Dr. Lekha D Bhat has basic training in Public Health with an MPhil and a Ph.D. in Social Medicine and Community Health from Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) New Delhi. Her background in public health has created a keen interest in developing a social epidemiological/ social determinants approach in public health.  Her interest areas are Informal Sector and Health, Adolescent Health, Social Epidemiological Approach in Public Health, and Qualitative Methods. She has extensively published articles in reputed journals from publishers including Elsevier, Science Direct, Springer Nature, Sage, Taylor and Francis, Wiley, and MDPI. She has authored books and edited books with reputed publishers. She is actively involved in research wherein she has projects funded by NHRC, ICSSR, and National Commission for Women. She is being a regular panel expert with Rajya Sabha TV and BBC World News to discuss public health-related issues in the Indian context.

Dlamini TN, Bhat Lekha D, Kodali NK, Philip NE (2023).  Prevalence and factors associated with incomplete immunization among children aged 12 to 35 months in Eswatini: analysis of the Eswatini multiple indicator cluster survey. Pan African Medical Journal. 2023;45(51). 10.11604/pamj.2023.45.51.38643

Santy T, Joseph CM &  Bhat Lekha D (2023).  The Need for Mental Health Promotion Among Pregnant Women: A Narrative Review to Strengthen the Agenda, Women's Reproductive Health, DOI: 10.1080/23293691.2023.2202652(Taylor and Francis)

Kodali NK, Bhat Lekha, Phillip NE, Koya SF (2023). Prevalence and associated factors of cardiovascular diseases among men and women aged 45 years and above: Analysis of the longitudinal ageing study in India, 2017-2019. Indian Heart Journal. 2023 Jan-Feb;75(1):31-35.  doi: 10.1016/j.ihj.2022.12.003. Epub 2022 Dec 19. (IF 1.43, Elsevier)

Panneer S, Kantamaneni K, Palaniswamy U, Bhat Lekha, Pushparaj RRB, Nayar KR, Soundari Manuel H, Flower FXLL, Rice L. (2022) Health, Economic and Social Development Challenges of the COVID-19 Pandemic: Strategies for Multiple and Interconnected Issues. Healthcare (Basel). Apr 21;10(5):770. doi: 10.3390/healthcare10050770. (IF 2.6, MDPI).

Kodali NK, Bhat Lekha (2022). Prevalence and Associated Factors of Stroke among Older Adults in India: Analysis of the Longitudinal Aging Study in India-Wave 1 2017-18. Indian Journal of Public Health. Vol 66, Issue 2, April-June, pp 128-135, DOI:10.4103/ijph.ijph_1659_21  (IF 2.2 Wolters Kluwer -Medknow Publishers)

Panneer S, Kantamaneni K, Palaniswamy U, Bhat Lekha, Pushparaj RRB, Nayar KR, Manuel HS, Little Flower L, Rice L (2022). Health, Economic and Social Development Challenges of the COVID-19 Pandemic: Strategies for Multiple and Interconnected Issues. Health Care. 10, 770. https://doi.org/ 10.3390/healthcare10050770 (IF 2.6, MDPI).

Kantamaneni K, Sigamani P, Krishnan A, Shekhar S, Bhat Lekha, Ashwathy, Rice L (2022). Appraisal of climate change and cyclone trends in Indian coastal states: a systematic approach towards climate action. Arabian Journal of Geosciences.15:814. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12517-022-10076-8 (IF 1.8, Springer Nature)

Bhat Lekha, Kandaswamy S, Sumalatha BS, Mohan G and Tatsi OV (2022). Fear, discrimination, and healthcare access during the COVID-19 pandemic: Exploring women domestic workers’ lives in India. Agenda. Vol 35 Issue 4 https://doi.org/10.1080/10130950.2021.2046392 (Taylor and Francis)

Kantamaneni K, Sigamani P, Rani S, Palaniswamy U, Bhat Lekha, Jimenez-Bescos C, Rice L (2022). Impact of Coastal Disasters on Women in Urban Slums: A New Index. Sustainability. 14(6), 3472;https://doi.org/10.3390/su14063472 (IF 3.2, MDPI)

Sigamani P, Bhat Lekha, Rice L, Kantamaneni K (2022). The Second Wave of COVID 19 and Beyond: Rural Health Care. Economic and Political Weekly. ISSN 0012-9976,  Vol LVII. No2, pp 21-24, Jan 8, 2022. (IF 0.31)