Vishnu Khanal, PhD

Research Fellow

Qualifications:

PhD Public Health, Curtin University, Australia 2017; Master of Public Health (Applied Epidemiology and Biostatistics) with HD, Curtin University, Australia 2012; MA (Sociology and Anthropology), Tribhuvan University, Nepal, 2008; Bachelor of Public Health, Institute of Medicine & Bachelor of Education (Health Education), 2007 Tribhuvan University, Nepal.

Location:

Alice Springs, NT

Biography:

Vishnu is a public health researcher with primary experience in rural health programs and applied health research methods. He started working with Menzies in October 2022 and has been involved in Optimising Digital Solutions to Improve Access to Comprehensive Primary Health Care (CPHC) Services in Remote Indigenous Communities project. In this project, Vishnu is working towards understanding and sharing consumer and provider preferences for the use of digital technologies. 

Prior to joining Menzies, Vishnu has completed his Ph.D. on maternal and child health using a prospective cohort study in a low and middle-income country. This study examined the issues facing mothers and children in the first year of childbirth; and the methodological issues in measuring breastfeeding practices in the country. He has extensive community-based experience in maternal and child health, pandemic preparedness, and infant nutrition from his previous work with UNICEF Nepal, CARE International in Nepal, Save the Children, and the Ministry of Health and Population Nepal. Vishnu’s areas of interest, which he has published extensively, include inequity in the access and utilisation of health services, global health, and maternal and child health. He has ongoing research collaborations with authors from Timor-Leste, Nigeria, Vietnam, India, Australia, and the US. 

In addition to his role at Menzies, Vishnu is a founding member of the Nepal Development Society, which is one of the leading research organisations in non-communicable disease prevention in Nepal. He is also a senior editorial board member with BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth. He has been in the editorial role since 2014. 


 

Vishnu Khanal, PhD
Email
Research Themes
  • Optimising Digital Solutions to Improve Access to Comprehensive Primary Health Care (CPHC) Services in Remote Indigenous Communities
  • Synthesis Report: Tjilku Walykumunu Ngaanyatjarra Lands Child Health Study. Alice Springs, Northern Territory: Ngaanyatjarra Health Service (2024)
  1. Vishnu Khanal, Elaine Wills, and Deborah Russell. Co-design at the heart of adaptation of digital health technologies in Remote Indigenous Communities of Australia. The Lancet Digital Health, 2024. https://doi.org/10.1016/S2589-7500(23)00251-0 
  2. Vishnu Khanal, John Wakerman, and Deborah Russell. The rise of direct-to-consumer telemedicine services in Australia: implications for primary care and future research. Medical Journal of Australia, 2024. http://doi.org/10.5694/mja2.52399 
  3. Vishnu Khanal, Sangita Bista, and Shiva Raj Mishra. Synergistic associations of antenatal care visits and iron-folic acid supplementation with low birth weight: A pooled analysis of national surveys from six South Asian countries. BMC Public Health, 2024. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-024-18295-2 
  4. GBD 2021 Collaborators, along with Vishnu Khanal. Global, regional, and national incidence and mortality burden of non-COVID-19 lower respiratory infections and aetiologies, 1990–2021: a systematic analysis from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2021. The Lancet Infectious Diseases, 2024. https://doi.org/10.1016/S1473-3099(24)00176-2 
  5. Sona Shrestha, Vishnu Khanal & Bishnu Prasad Chaulagain. Coverage and factors association with the utilization of fortified blended flour among children aged 6-23 months in remote mountains of Nepal. 2024. (BMC Nutrition). Student project.  https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-4847503/v1 
  6. Barun Kumar Sing, Resham B Khatri, Sanjeev Kumar Sahani, & Vishnu Khanal. Determinants of Exclusive Breastfeeding among Infants under Six Months in Nepal: Insights from Nationally Representative Survey Data Using Multilevel Analysis. BMC Public Health, 2024. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-024-19963-z
  7. Emmanuel O Adewuyi, Wole Akosile, Victory Olutuase, Aaron Akpu Philip, Rhoda Olaleru, Mary I Adewuyi, Asa Auta and Vishnu Khanal. Caesarean section and associated factors in Nigeria: assessing inequalities between rural and urban areas—insights from the Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey 2018. BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth, 2024. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12884-024-06722-6 
  8. Vishnu Khanal, Sangita Bista, Shiva Raj Mishra, and Andy H. Lee. Dissecting Antenatal Care Inequalities in Western Nepal: Insights from a community-based cohort study. 2023. BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12884-023-05841-w  
  9. Vishnu Khanal, Andy H Lee, Jane A Scott, Rajendra Karkee, &Colin W Binns. Implications of methodological differences in measuring the rates of exclusive breastfeeding in Nepal: findings from literature review and cohort study. 2016. BMC pregnancy and childbirth. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12884-016-1180-9 
  10. Vishnu Khanal, Kay Sauer & Yun Zhao. Determinants of complementary feeding practices among Nepalese children aged 6–23 months: findings from demographic and health survey 2011. 2013. BMC pediatrics. https://doi.org/10.1186/1471-2431-13-131