Assistant Professor

Organization:

West Virginia University School of Public Health

Department:

Epidemiology and Biostatistics

Classification:

Faculty

• PhD, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, 2013
• MPA, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV
• MA, University of Rajasthan, India
• MBA, R.A. Podar Institute of Management, University of Rajasthan, India

·         Bhandari R; Alexander T, Annie FH, Kaleem U, Irfan A, Balla S, Wiener RC, et al. Steep rise in drug use-associated infective endocarditis in West Virginia: Characteristics and healthcare utilization. PLoS ONE. 2022.17(7): e0271510. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0271510

·         Bhandari R.  HIV Preexposure prophylaxis among people with substance use disorder—The road less traveled. JAMA Netw Open. 2022;5(7):e2221352. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2022.21352.

·         Bhandari R; Tiwari S, Alexander T, Annie FH, Kaleem U, Irfan A, Balla S, Wiener RC, et al. Sex differences in characteristics of patients with infective endocarditis: A multicenter study. J. Clin. Med. 2022, 11, 3514. https://doi.org/10.3390/jcm11123514.

·         Thirumal R, Vanchiere C, Bhandari R, et al. The inverse correlation between the duration of lifetime occupational radiation exposure and the prevalence of atrial arrhythmia. Frontiers in Cardiovascular Medicine 2022. https://doi.org/10.3389/fcvm.2022.863939.

·         Mohamed R, Wen S, Bhandari R*. Self-help group attendance-associated treatment outcomes among individuals with substance use disorder in short-term residential facilities. Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs. 2022 May;83(3):383-391. PMID: 35590179.

·         Wiener RC, Waters C, Harper M, Trickett Shockey AK, Bhandari R*. All-terrain vehicle–related emergency department visits: Interaction of sex and age, NEISS, 2019. The Journal of Emergency Medicine. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jemermed.2022.02.005.

·         Dai Z, Smith GS, Hendricks B, Bhandari R*. Brief report: Cause of death among people discharged from infective endocarditis-related hospitalization — West Virginia, 2016-2019. Clinical Cardiology. 2022. https://doi.org/10.1002/clc.23812.

·         Wiener RC, Bhandari R*. Association between adverse childhood experiences among children with special healthcare needs and dental care utilization. J Public Health Dent. 2022 Mar; 82(2):194-203. doi: 10.1111/jphd.12450. Epub 2021 Mar 9. PMID: 33751582; PMCID: PMC8426408.

·         Wiener RC, Waters C, Bambrick C, Bhandari R*. The risk of infective endocarditis among COVID-19 patients with non-medical opioid use. Journal of Integrative Cardiology Open Access 2021; 4(3): 6-6. 10.31487/j.JICOA.2021.03.08.

·         Johnson J, Bhandari R, Lastinger A, Reece R. The compounding effect of rurality on health disparities among black patients with COVID-19. J Appalach Health 2021;3(4):11–28. https://doi.org/10.13023/jah.0304.03.

·         Wiener RC, Trickett Shockey AK, Waters C, Bhandari R*. Face-touching behavior during the COVID-19 pandemic: Self-inoculation and transmission potentials. J Dent Hyg. 2021 Oct; 95(5):41-46. 

·         Chen Y-W, Bhandari R, Fisher M. Knowledge gap as barrier to influenza vaccination at a University primary care clinic. West Virginia Medical Journal 2021. Q3: 18-23.

·         Wiener RC, Harper M, Waters C, Trickett Shockey AK, Bhandari R*. Quality of patient internet information on dentures. Int J Comm & Publ Healt 2021; 01(02): 2021-07.

·         Tang Y, Rudisill TM, Bhandari R*. Risk factors associated with passenger vehicle fatal rollover crashes in West Virginia, 2001–2018. J Appalach Health 2021;3(4):45–59. https://doi.org/10.13023/ jah.0304.05.

