of Respiratory Infections, Mid-South Glycoscience Meeting | 05/2022 |
| Platform Presentations, Inhibition of SARS-CoV-2 Wuhan Strain and Delta Variant Entry into the Host Cells using Human Host Defense Peptides Conjugated Graphene Quantum Dots | 04/2022 |
| Poster Presentation, Structural and Kinetic Analyses of Holothurian Sulfated Glycans Suggest Potential Treatment for SARS-CoV-2 Infection | 10/2021 |
| Poster Presentation, Detection of Antiviral Effects against SARS-CoV-2 by using Baculovirus Pseudotyped with SARS-CoV-2 Spike Glycoprotein | 09/2021 |
| Platform Presentations, Inhibition of SARS-CoV-2 Entry into the Host Cells using Marine Sulfated Glycans, Mississippi Academy of Sciences | 08/2021 |
| Poster Presentation, Inhibition of CMV and SARS-CoV-2 Entry into Host Cells using a Synthetic Small Sulfated Molecule | 06/2021 |
| Poster Presentation, Profile of Oropharyngeal and Oesophageal Candidiasis in HIV Infected Patients | 09/2014 |
| Platform Presentations, The Microbiological Profile of Ventilator-Associated Pneumonia | 10/2011 |
| Poster Presentation, Study of Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus at a Tertiary Care Hospital | 01/2011 |
Honors, Awards, and Recognition
| Certificate of Recognition, Office of Operational Excellence, University of Mississippi Medical Center | 2026 |
| Elected Chair, Health Sciences Division (HSD), Mississippi Academy of Sciences | 2026 |
| Early-Career Faculty Award Nominee, Group on Women in Medicine and Science (GWIMS) | 2026 |
| Peggy Cotter Award, American Society for Microbiology | 2026 |
| Abstract selected as blue ribbon finalist, American Society for Clinical Pathology | 2025 |
| Certificate of Recognition, Office of Operational Excellence, University of Mississippi Medical Center | 2025 |
| Faculty Scholarship for the Millsaps College Business Advantage Program, Office of Faculty Affairs, UMMC | 2025 |
| Clinical Pathology Attending of the Year Award, University of Mississippi Medical Center | 2025 |
| Early-Career Faculty Award Nominee, Group on Women in Medicine and Science (GWIMS) | 2025 |
| Award for Debate Presentation, Mississippi Academy of Sciences | 2025 |
| Elected Vice Chair, Health Sciences Division, Mississippi Academy of Sciences | 2025 |
| Selected as Career Ambassador, American Society for Clinical Pathology | 2025 |
| Scholarship by Pfizer Inc. for Antimicrobial Stewardship Program, Society of Infectious Diseases Pharmacists (SIDP) | 2025 |
| Certificate of Recognition, Office of Operational Excellence, University of Mississippi Medical Center | 2024 |
| Selected for Leadership Development Program, Association of American Medical Colleges UMMC GWIMS Chapter | 2024 |
| Travel Grant, American Society for Clinical Pathology | 2024 |
| Abstract selected as blue ribbon finalist, American Society for Clinical Pathology | 2024 |
| Elected Fellow, Association of Clinical Scientists (FACSc) | 2024 |
| Employee Appreciation Week Winner, Human Resources, University of Mississippi Medical Center | 2024 |
| Certificate of Recognition, Association of American Medical Colleges UMMC GWIMS Chapter | 2024 |
| Mike Muzzillo Educational Conference Scholarship, American Association of Bioanalysts | 2024 |
| Top Cited Publication, American Society for Microbiology | 2023 |
| Award for excellence in oral presentation, Mississippi Academy of Sciences | 2023 |
| Travel award, NIH support, American Society for Virology Annual Meeting | 2023 |
| Travel award, MOBILion Systems, Inc., Mid-South Glycoscience meeting | 2022 |
| Oral presentation award in Health Sciences division, Mississippi Academy of Sciences | 2022 |
| Oral presentation award in Health Sciences division, Mississippi Academy of Sciences | 2021 |
| Dean’s Scholarship (Full-tuition waiver), University of Mississippi Medical Center | 2019 |
| Graduate Research Stipend, University of Mississippi Medical Center | 2019 |
| Star Performer Award in Pharmacovigilance (Hungary & India), AstraZeneca and MedImmune | 2018 |
| Medical School Merit Scholarship (Tuition waiver), Government of Maharashtra | 2010 |
| Graduate Medical Stipend, Government of Maharashtra | 2010 |
| Academic distinction in Biochemistry, Grant Medical College | 2004 |
| Merit Scholarship in Medicine, J.R.D. Tata Trust, Mumbai | 2004 |
| Merit Scholarship in Medicine, S. B. B. Samaj, Mumbai | 2003 |
