Megha Sharma

I have been a Docent (Associate Professor) in the Department of Global Public Health, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden, since 2025. 

I am affiliated with the Health Systems and Policy (HSP) research group, Medicines Research Group, focusing on antibiotics.

Also, I am an Associate Professor in the Department of Pharmacology at R. D. Gardi Medical College, Ujjain, India. 

Presently, I am the Coordinator of three multinational collaborative research projects titled:

1) “Antibiotic stewardship program, including Infection Prevention and Control and wastewater treatment – Implementation research in hospitals and community in India (APRIAM)” between Sweden and India since 2017

2) Building equity in digital global health: the case of antimicrobial resistance in low- and lower-middle-income countries (EquityAMR) *for *R. D. Gardi Medical College, Ujjain (Norway, India, SriLanka and Sweden)

3) "Antibiotic resistance: Preventive measures and minimizing consequences in Community, Patients, and the Environment through risk assessment and targeted interventions in the context of India" between Sweden and India since 2022.

4) SMS based reminders for vaccinations since 2019

I have worked as a Postdoctoral Fellow at the Division of International Health (IHCAR), Karolinska Institutet, in the HSP research group. In addition, I have coordinated and researched three multinational, multidisciplinary collaborative research projects, with the acronyms APRIAM I, II, III, IV, and V during 
2007-2010, 2010 -2013, 2013-2017, 2018-2020, and 2021- 2023, respectively.

My main area of research is improving the judicious prescribing of antibiotics at healthcare facilities, rationalizing the use of antibiotics at
the community level, and minimizing antimicrobial resistance. I have collected baseline data on antibiotic prescribing for over 200, 000 inpatients from two tertiary care, private-sector hospitals in Central India. I established a strong manual data-collection system in the study hospitals with the help of nursing staff.
Improving hygiene in healthcare facilities and the community is another research interest aimed at combating antimicrobial resistance. I 
am the team leader for an interventional study that focuses on improving overall hygiene, focusing on hand hygiene and the introduction of
alcohol-based hand rub in healthcare facilities in Central India. The long-term aim of this study is to minimize healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) and the spread of infections in healthcare facilities and communities, reducing overall antibiotic use.
I regularly teach Master's- and doctoral-level students at Karolinska Institutet, Sweden. I actively participate in academic activities and supervise 4-year undergraduate medical students in India. I have supervised National and International students in the Master of Global Health degree in the Department of Global Public Health, Karolinska Institutet, as well as basic medical education (läkarlinjen) students at Karolinska Institutet.

Currently, I supervise 3 doctoral students registered at the Department of Global Public Health, Karolinska Institutet, Sweden. I was the main supervisor of one PhD student who defended her thesis on 19 May 2025 and co-supervised one PhD student (2020), both registered at Karolinska Institutet, Sweden. I have published several research articles in peer-reviewed, indexed, international journals. 

My work has been acknowledged and awarded at several International and National conferences.

The title of my PhD thesis: Isolation & identification of active constituents of medicinal plants /Citrullus colocynthis /& /Artabotrys odoratissimus/, awarded in 2001. I completed my Master's degree (MSc in Drugs and Pharmaceuticals) with a Gold Medal in 1997.

Increasing bacterial resistance and the increasing incidence of healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) are global concerns. Lack of 
knowledge, financial constraints, and the humid and moist climate of low- and middle-income countries put them at higher risk of antibacterial (antibiotic) use, the spread of infectious diseases, including healthcare-associated infections (HAIs), and thereby the development of bacterial resistance. Reducing antibiotic use, preventing the spread of HAIs, and curbing bacterial resistance could minimize mortality and morbidity, treatment costs, and hospital stay duration.
A long-term study was designed and has been conducted at two tertiary care study hospitals in Central India since 2008. The main aim was to establish a baseline of antibiotic prescribing patterns and trends in these settings. Based on the pre-intervention (baseline) results, the team developed and implemented context-relevant, diagnosis-specific prescribing guidelines in high-risk departments. The impact of the interventions will be evaluated in terms of a) reduced antibiotic prescribing and more rational prescribing aligned with the diagnosis.
Another aspect of the spread of infections is to reduce the spread of hospital-associated infections (HAIs) and to decrease antimicrobial
resistance. These hospitals are private, tertiary care hospitals: one teaching (750 beds) and one non-teaching (350 beds). Both are in Ujjain district, Madhya Pradesh, India.

The study design includes three phases: pre-intervention (baseline), intervention, and post-intervention. As part of the pre-intervention phase, a
continuous data collection of antibiotic prescribing in both hospitals has been conducted since April 2008. Monitoring of HAI incidence started in
high-risk wards from August 2010. To date, over 90, 000 patients have been enrolled in the prescribing study, and 843 suspected HAIs have been collected. High antibiotic prescribing was observed in both hospitals with high rates of HAIs. A recently published qualitative study from our group has shown that several infrastructural constraints hinder hand hygiene (HH) practices in the setting. These results highlight the need for relevant guidelines for rational antibiotic prescribing and to improve HH practice in these settings.

The intervention package consists of feedback meetings, development and implementation of antibiotic prescribing guidelines, the introduction of
alcohol-based hand rub (ABHR), and training and educational meetings with the staff. The intervention phase for HH started with the introduction of
in-house prepared, cost-effective ABHR in high-risk wards (WHO formulation), along with educational meetings in August 2011. Awareness campaigns for HH have also been conducted for the staff. Further, repeated feedback meetings will be held to present antibiotic
prescribing patterns and HAI incidence data, which will be discussed with the prescribers. This will be to develop the context-relevant 
prescribing guidelines with the consensus of the prescribers. Pocket-sized printed guidelines will be distributed to the prescribers and posted in the wards. Mobile technology will be used to send reminders to improve HH practice and ensure compliance with the guidelines.
In the post-intervention phase, antibiotic prescribing data will be recorded continuously to analyze compliance with local guidelines. HAI 
incidence rates will be monitored continuously. Compliance with HH practice will be observed, documented, and analyzed at several points. Economic feasibility will be checked to introduce the ABHR to the rest of the wards in the setting.

I regularly teach and contribute to courses at Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm; Uppsala University; and Gothenburg University, Sweden, as well as to undergraduate medical students at R. D. Gardi Medical College (RDGMC), Ujjain, India.

As of the Spring 2026 semester, I have supervised 42 students. This includes 16 medical students who completed their degree projects in Medicine (basic medical education – läkarlinjen) at Karolinska Institutet, Sweden, and R. D. Gardi Medical College, Ujjain, India; 24 Master’s students were from Global/Public Health at Karolinska Institutet, Sweden; the University of Potsdam, Berlin, Germany; and Gothenburg University, Sweden. All students have successfully completed their thesis projects under my guidance. Ten of the Swedish medical students received competitive grants to conduct research visits to the Indian study site.

I have co-supervised one Doctoral student who defended her thesis in 2020 titled: ‘Antibiotic prescribing at hospitals in Central India with limited access to diagnostic methods - what can be improved to reduce unnecessary antibiotic use and development of antibiotic resistance'. 

I was the main supervisor of one Doctoral student who defended her thesis on 19 May 2025, titled "Antibiotic Prescribing in Surgery and Orthopaedics: Evolving Practices, Perceptions, and Resistance in Central India, ".

 
Currently, I supervise three doctoral students registered at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden.