DR. PRAVEEN K.BHARTI 's Profile

DR. PRAVEEN K.BHARTI M.Sc., Ph.D.

Director - Scientist G

ICMR-National Institute of Research in Tribal Health

Phone +91-9926335201
Email bharti[dot]pk[at]icmr[dot]gov[dot]in

Profile

Dr Praveen K. Bharti is a Director and Scientist G at the ICMR–National Institute of Research in Tribal Health (NIRTH), Jabalpur. Dr Bharti has more than 22 years of experience in malaria research and public health, particularly among tribal and hard-to-reach populations in India. Dr Bharti has made substantial contributions to the understanding of malaria epidemiology, transmission dynamics, and control strategies, with a special focus on malaria in tribal, forested, and endemic regions. His research has addressed critical aspects of malaria burden, including disease surveillance, vector–host interactions, operational challenges in malaria elimination, and the effectiveness of intervention strategies under field conditions. Through his work, he has contributed to strengthening evidence-based approaches for malaria control and elimination efforts in India. Over the course of his career, Dr Bharti has been involved in multicentric, interdisciplinary research projects supported by various funding agencies, contributing scientific inputs aligned with India’s malaria control and elimination goals. His work has helped bridge the gap between field-based research and public health implementation, particularly in underserved communities. Dr Bharti has authored and co-authored 175 scientific publications in peer-reviewed national and international journals. His publications span malaria epidemiology, public health research, and infectious disease control, and are widely cited by researchers and public health professionals. He has also contributed to technical reports and policy-relevant documents. In addition to his research contributions, Dr Bharti plays a key role in scientific leadership and mentorship, guiding junior scientists and research staff, and contributing to capacity building within the institute. As a Director and Scientist-G, he is actively involved in research planning, review, and coordination, supporting ICMR’s mandate to generate high-quality scientific evidence for improving public health.

Research Interests

Molecular aspect of malaria parasite biology and translating the findings in the drug, diagnostic and malaria control measure development

Scientific Staff

Past Research students

Ongoing research projects

Tracking antimicrobial resistance and efficiency of malaria diagnostics in tribal areas of India to achieve elimination goal (Ongoing).
Molecular characterization of Plasmodium falciparum heme detoxification protein (HDP) from Central India: An approach for malaria diagnostic tool (Completed).
Studies on pfhrp2/3 gene deletion from eight highly endemic states of India (Completed).
Study of asymptomatic malaria burden and malaria vector dynamics in Mandla district of Madhya Pradesh: Malaria Elimination Demonstration Project (MEDP) (Completed).
Molecular Surveillance of Plasmodium falciparum Drug Resistance Markers in Clinical Samples from India (Completed).

Current research collaborators

Past research collaborators

Research in news

Award/Recognition/Honours

Qualified JRF-NET (Junior Research Fellowship), Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), Govt. of India.
Qualified National Level Combined Exam for Lectureship Ability Test, Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR-UGC), Govt. of India.
Travel Award for attending the 54th Annual Meeting of the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, December 11–15, 2005, Washington DC, USA.
Young Scientist Award for Best Poster Presentation at the National Symposium of Tribal Health, organized by RMRCT (ICMR), Jabalpur, 2006.

Workshop/Conference Organized

Academic contributions

Research Grants

Publications

PK Bharti, HS Chandel, A Ahmad, S Krishna, V Udhayakumar, N Singh. Prevalence of pfhrp2 and/or pfhrp3 Gene Deletion in Plasmodium falciparum Population in Eight Highly Endemic States in India. PLoS One. 2016;11(8):e0157949. Citations: 184.
PK Bharti, N Silawat, PP Singh, MP Singh, M Shukla, G Chand, AP Dash. The usefulness of a new rapid diagnostic test, the First Response® Malaria Combo (pLDH/HRP2) card test, for malaria diagnosis in the forested belt of central India. Malaria Journal. 2008;7(1):126. Citations: 122.
N Singh, MM Shukla, MK Shukla, RK Mehra, S Sharma, PK Bharti. Field and laboratory comparative evaluation of rapid malaria diagnostic tests versus traditional and molecular techniques in India. Malaria Journal. 2010;9(1):191. Citations: 109.
JC Patel, NW Lucchi, P Srivastava, JT Lin, R Sug-Aram, S Aruncharus, PK Bharti. Field evaluation of a real-time fluorescence loop-mediated isothermal amplification assay (RealAmp) for the diagnosis of malaria in Thailand and India. The Journal of Infectious Diseases. 2014;210(8):1180-1187. Citations: 101.
M Zeeshan, MT Alam, S Vinayak, H Bora, RK Tyagi, MS Alam, PK Bharti. Genetic Variation in the Plasmodium falciparum Circumsporozoite Protein in India and Its Relevance to RTS,S Malaria Vaccine. PLoS One. 2012;7(8):e43430. Citations: 88.
MT Alam, H Bora, PK Bharti, MA Saifi, MK Das, V Dev, A Kumar, N Singh. Similar Trends of Pyrimethamine Resistance-Associated Mutations in Plasmodium vivax and P. falciparum. Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy. 2007;51(3):857-863. Citations: 75.
MN Hasan, A Fraiwan, R An, Y Alapan, R Ung, A Akkus, JZ Xu, AJ Rezac, PK Bharti. Microchip electrophoresis for point-of-care hemoglobin testing. Analyst. 2020;145(7):2525-2542. Citations: 74.
S Krishna, PK Bharti, HS Chandel, A Ahmad, R Kumar, PP Singh. Detection of mixed infections with Plasmodium spp. by PCR, India, 2014. Emerging Infectious Diseases. 2015;21(10):1853. Citations: 73.
RK Sharma, MP Singh, KB Saha, PK Bharti, V Jain, PP Singh, N Silawat. Socio-economic & household risk factors of malaria in tribal areas of Madhya Pradesh, central India. Indian Journal of Medical Research. 2015;141(5):567-575. Citations: 71.
N Singh, SK Chand, PK Bharti, MP Singh, G Chand, AK Mishra. Dynamics of forest malaria transmission in Balaghat district, Madhya Pradesh, India. PLoS One. 2013;8(9):e73730. Citations: 69.
MA Oboh, D Ndiaye, HA Antony, AS Badiane, US Singh, NA Ali, PK Bharti. Status of Artemisinin Resistance in Malaria Parasite Plasmodium falciparum from Molecular Analyses of the Kelch13 Gene in Southwestern Nigeria. BioMed Research International. 2018. Citations: 66.
RK Sharma, H Rajvanshi, PK Bharti, S Nisar, H Jayswar, AK Mishra. Socio-economic determinants of malaria in tribal dominated Mandla district enrolled in Malaria Elimination Demonstration Project in Madhya Pradesh. Malaria Journal. 2021;20(1):7. Citations: 63.
P Patel, PK Bharti, D Bansal, NA Ali, RK Raman, PK Mohapatra, R Sehgal. Prevalence of mutations linked to antimalarial resistance in Plasmodium falciparum from Chhattisgarh, Central India: A malaria elimination point of view. Scientific Reports. 2017;7(1):16690. Citations: 63.
AK Verma, PK Bharti, A Das. HRP-2 deletion: a hole in the ship of malaria elimination. The Lancet Infectious Diseases. 2018;18(8):826-827. Citations: 59.
R Ranjha, K Singh, RK Baharia, M Mohan, AR Anvikar, PK Bharti. Age-specific malaria vulnerability and transmission reservoir among children. Global Pediatrics. 2023;6:100085. Citations: 58.