Dr Vivek Sagar

Dr. Vivek Sagar is an Additional Professor in the Department of Community Medicine and School of Public Health at PGIMER, Chandigarh, India. He completed his Ph.D. in 2007 from PGIMER, with a focus on the Molecular Epidemiology of Group A Streptococcus (GAS). He subsequently undertook postdoctoral research at the Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research, Braunschweig, Germany, from July 2007 to January 2012.

Dr. Sagar has more than 20 years of research experience which has majorly focussed on Group A Streptococcal infections and diseases, including Rheumatic Fever (RF) and Rheumatic Heart Disease (RHD). His research has particularly focused on understanding the molecular and genetic diversity of Strep A strains and its implications for diagnosis, pathogenesis, treatment, epidemiology, and GAS vaccine development.

His other areas of research include the development and validation of point-of-care molecular and basic diagnostic technologies aimed at strengthening diagnostic capacity in primary healthcare settings.

He has also contributed to research on the epidemiology of other diseases of public health importance, including Pneumonia, HIV, brucellosis, dengue, and chikungunya.

He is currently associated with the Strep A Vaccine Consortium (SAVAC) and is the Principal Investigator at PGIMER for a Wellcome Trust-funded Strep A surveillance programme, supported through SAVAC and the International Vaccine Institute (IVI), South Korea. The programme involves surveillance of GAS infections and disease in both community and hospital settings and contributes to strengthening the evidence base and preparedness for future Strep A vaccine trials.

Dr. Sagar is a member of the Lancefield Society and has presented his research at numerous national and international scientific meetings, including several Lancefield Symposia.