Dr. Raksha K Bhat, a Consultant Microbiologist and Head of the Department at a leading hospital laboratory in Bengaluru, India, brings her extensive experience and expertise in clinical microbiology, infection prevention, and control to QuorumVeda as a strategist. A gold medalist during her post-graduation in MD Microbiology from Kasturba Medical College, Mangalore, Manipal Academy of Higher Education, she has continuously pursued excellence in her field.
Dr. Raksha has completed a Postgraduate Diploma in Medical Law & Ethics from the National Law School of India University, Bangalore, and a Postgraduate Diploma in Hospital Health & Management from the Symbiosis Institute of Health Care, Pune. She is certified in infection control (CIC) by the Certification Board in Infection Control (CBIC), USA in 2020 and is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Public Health.
Currently, Dr. Raksha is pursuing a Manipal Academy of Higher Education (MAHE) - FAIMER fellowship, working on the project 'Integrated Approach to Infection Control and Antimicrobial Stewardship in a Hospital Setting - A Multidisciplinary Programme' focusing on streamlining hospital infection control and antimicrobial stewardship in her institution.
With over 8 years of experience in clinical microbiology, infection prevention and control, diagnosis of infectious diseases, hospital and laboratory accreditation, quality management system, and laboratory management, Dr. Raksha is a certified Internal Auditor for clinical laboratories as per ISO 15189:2022 standard. During the COVID-19 pandemic, she played a key role in establishing evidence-based COVID-care in her institute and was instrumental in streamlining patient care as COVID Taskforce Nodal Officer. She has been actively involved in implementing hospital infection control related-NABH and clinical laboratory related-NABL standards in her institution.
Dr. Raksha's keen interests include diagnostic stewardship, clinical utility of microbiology reports, managing healthcare-associated infections, quality management and accreditation in hospitals, infection prevention and control, medical law and ethics in infectious diseases, interprofessional and transdisciplinary approach to antimicrobial stewardship, public engagement, and the use of social media for combating antimicrobial resistance.
She is a lifetime member of various professional organizations, including the Indian Association of Medical Microbiologists (IAMM), Consortium of Accredited Healthcare Organizations (CAHO), Clinical Infectious Diseases Society (CIDS) India, British Society for Antimicrobial Chemotherapy (BSAC), and a Young Scientist Member of the European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (ESCMID).
Dr. Raksha K Bhat's extensive expertise in clinical microbiology, infection control, laboratory, and hospital accreditation will be a valuable asset to QuorumVeda, ensuring the successful execution of infection prevention and control projects.