Saurya Dhungel



206-931-8830

Education

  • PhD in Epidemiology – Florida International University, Miami, USA (Ongoing; Expected graduation – April 2027)
  • Master of Public Health (MPH) in Epidemiology – University of Washington, Seattle, USA, June 2023
  • Bachelor’s Degree in Public Health (BPH) - Institute of Medicine, Maharajgunj, Kathmandu, Nepal, December 2018

Experience

Department of Epidemiology,
Robert Stempel College of Public Health & Social Work,
Florida International University, Miami, Florida, USA
Role: Research Assistant
August 2023 - present

Key responsibilities

  • Review literature and write sections of manuscript writing on assessing excess mortality among people with HIV in Florida during the initial onset of the COVID-19 pandemic
  • Data management and analysis using SAS 9.4 and R Studio 4.3.1 on the excess mortality project
  • Screen abstracts followed by full text reading for a scoping review to explore the extent of the community engagement in the development of interventions to address opioid use disorder in the United States for which I am screening more than 3000 abstracts which have been gathered from structured literature search
  • Assist in developing class materials for introductory session to data management in R and R Studio for Master’s in Public Health students

Office of the Dean, School of Public Health,
University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA
Role: Graduate Student Ambassador
September 2021 - June 2023

Key responsibilities

  • Assist with the implementation and development of SPH strategic outreach initiatives
  • Manage joint email account and respond to prospective student inquiries, develop, and manage follow-up communications
  • Assist with revising, creating, and distributing recruitment materials
  • Assist in designing and sharing advertising materials for student events and development of post-event assessment

Resolve To Save Lives
New York City, New York, USA
Role: Consultant
June 2022 – September 2022

Key responsibilities

  • Conducted literature review on currently available sources of packaged food data and assimilation of its information into global nutrition database created with the purpose being an accessible resource that collects nutrient information in packaged foods products in different countries
  • Created source pages summarizing methodology of studies that contributed to data for creation of the global nutrition database
  • Drafted introduction and methods section of a manuscript for a study that consists of comparative exploration of the development and adoption of public food procurement policies in low- and middle-income countries
  • Created preliminary codebook for qualitative data analysis on the food procurement policy study
  • Created data management platform for survey on the food procurement policy study
  • Annotated hyperlinked bibliography on the back end of a website containing manuscripts and other resources on sodium reduction

Cardiovascular Health Research Unit,
University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA
Role: Graduate Research Assistant
July 2022 – September 2022

Key responsibilities

  • Mapped stakeholder for qualitative component to assess the facilitators and barriers of an incorporating first-degree relative screening approach in national rheumatic heart disease screening program in Nepal
  • Designed key informant interview questionnaire and formulating data analysis plan to explore facilitators and barriers of incorporating a novel screening of first-degree relative of index RHD cases for national RHD screening in Nepal amongst health policymakers and tertiary care center service providers
  • Performed data cleaning and descriptive data analysis of a dataset of a RHD study that conducted echocardiogram screening of first-degree relatives of index cases in tertiary care centers of Nepal
  • Conducted literature search on finding the socio-economic indicators in ward and municipality level in Nepal for a rheumatic heart disease screening program in schools in Nepal

World Health Organization (WHO)
Provincial Health Emergency Operating Centre, Hetauda, Nepal
Role: Information Management Assistant
January 2021 – March 2021

Key responsibilities

  • Generated first-hand report on public health events/ emergencies in Bagmati Province due to any hazard and report them to supervising health authority
  • Communicated and coordinated with districts and local health facilities and other stakeholder partners as authorized in Bagmati province to collect information on different public health events/ emergencies
  • Collected and managed data to generate information regarding vaccination campaign through the facilitation of user friendly information portals and websites to synchronizing all available information
  • Prepared info-graphics, summary and detailed epidemiological content for periodic bulletins for dissemination to relevant stakeholders as authorized
  • Supported government health offices in use of web and mobile based application and other critical information and communication technology needed for emergency risk management in the health sector
  • Liaised between Provincial Health Emergency Operation Center with national health divisions and centers such as the Epidemiology and Disease Control Division (EDCD), Health Emergency Operating Centre (HEOC) Network and the National Public Health Laboratory network; and WHO Nepal central Health Emergencies Unit and country office

Birat Nepal Medical Trust (BNMT)
Kathmandu, Nepal
Role: Research Consultant
June 2019 – September 2019

Key Responsibilities

  • Conducted focused group discussion and in-depth interviews and its qualitative data management
  • Developed of policy briefs on Active TB Case finding in Nepal

Partnership for Social Development (PSD Nepal)
Kathmandu, Nepal
Role: Research Officer
March 2019 – July 2019

Key Responsibilities

  • Developed proposal and concept note on community level intervention design for hypertension
  • Conducted epidemiological assessment of proper use of HMIS tools in primary health care facilities in Nepal
  • Assisted in designing research tools for study on Evaluation of task shifting of basic physiotherapy and rehabilitation services in primary health care level

Centre for Molecular Dynamics Nepal (CMDN)
Kathmandu, Nepal
Role: Team Leader
March 2019

Key responsibilities

  • Led a team to collect data for the study Estimating the cost of vaccine preventable disease surveillance system in Nepal, which was done with joint initiation and support from WHO and Family Welfare Division
  • Conducted quantitative data management and analysis