| Merit Scholarship in Medicine, P.E. Daswani Trust, Mumbai | 2003 |
| Medical School Merit Scholarship (Tuition waiver), Government of Maharashtra | 2003 |
| Maharashtra State Certificate in Information Technology, State Government of Maharashtra | 2003 |
| Diploma in Computer Software, Indian Vocational Educational Trust | 2002 |
| Certificate of Appreciation (City Topper in Science Board Exam- Secondary School Certificate), Rotary Club | 2001 |
Professional Membership and Service
| Center for Immunology and Microbial Research, Member | 2025 - Present |
| Association of Clinical Scientists, Fellow | 2024 - Present |
| South Central Association for Clinical Microbiology, Member | 2024 - Present |
| American Society for Microbiology, Member | 2024 - Present |
| Association for Molecular Pathology, Member | 2024 - Present |
| Pan American Society for Clinical Virology, Member | 2024 - Present |
| South Central Association for Clinical Microbiology, Member | 2024 - Present |
| American Society for Clinical Pathology, Member | 2023 - Present |
| American Association of Bioanalysts, Member | 2023 - Present |
| American Society for Virology, Member | 2022 - Present |
| Mississippi Academy of Sciences, Member | 2021 - Present |
| Group on Women in Medicine and Science, Member | 2021 - Present |
| International Society for Infectious Diseases, Member | 2016 - Present |
| Academic Drug Discovery Consortium, Member | 2016 - Present |
| Medical Council of India, Member | 2009 - Present |
| Maharashtra Medical Council, Member | 2009 - Present |
Committee Service
| SOM Curriculum Committee, Evaluation and Assessment Subcommittee, Member | 2025 - Present |
| SOM Curriculum Committee, Systems-Based Practice Subcommittee, Member | 2025 - Present |
| SOM Curriculum Committee, Society and Medicine Subcommittee, Member | 2025 - Present |
| Antibiotic Stewardship Committee, Member | 2024 - Present |
| Infection Prevention Committee, Member | 2023 - Present |
Community Service
| American Society for Clinical Pathology, Career Ambassador | 03/2025 - Present |
| Mississippi Organ Recovery Agency, Registered for organ and tissue donation | 12/2022 - Present |
| Department of Microbiology and Immunology, UMMC, Volunteered to assemble the COVID-19 diagnostic kits | 03/2020 - 05/2023 |
Other Service
| ABRCMS, American Society for Microbiology | 09/2026 - 09/2026 |
| Frontiers in Public Health | 07/2026 - 07/2026 |
| Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology | 06/2026 - 07/2026 |
| Case Reports in Infectious Diseases | 06/2026 - 07/2026 |
| MSRP- Discovery Day Poster | 07/2025 - 07/2025 |
| MDPI Marine Drugs, Special Issue 'Marine Polysaccharides with Anticoagulant and Antimicrobial Activity' | 07/2025 - Present |
| Frontiers in Psychiatry | 02/2025 - Present |
| Abstract Reviewer for the Clinical & Public Health Microbiology track of the Microbe 2025, American Society for Microbiology | 01/2025 - 02/2025 |
| Invited Judge at American Society for Microbiology 2024 Joint Meeting of South Central (Mississippi, Louisiana, Arkansas) and Kentucky-Tennessee Branches | 11/2024 - 11/2024 |
| Frontiers in Endocrinology | 09/2024 - Present |
| MSRP- Discovery Day Poster | 07/2024 - 07/2024 |
| Discover Materials- Nature | 2023 - Present |
| Cureus- Springer Nature | 2023 - Present |
| Glycoscience- Frontiers in Molecular Bioscience | 2023 - Present |
| Heliyon- Elsevier | 2023 - Present |
| Scientific Reports- Nature | 2022 - Present |
| Annual Biomedical Research Conference for Minoritized Scientists (ABRCMS) ePoster Spring Symposium, Judge for high school, community college, and first-year undergraduates | 2022 - 12/2022 |
| Mississippi Academy of Sciences, Invited judge for high school and undergraduate posters | 2021 - 12/2022 |
Teaching Experience
| SOM 625, Medicine, Course, Lead, Systems-Based Practice | 2026-2027 |
| Medicine, Lab, Course Presenter, Microbiology Lab Rotation for Pathology Residents | 2026-2027 |
| DENT 637, Dentistry, Course, Lecturer, Dental General Pathology | 2026-2027 |
| SOM 610, Medicine, Course, Lecturer, Fundamentals of Biomedical Sciences | 2026-2027 |
| SOM 610, Medicine, Course, Lecturer, Fundamentals of Biomedical Sciences | 2025-2026 |
| DENT 637, Dentistry, Course, Lecturer, Dental General Pathology | 2025-2026 |
