Assistant Professor

Organization:

West Virginia University School of Public Health

Department:

Epidemiology and Biostatistics

Classification:

Faculty

• PhD, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, 2013
• MPA, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV
• MA, University of Rajasthan, India
• MBA, R.A. Podar Institute of Management, University of Rajasthan, India

​ Wiener R, Waters C, Bambrick C, Bhandari R. The risk of infective endocarditis among COVID-19 patients with non-medical opioid use. Journal of Integrative Cardiology Open Access 2021; 4(3): 6-6. doi: 10.31487/j.JICOA.2021.03.08.

 Johnson J, Bhandari R, Lastinger A, Reece R. The compounding effect of rurality on health disparities among black patients with COVID-19. J Appalach Health 2021;3(4):11–28. DOI: https://doi.org/10.13023/jah.0304.03

 Wiener RC, Trickett Shockey AK, Waters C, Bhandari R. Face-touching behavior during the COVID-19 pandemic: Self-inoculation and transmission potentials. J Dent Hyg. 2021 Oct; 95(5):41-46.

 Tang Y, Rudisill TM, Bhandari R. Risk factors associated with passenger vehicle fatal rollover crashes in West Virginia, 2001–2018. J Appalach Health 2021;3(4):45–59. doi: https://doi.org/10.13023/ jah.0304.05.

 Wiener RC, Bhandari R. Association between adverse childhood experiences among children with special healthcare needs and dental care utilization. J Public Health Dent. 2021 Mar 9. doi: 10.1111/jphd.12450. PMID: 33751582.

 Dominic P, Ahmad J, Bhandari R, et al. Decreased availability of Nitric Oxide and Hydrogen Ruchi Bhandari's Curriculum Vitae Page 2 Sulfide is a hallmark of COVID-19. Redox Biology 2021. Jul;43:101982. doi: 10.1016/j.redox.2021.101982. PMID: 34020311.

 Sheth A, Bhandari R, Patel H, Morin DP, Dominic P. Google search activity and heart failure: Analysis of the US population’s interest in heart failure and its correlation with heart failure-associated mortality. Journal of Cardiac Failure 2021; 27(1):123-125. doi: 10.1016/j.cardfail.2020.11.005.

 Wiener R, Waters C, Bhandari R, Shockey A. Epidemiology and characteristics of people with injury due to volatile substance use to induce euphoria. Substance Use & Misuse 2021; 56:1, 169-173, DOI: 10.1080/10826084.2020.1833927.

 Wiener RC, Bhandari R, Morgan S, Shockey AKT, Waters C. Adolescents’ perceived risk of harm due to smoking: The role of extracurricular activities. Journal of Dental Hygiene. 2020; 94(4):47-55.

 Cai Y, Dai Z, Wen S, Bhandari R. Risk factors associated with infection of blood-borne virus among people who used methamphetamine. BMC Infect Dis. 2020; 20:742. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12879-020-05464-y.

 Wiener RC, Bhandari R. Association of electronic cigarette use with lead, cadmium, barium, and antimony body burden: NHANES 2015-2016. Journal of Trace Elements in Medicine and Biology. 2020 Dec;62:126602. doi: 10.1016/j.jtemb.2020.126602. PMID: 32650063.

 Ma CC, Gu JK, Bhandari R, Charles LE, Violanti JM, Fekedulegn D, Andrew ME. Associations of objectively measured sleep characteristics and incident hypertension among police officers: The role of obesity. Journal of Sleep Research. 2020. doi:10.1111/jsr.12988.

 Wiener RC, Waters C, Bhandari R. The association of Toxoplasma gondii IgG and cognitive function scores: NHANES 2013-2014. Parasitology International. 2020:78;102123.

 Tressler SR, Kushner T, Bhandari R. Factors associated with Hepatitis B exposure among people who report using methamphetamine: National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2009-2016. J Infect Dis. 2020; 221(2):243-250. doi:10.1093/infdis/jiz445.

 Wiener RC, Waters C, Bhandari R, Trickett Shockey AK, Alshaarawy O. The association of sleep duration and the use of electronic cigarettes, NHANES, 2015-2016. Sleep Disorders. 2020:1-12. doi:10.1155/2020/8010923.

 Tressler S, Bhandari R. Interventions to increase completion of Hepatitis B vaccination in people who inject drugs: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis. Open Forum Infect Dis. 2019; 6(12):ofz521. doi:10.1093/ofid/ofz521. 

 Kenneth Rothman Travel Scholarship for the Society for Epidemiologic Research Annual Meeting, June 2021.

 Nominated for the Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching Award by Student Association of Public Health, WVU, May 2021.

 Teaching Spotlight, Office of Research and Graduate Education. October 21, 2020 - October 28, 2020; and July 29, 2020 - August 5, 2020.

 First place award for the oral presentation “Practice patterns and outcomes of injection drug users presenting with tricuspid valve infective endocarditis in West Virginia,” by Johnson J, Reece R, Bhandari R, Khakoo R at the WV American College of Physicians Chapter Meeting, Stonewall Resort, WV, October 2019.

Dr. Bhandari has diverse work experience in the areas of public health (Marshall University), occupational health (National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention), diabetes education (West Virginia University Extension Service), and environmental health (World Resources Institute, Washington, DC). She teaches epidemiology courses at the undergraduate, graduate, and PhD levels.

Dr. Bhandari’s research interest lies in assessing the risk factors and outcomes of life-threatening infections associated with substance use disorder. As a PI on NIH-funded WV Clinical and Translational Sciences Institute Pilot Grant, she is currently working with other partners to develop a statewide database of injection drug use-associated infective endocarditis. As a PI on West Virginia University (WVU) Research and Scholarship Advancement grant, she is developing a project assessing risk factors and outcomes of injection drug use patients at WVU’s comprehensive care-continuum initiative. In the past couple of years, she has built a strong multidisciplinary research and mentoring team consisting of clinicians, physician scientists, and public health researchers at WVU and other academic institutions.