Monira Hussain

Dr

Accepting PhD Students

PhD projects

<a href="https://www.monash.edu/medicine/research/supervisorconnect" onclick="target='_blank';">https://www.monash.edu/medicine/research/supervisorconnect</a>

20072024

Research activity per year

Personal profile

Biography

Dr Monira Hussain is a clinical epidemiologist (MBBS, MPH, PhD). She was the Unit Coordinator for Introductory Epidemiology (Monash University, 2016-9). Her expertise lies in surveillance projects, nationwide surveys, cohort studies, clinical trials, linkage studies, and systematic reviews.

Monira began her career as a project research physician at icddr,b; one of the leading research institutes of the Global South, working on encephalitis surveillance after the completion of her MBBS. While working on this project, she came across two NIPAH virus outbreaks in Bangladesh, and got involved in the outbreak investigation with the researchers from the Centre for Disease Control USA. She shifted her area of research from infectious to chronic disease later on. Monira joined Mahidol University and completed a Master of Public Health in chronic disease epidemiology in 2007. She developed interests in exploring the cardiovascular disease risk factors in the pathogenesis of musculoskeletal disease. Monira completed her PhD on “Novel and systemic risk factors for knee and hip osteoarthritis” from Monash University in 2015.

Her work on risk factors for osteoarthritis resulted in a paradigm shift in the understanding of the pathogenesis of knee and hip osteoarthritis. The results of her work indicate that the relationship between obesity and knee osteoarthritis is not simply due to increased loading, but that metabolically driven inflammation has a major role; in-utero risk factors (low birth weight, preterm birth) are associated with hip osteoarthritis; and hip and knee osteoarthritis are susceptible to different risk factors. She is continuing her work in this field and extending her area of research in low back pain, determinants of poor patient outcome due to low back pain and osteoarthritis, and exploring in-utero risk factors for osteoarthritis through several collaborative projects.

Monira has been a recipient of Endeavour International Postgraduate Research Scholarship (2011-4), Australian Postgraduate Award (2011-4), Monash University Faculty Excellence Award (2011-4), Arthritis Australia Fellowships (2015), Monash University Faculty Bridging Fellowship (2016), National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) Early Career Fellowship (2018-21).

She has strong, sustained publication outputs. Her first author paper published in the BMJ in 2019 (BMJ. 2019 Jan 30;364:l42) was the 50th most discussed scientific report (of 2.7 million papers) globally of any field in 2019 (https://www.altmetric.com/top100/2019/). In the JAMA network, a debate based on her paper became the second most viewed articles (Does Skipping Breakfast Lead to Weight Loss or Weight Gain?)

Monira is an Associate Editor for the journal “Arthritis Research and Therapy”, a highly reputed journal in the field of Rheumatology and Orthopaedic. She regularly reviews manuscripts, national/international fellowship and grant applications, and sits on PhD review committees. She is a member of Osteoarthritis Research Society International and Australasian Epidemiological Association.

Expertise related to UN Sustainable Development Goals

In 2015, UN member states agreed to 17 global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all. This person’s work contributes towards the following SDG(s):

  • SDG 3 - Good Health and Well-being
  • SDG 4 - Quality Education
  • SDG 5 - Gender Equality
  • SDG 7 - Affordable and Clean Energy
  • SDG 10 - Reduced Inequalities

Education/Academic qualification

PhD, Novel and Systemic Risk Factors for Knee and Hip Osteoarthritis, MONASH UNIVERSITY

Award Date: 14 Jul 2015

MPH, Mahidol University

Award Date: 27 Apr 2007

MBBS, University of Rajshahi

Award Date: 1 Sept 2001

External positions

Honorary Research Fellow, University of Melbourne

20132015

Collaborations and top research areas from the last five years

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