Senior Research Scientist
Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
Email : kpatel@hsph.harvard.edu
Kunjal Patel is a research scientist for the Pediatric HIV/AIDS Cohort Study (PHACS) and the International Maternal Pediatric Adolescent AIDS Clinical Trials group (IMPAACT). She contributes leadership and methodological expertise for the design and analysis of studies conducted within large observational cohorts. Her experience working with causal inference methods has provided her with skills for the appropriate design and analysis of observational data and has led her to understand how various analytic approaches effect interpretation of results which is particularly important given the need to ensure the safety of exposure to antiretroviral drugs as they are rolled out globally to prevent mother-to-child transmission of HIV and treat pediatric HIV infection. Through her role, she has led manuscripts that have informed perinatal and pediatric treatment guidelines, have been presented at international conferences, and published in substantive peer-reviewed journals including analyses looking at the safety of protease inhibitor use during pregnancy on preterm birth, and long-term effectiveness of combination antiretroviral therapy on survival, CD4 lymphocyte percentage, encephalopathy, cardiomyopathy, and risk of atherosclerotic disease.