Dr Vinod Joshi

Dr Vinod Joshi, Ph. D., completed his doctoral degree from Jodhpur University, Jodhpur, Rajasthan on the Epidemiology of Guinea Worm disease. He started his professional career in Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR, MoHFW, Govt of India), from its nodal Virology institute, National Institute of Virology, Pune in the year 1984. Later he went to work as a leading scientist in another ICMR Institute i.e. Desert Medicine Research Centre (Present, National Institute of Implementation Research in Non- Communicable Diseases) at Jodhpur, Rajasthan. Dr Joshi worked consistently for 32 years in ICMR and contributed important scientific research in the area of Medical Virology. His understanding of the Guinea worm disease since his doctoral work made him pursue deep into causation of the disease cycle and its intervention approach which made him Expert member of the National Commission of Guinea Worm Eradication Certification, India. Besides working on Guinea worm disease eradication, he also got involved in other desert health problems like Dengue, Malaria, Japanese Encephalitis, Cutaneous Leishmaniasis. He was the first to establish in Indian subcontinent that Dengue viruses undergo Transovarial Transmission (TOT) from parent to progeny of vector Aedes aegypti during 1996. Through his subsequent experimental studies on interaction of Aedes aegypti and dengue viruses he further reported in 2002 that phenomenon of transovarial transmission of dengue viruses can continue up to 7 mosquito generations and that this could be the mechanism of virus retention in nature during inter epidemic periods. Dr Joshi continued his quest to understand host virus interactions of Dengue versus Aedes aegypti and reported first whole genome study of Dengue-3 virus from Rajasthan elaborating the significant mutations observed in the genomic constitution.

In 2009, during the pandemics of H1N1 virus, he established the first Reference Virology Laboratory of Rajasthan at DMRC, Jodhpur for undertaking research and providing assistance to state health department for molecular diagnosis support in Rajasthan. Dr Joshi has published number of research papers in the journals of international repute which have received numerous citations. His current areas of research include Respiratory viral diseases, Hepatitis C virus, Hepatocellular carcinoma and Breast Cancer. In 2016, after taking voluntary retirement from the services of ICMR as Scientist-G, he joined Amity University, Noida, U.P. on the post of Professor & Deputy Director and served the Institute of Virology & Immunology for three years.

He is presently the reviewer of many international journals and at present also contributing as Associate Editor for the well-known journal, Transactions of Royal Society of Tropical Medicine & Hygiene, UK. By virtue of his international standing, Dr Joshi is one of the members of Council of World Virology Society. Dr Joshi is working currently as Professor, Department of Life Sciences, Sharda University, Greater Noida, NCR Delhi, UP