·         Dominic P, Ahmad J, Bhandari R, Pardue S, Solorzano J, Jaisingh K, Watts M, Bailey SR, Orr AW, Kevil CG, Kolluru GK. Decreased availability of Nitric Oxide and Hydrogen Sulfide is a hallmark of COVID-19. Redox Biology 2021. Jul;43:101982. 10.1016/j.redox.2021.101982. Epub 2021 May 8. PMID: 34020311.

·         Sheth A, Bhandari R, Patel H, Morin DP, Dominic P. Google search activity and heart failure: Analysis of the US population’s interest in heart failure and its correlation with heart failure-associated mortality. Journal of Cardiac Failure 2021; 27(1):123-125. 10.1016/j.cardfail.2020.11.005. 

·         Wiener R, Waters C, Bhandari R, Shockey A. Epidemiology and characteristics of people with injury due to volatile substance use to induce euphoria. Substance Use & Misuse 2021; 56:1, 169-173. 10.1080/10826084.2020.1833927

·         WV DHHR-Bureau for Medical Services Award. Mountain State Assessment of Trends in Community Health (MATCH). July 1, 2022 – June 30, 2023. Role: Co-I.

·         WV DHHR-Bureau for Medical Services Award. Mountain State Assessment of Trends in Community Health (MATCH). July 1, 2021 – June 30, 2022. Role: Co-PI.

·         WV DHHR-Bureau for Medical Services Award. Independent assessment of WV's 1915(b) waiver for the specialized managed care plan for children and youth. October 1, 2020 – April 30, 2021. Role: PI.

·         WVCTSI’s pilot grant for Development of a statewide linked database for analysis of clinical and economic patterns of injection drug use-associated infective endocarditis. September 1, 2019 – February 28, 2021. Role: PI.

·         Research and Scholarship Advancement Grant Award for Assessing risk factors and outcomes of injection drug use patients at WVU’s multidisciplinary Infusion Service. July 1, 2019 - June 30, 2021. Role: PI.

·         WVCTSI Small Pilot Grant. Assessing WVU’s multidisciplinary infusion service through patients’ perspectives. July 15, 2020 – January 14, 2021. PI: Fisher M. Role: Co-I.

·         Kenneth Rothman Travel Scholarship for the Society for Epidemiologic Research Annual Meeting, June 2021.

·         Nominated for the Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching Award by Student Association of Public Health, WVU, May 2021.

·         Teaching Spotlight, Office of Research and Graduate Education. October 21, 2020 - October 28, 2020.

·         Teaching Spotlight, Office of Research and Graduate Education. July 29, 2020 - August 5, 2020.

·         First place award for the oral presentation “Practice patterns and outcomes of injection drug users presenting with tricuspid valve infective endocarditis in West Virginia,” by Johnson J, Reece R, Bhandari R, Khakoo R at the Annual Meeting of the WV Chapter, American College of Physicians Chapter Meeting, Stonewall Resort, WV, October 2019.

·         Second place award for oral presentation "Clinical outcomes and screening rates of infants born to women with active Hepatitis C infection" at the West Virginia Clinical and Translational Sciences Institute Annual Meeting, Greenbrier, WV,  April 2019.

Dr. Bhandari has diverse work experience in the areas of public health (Marshall University), occupational health (National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention), diabetes education (West Virginia University Extension Service), and environmental health (World Resources Institute, Washington, DC). She teaches epidemiology courses at the undergraduate, graduate, and PhD levels.

Dr. Bhandari’s research interest lies in assessing the risk factors and outcomes of life-threatening infections associated with substance use disorder. As a PI on NIH-funded WV Clinical and Translational Sciences Institute Pilot Grant, she is currently working with other partners to develop a statewide database of injection drug use-associated infective endocarditis. As a PI on West Virginia University (WVU) Research and Scholarship Advancement grant, she is developing a project assessing risk factors and outcomes of injection drug use patients at WVU’s comprehensive care-continuum initiative. In the past couple of years, she has built a strong multidisciplinary research and mentoring team consisting of clinicians, physician scientists, and public health researchers at WVU and other academic institutions.