| Medicine, Lab, Course Presenter, Microbiology Lab Rotation for Pathology Residents | 2025-2026 |
| PATH 652, Medicine, Course, Lab Presenter, Pathology, Clinical | 2025-2026 |
| SOM 610, Medicine, Course, Lecturer, Fundamentals of Biomedical Sciences | 2024-2025 |
| DENT 637, Dentistry, Course, Lecturer, Dental General Pathology | 2024-2025 |
| PATH 652, Medicine, Course, Lab Presenter, Pathology, Clinical | 2024-2025 |
| Medicine, Lab, Course Presenter, Microbiology Lab Rotation for Pathology Residents | 2024-2025 |
| PATH 621, Medicine, Course, Lecturer, General and Systemic Pathology | 2023-2024 |
| PATH 621, Medicine, Small Group, Facilitator, General and Systemic Pathology | 2023-2024 |
| Medicine, Lab, Course Presenter, Microbiology Lab Rotation for Pathology Residents | 2023-2024 |
| PATH 652, Medicine, Course, Lab Presenter, Pathology, Clinical | 2023-2024 |
| MICRO 701, Graduate, Course, Tutor-Nominated by the Academic Dean, Medical Microbiology | 2022-2023 |
| MICRO 702, Graduate, Course, Tutor-Nominated by the Academic Dean, Molecular and Cellular Virology | 2022-2023 |
| MICRO 725, Graduate, Course, Tutor-Nominated by the Academic Dean, Bacterial Structure and Function | 2022-2023 |
| MICRO 741, Graduate, Course, Tutor-Nominated by the Academic Dean, Fundamental Microbiology | 2022-2023 |
| MICRO 701, Graduate, Course, Tutor-Nominated by the Academic Dean, Medical Microbiology | 2021-2022 |
| MICRO 702, Graduate, Course, Tutor-Nominated by the Academic Dean, Molecular and Cellular Virology | 2021-2022 |
| MICRO 725, Graduate, Course, Tutor-Nominated by the Academic Dean, Bacterial Structure and Function | 2021-2022 |
| MICRO 741, Graduate, Course, Tutor-Nominated by the Academic Dean, Fundamental Microbiology | 2021-2022 |
Directed Student Learning
| Research Advisor, Advised: Kavya Maheshwari , Honorable Mention, High School Presentation, Mississippi Academy of Sciences | 2025 - 2026 |
| Microbiology lab rotation, Advised: Meagan Cantrelle, Dion Kevin III, Karson Pettit, John Overton, Austin Smith, Ruth Brooks, May Chai, Emily Cobb, Tanya Shenoy, Morgan Bell, Jaharah Muhammad, Cameron Hunt, Bryson Brister, Lindsey Bailey | 2023 - Present |
| Supervised Research, Advised: Jeffery Caliedo, Avery Clayton | 2019 - 2023 |
| Supervised Research, Advised: Jayanti Shukla, Priya Ray | 2019 - 2023 |
Fellows supervised
| Neonatal-Perinatal Fellowship, Training Faculty, 1 fellows supervised, UMMC | 03/2026 - Present |
| Infectious Diseases Fellowship, Training Faculty, 2 fellows supervised, UMMC | 10/2025 - Present |
| AstraZeneca and MedImmune, Training Faculty, 1 fellows supervised, Pharmacovigilance | 12/2016 - 06/2018 |
Residency Training
| Drs. Ishaa Siddiqui and Breera Khan received a Certificate of Recognition from the Office of Operational Excellence, University of Mississippi Medical Center, for their quality improvement project on updating the breakpoints for Pseudomonas aeruginosa susceptibility testing, 2026, Training Faculty | |
| Drs. Laura Pagan and Akhila Aravind received a Certificate of Recognition from the Office of Operational Excellence, University of Mississippi Medical Center, for their quality improvement project on BK virus testing, 2026, Training Faculty | |
| Drs. Samra Mariyam and Swathi Yarlagadda received a Certificate of Recognition from the Office of Operational Excellence, University of Mississippi Medical Center, for their quality improvement project on Epstein-Barr virus testing, 2026, Training Faculty | |
| Dr. Tejas Maheshwari awarded 3rd place for his presentation at the HSD-MAS annual meeting, 2026, Training Faculty | |
| Dr. Samra Mariyam awarded 1st place for her presentation at the Health Science Division (HSD), Mississippi Academy of Sciences (MAS) annual meeting, 2026, Training Faculty | |
| Dr. Tejas Maheshwari received Certificate of Recognition, Office of Operational Excellence, University of Mississippi Medical Center, 2025, Training Faculty | |
| Dr. Akhila Aravind received travel award for her microbiology presentation at ASCP annual meeting, 2024, Training Faculty | |
| Dr. Varsha Prakash scored 99 percentile in Microbiology ASCP-RISE, 2024, Training Faculty | |
| Dr. Akhila Aravind scored 99 percentile in Microbiology American Society for Clinical Pathology (ASCP) Resident In-Service Examination (RISE), 2024, Training Faculty |