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NEELAM TANEJA

Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Lady Hardinge Medical College

ORCID iD 0000-0003-1198-6138
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About

Prof. Neelam Taneja, MD, FIMSA
Professor & Head, Department of Medical Microbiology; In-charge, Enteric & Bacteriology Division, PGIMER Chandigarh
Nodal Officer, DHR-ICMR Infectious Diseases Research and Diagnostic Laboratory (IDRDL), PGIMER Chandigarh
Nodal Officer, ICMR-AMR Surveillance Network (Enterobacteriaceae)
Member, WHO Advisory Group for the WHO Bacterial Priority Pathogens List (2024)
Dip. Vaccinology (Pasteur Institute, Paris)

I am Professor and Head of the Department of Medical Microbiology and In-charge of the Enteric & Bacteriology Division at PGIMER Chandigarh, with over 28 years of experience in clinical microbiology, infectious diseases, public health microbiology, and antimicrobial resistance (AMR). My research focuses on the genomic epidemiology and whole-genome sequencing of antimicrobial-resistant pathogens, One Health surveillance, food- and water-borne infections, cholera ecology, diarrheal diseases, urinary tract infections, healthcare-associated infections, Shigella immunology and vaccine development, and the human–animal interface of Campylobacter, Salmonella, and pathogenic Escherichia coli. My work aims to understand the evolution, transmission dynamics, and molecular mechanisms of antimicrobial resistance across human, animal, food, and environmental reservoirs.
I have introduced several rapid and molecular diagnostic assays for the detection of enteric pathogens and have led investigations of more than 40 outbreaks of cholera and acute gastroenteritis across northern India. I contributed to the development of India’s National Action Plan on Antimicrobial Resistance and have served as Principal Investigator and collaborator on multiple national and international projects supported by WHO, ICMR, CDC, and other agencies. As a member of the WHO Advisory Group for the WHO Bacterial Priority Pathogens List (2024), I contributed to the global prioritization of bacterial pathogens of critical public health importance. I hold an international patent, granted in the United States, for a putative Shigella vaccine. My current research focuses on antimicrobial resistance in non-typhoidal Salmonella, Shigella, Campylobacter, and diarrhoeagenic E. coli, zoonotic transmission, pathogen evolution, and the development of novel antimicrobial agents using bioinformatics approaches.
Under a WHO-funded initiative, I established and strengthened 11 district public health laboratories across Punjab, Haryana, and Uttarakhand and developed a regional stool referral network for gastroenteritis surveillance, subsequently expanded to Rajasthan and Himachal Pradesh. As Principal Investigator of the WHO-AGISAR India project, I led One Health surveillance of antimicrobial resistance in foodborne pathogens from humans, poultry, pigs, and small ruminants.
My work has been recognized through fellowships and awards from WHO, the Pasteur Institute, the Wellcome Trust, ASM, and the International Society for Infectious Diseases. I have authored more than 280 peer-reviewed publications and remain actively engaged in advancing research, surveillance, diagnostics, and capacity building in infectious diseases and antimicrobial resistance.

Employment

  • Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research Professor and Head
    2023 - Present
  • Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research Professor and In-Charge Enteric Lab

Education

  • Lady Hardinge Medical College M D
    1992 - 1995

Projects & Funding

Projects & funding information is unavailable.

Publications (354)