Researcher Spotlight: Sheetal Kandiah

What is your professional background?
I completed my internal medicine residency in New Jersey, where I was raised. I then did my infectious diseases fellowship and got my MPH at Tufts Medical Center, Massachusetts. I’ve been practicing since 2006 and have had the privilege of working at Emory since 2011. Prior to becoming faculty at Emory, I was a solo private practitioner and faculty at the Medical College of Wisconsin in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. I now do infectious diseases consults, HIV primary care, and inpatient transplant infectious diseases when I’m not managing the antibiotic stewardship program at Grady Hospital.  

In what division do you work, and who is your mentor?
I work in the Division of Infectious Diseases at Emory and am grateful to work with Dr. Susan Ray, who is not only a mentor but also a friend, at Grady Health System in the field of hospital epidemiology and antimicrobial stewardship.   

Briefly describe your research. Why is it important? 
Up until this past year, my research has focused on quality improvement initiatives related to antimicrobial stewardship specifically in the limited resource setting. My focus within this area is using EPIC, the electronic medical record, to initiate antimicrobial stewardship interventions to decrease c. diff colitis, antimicrobial resistance and overall optimizing antimicrobial prescribing. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, I have expanded my research interests and work as an investigator at the Grady clinical trials site on vaccines and therapeutics for COVID-19. Most recently, I have the privilege of working with Dr. Zanthia Wiley and the CROSS collaborative, which is a group focused on identifying and addressing disparities in health care. 

What do you like most about Emory? 
I have to say that I love the people I work with. I think the ID division is incredible and feels like true family. The division advocates for work-life balance yet is tremendously supportive of career advancement. Dr. Monica Farley, the chief of the Division of Infectious Diseases, is an incredible, encouraging leader and is a role model for a female in leadership. The overall atmosphere at Emory and Grady Hospital is warm and friendly, and I work with some of the kindest, most compassionate clinicians around.   

What is your favorite movie or TV show?
My favorite movies must be Marvel superhero/heroine movies, but I do have a soft spot for a good Bollywood movie now and then.

What do you like to do in your spare time? 
Hiking, biking, going to the beach, traveling, reading, and hanging out with my family.

What is a fun fact about you?
I enjoy going to improv classes in my free time and secretly love reading post-apocalyptic fiction, although not so much during the pandemic.