Northeastern Spotlight

Winter 2021 Volume 16 – Number 2

TB Limelight – Navaneeth Narayanan, PharmD, MPH

Pharmacist, professor, researcher, mentor, consultant, parent; these are just a few of the roles Dr. Navaneeth Narayanan takes on each day. Dr. Narayanan is a clinical pharmacologist at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital and Associate Professor at the Ernest Mario School of Pharmacy in New Brunswick, New Jersey, part of Rutgers University. However, his work in infectious disease and public health extend far beyond the hospital and lecture hall.

Dr. Narayanan grew up in central New Jersey with a keen interest in the sciences, particularly chemistry. He was intrigued by the many roles there were to explore in the world of pharmacy, from a local pharmacist to a clinical researcher. With the support of the Rutgers Educational Opportunity Fund (EOF), and notable mentorship of the program’s director, Dean Nancy Cintron, he decided to apply to the Pharmacy School at Rutgers Ernest Mario School of Pharmacy. “I first met Dr. Narayanan when I was recruiting for EOF. I interviewed him for our pharmacy program and I was immediately impressed with him. He was very certain, and laser-focused that he was going to pursue a career in healthcare. His enthusiasm, compassion, and commitment in wanting to help others was very apparent, even at this young age." says Dean Nancy Cintron. Dr. Narayanan notes the importance of the EOF program in his decision to enter the Rutgers 6-year accelerated Pharmacy program. As an alumnus of the program he now works closely with Dean Cintron, teaches at the EOF summer program, and is part of a committee to establish an endowment for an EOF scholarship. Dr. Narayanan is particularly proud of his role in this committee and is excited to have the opportunity to create a sustainable source of scholarships and opportunities for future students. He works hard to serve as a mentor for students in the program. “I come from a humble background but there has been someone at each stage of my career who believed in me. I wouldn’t be where I am in my life without those mentors and I think mentorship is extremely important,” Dr. Narayanan tells us.

 
Dr. Navaneeth Narayanan

Dr. Narayanan’s interest in infectious diseases and public health drew him into the world of tuberculosis (TB). Dr. Narayanan discussed his interest in infectious diseases with us, and tied in the COVID-19 pandemic as an example of the topic’s importance to medicine; “From a historical standpoint, many of the major events in medicine revolve around infectious diseases; the development of vaccines, penicillin being discovered, and plagues and pandemics, like the one we are living through now. These topics have a lot of allure and I had an interest in being a part of that.” Dr. Narayanan is interested in the “Big Three:” TB, HIV and malaria, but he notes that TB stands out as the pinnacle of infectious diseases due to how widespread, old, and complex the disease is. “It is hard to think of another disease where there is such an imbalance between the burden it causes and the attention that it actually gets. I couldn’t think of something more important to specialize in from the infectious disease standpoint,” Dr. Narayanan asserts.  While completing his Masters in Public Health degree, Dr. Narayanan connected with members of the Global Tuberculosis Institute (GTBI) team. He later joined the GTBI team as a consultant and supports providers throughout the region by advising on complex TB cases. GTBI’s Deputy Director, Rajita Bhavaraju, shared her experience connecting Dr. Narayanan with the GTBI team; “I could not believe we had an expert like Dr. Narayanan right at our sister medical school!  We immediately encouraged Nav to become a volunteer consultant for GTBI’s medical consultation service and as faculty for our clinical courses. His brilliance, enthusiasm, and modesty make him a rock star in the TB field, who is also easily approachable.”

Dr. Narayanan's graduation from his MPH program

In his role as a clinical pharmacist, Dr. Narayanan rotates on service with the infectious diseases consult team at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital. While this position includes patient visits and consulting on therapeutics, much of his time is spent teaching and mentoring pharmacy residents and fellows. Dr. Narayanan notes that the work is challenging but very rewarding. One of the biggest challenges came during the pandemic, when he saw a big shift in the focus of his clinical work. The influx of new drugs, treatment mechanisms, and cases turned most of his work toward COVID-19. He is currently working on a research related to vaccine hesitancy – an area is which he has a lot of personal interest. The pandemic also changed the way Dr. Narayanan has approached his academic work. He is a faculty member at the Ernest Mario School of Pharmacy, where he teaches a large infectious disease module and an HIV elective course. During the pandemic, all of Dr. Narayanan’s courses shifted to online formats. He tells us that it was challenging to restructure such a large amount of content to a virtual format for the first time, while making sure his elective students were maintaining an appropriate level of contact.

In addition to his clinical and academic work, Dr. Narayanan co-leads the hospital’s Antimicrobial Stewardship team, which includes writing and evaluating protocols, reviewing guidelines and conducting quality improvement initiatives. He tells us that his anti-microbial work and research tie directly to his interest in TB, as the goal is to optimize therapeutic strategies. Since TB does not get the same research and development investment as other disease, there is a large gap in the antimicrobial pipeline hence a huge need from the medical and research community. Dr. Narayanan tells us that part of what makes TB such an interesting topic for research, is how challenging it is to treat.   

Dr. Narayanan’s clinical and academic work extend beyond New Jersey, particularly to Latin America where he has already worked in the Dominican Republic and Honduras. Dr. Narayanan became involved in medical outreach in the Dominican Republic through Waves of Health, a nonprofit focused on clinical care and health education. The Dominican Republic holds a particularly special place in his heart and Dr. Narayanan says that while he is interested in returning to Latin America in the future, he is open to traveling anywhere that he is needed

Dr. Narayanan and his daughter conduct a science experiment.

When Dr. Narayanan is not busy teaching, mentoring, or providing clinical care, he stays busy with his other full time job – parenting. He enjoys spending time with his two daughters and tell us that most of his energy is spent chasing them around the house. He has developed a love for traveling since meeting his wife, and hopes to take his daughters back to some of the trips they have experienced – including a particularly memorable multi-day trek to Machu Pichu.

In the future, Dr. Narayanan hopes to bring a stronger research focus to his work, particularly translational research. He also hopes to continue to learn and pick up new trades and skills. “Hard work beats talent when talent doesn’t work hard,” Dr. Narayanan tell us. He notes that while he continues to work hard, he does so now moreover for others in his life. He continues to support others in their pursuit of success through mentorship and teaching. As a pharmacist, professor, mentor, and parent, Dr. Narayanan exemplifies the dedication and multi-disciplinary knowledge needed to tackle the persistent burden of TB.

Submitted by Olivia Dupont, MPH - Health Educator II