Birat Nepal Medical Trust (BNMT)
Kathmandu, Nepal
Role: Intern
May 2018 – August 2018

Key Responsibilities

  • Assisted District Program Coordinator in planning, management and implementation of the IMPACT TB project
  • Designed, implemented and evaluated a project titled ‘Mithila art for Tuberculosis awareness’ aimed at developing Information Education and Communication (IEC) materials using Mithila art
  • Conducted of sputum microscopy camp in Raigaun and Shikharpur of Hetdauda district
  • Designed research tools for the study on Catastrophic out of pocket expenditure of TB patients
  • Mentored, orienting and leading community mobilizers on conducting survey on Catastrophic out of pocket expenditure of TB patients, followed by quantitative data management and analysis
  • Developed proposal on grant provided by Grand Challenges Canada on Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights

Volunteering

YUWA
Kathmandu, Nepal
Role: General Member
January 2017 - June 2023

Key Responsibilities

  • Recruited, oriented and mobilized ten youth who advocate for improved Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) to support reproductive health, family planning services, comprehensive sexuality education and meaningful youth participation
  • Drafted grants, policy briefs, event report, monthly report
  • Conducted HIV & AIDS Awareness trainings/orientations in various settings like school, youth clubs, drug rehabilitation center and earthquake relief camps under ‘Sexual Reproductive Health and Rights’ department of YUWA
  • Represented as ambassador of YUWA on various national and international platforms, campaigns, meetings including UNAIDS’s Liv2Luv campaign in 2019

Nepal Public Health Students’ Society
Kathmandu, Nepal
Role: Member
December 2014 – December 2018

Key responsibilities

  • Participated actively in various levels in all events and activities of the society
  • Participated in grant writing, event management and establishing network and collaboration between other youth led organizations

Leo Club of Kathmandu Ramechap
Kathmandu, Nepal
January 2016 – August 2017
Role: Joint Treasurer

Key responsibilities

  • Participated actively in all events and activities of the club
  • Assisted in maintenance of financial documentation for accountability

Presentations

  • Poster presentation on a research in progress on Excess mortality among people with HIV in Florida during the initial onset of the COVID-19 pandemic at the HIV Community Practitioners Researchers (CPR) conference, April, 2024
  • Presented practicum experience from working in Resolve To Save Lives, New York, in Annual Practicum Symposium of UW School of Public Health, April 2022
  • Oral presentation on ‘Food environment and related policies in public facilities of Nepal: perspective from policymakers and nutrition scientists’ on the 7th annual summit of health and population scientists of NHRC, July 2021
  • Poster presented on the findings of ‘Knowledge of HIV/AIDS and sexual behavior among Injection Drug Users (IDU) compared to Non – Injection Drug Users (NIDU) in rehabilitation centers of Kathmandu’ on the 6th annual summit of health and population scientists of NHRC, July 2020

Publications

  • Adhikari N, Adhikari M, Shrestha N, Pradhanga P, Poudel B, Dhungel S, Joshi PC, Ide N, Sharma GN, Shrestha A Nutrition and Food Security in Nepal: A Narrative Review of Policies. Nutr Rev. 2023;81(12):1612-1625. doi:10.1093/nutrit/nuad025
  • Master’s thesis on ‘Screening for Rheumatic Heart Disease in first degree relatives of Rheumatic Heart Disease patients in Nepal’; http://hdl.handle.net/1773/50429
  • Pradhananga P, Shrestha A, Adhikari N, Dhungel S, et al Double burden of malnutrition in Nepal: A trend analysis of protein-energy malnutrition and High Body Mass Index using the data from Global Burden of Disease 2010-2019 PLoS One 2022;17(9):e0273485 Published 2022 Sep 29 doi:101371/journalpone0273485
  • Undergraduate thesis report on ‘Knowledge of HIV/AIDS and sexual behavior among Injection Drug Users (IDU) compared to Non – Injection Drug Users (NIDU) in rehabilitation centers of Kathmandu’ archived in digital library of NHRC (RES-00926/DHU/2018), Jan 2019
  • Sharma M, Karki D, Dhungel S, Gautam R Manual Anesthesia Record Keeping at a Tertiary Care Center: A Descriptive Cross-sectional Study JNMA J Nepal Med Assoc 2021;59(244):1262-1266 Published 2021 Dec 11 doi:1031729/jnma7117
  • Sharma M, Dhungel S, Piya B, Gautam R. Preoperative ultrasonographic prediction of difficult airway in patients undergoing surgery under general anaesthesia. J Kathmandu Med Coll. 2022;11(1):8-13.
  • Sharma M, Dhungel S, Niroula S, Karki M (2018) Knowledge and Acceptance of Labour Analgesia in Pregnant Women Journal of Nepal Health Research Council, 16(3), 302-306 DOI: 103126/jnhrcv16i321428

Computer and Software Proficiency

  • Data Management and Analytical software: R, SAS, Stata, SPSS, REDCap, Kobo Toolbox, Epidata, Covidence, NVivo, Deedose
  • Productivity software: Word, Power point, Excel, Google doc, Google sheet, Email, Google meet, Teams, Zoom
  • Literature referencing software: Mendeley, Zotero, Paperline

Language Proficiency

  • English: Full Professional Proficiency
  • Nepali: Native Proficiency
  • French: Elementary Proficiency Hindi Advanced Proficiency