Purnima Bhat

Purnima Bhat is a Senior Research Fellow at the Australian National University School of Medicine and Psychology. She is a practicing clinical gastroenterologist and hepatologist with appointments at Canberra Hospital and Canberra Colorectal. She holds a PhD in Virology from the University of Melbourne (Burnet Institute) and completed her gastroenterology specialization at Austin Hospital, Melbourne.

• Medical Degree: University of Queensland
• Specialization: Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Physicians
• PhD: University of Melbourne (Hepatitis B Virus & Polarized Epithelia)

Her research focuses on mucosal immunology, translational medicine, and point-of-care diagnostics for viral hepatitis and gastrointestinal cancers. She develops in vitro and animal models to study gut immune responses and collaborates internationally to reduce healthcare delivery costs in developing countries.

Recent publications highlight her work in endoscopy techniques, HBV elimination strategies, and immunotherapy for GI cancers. She chairs the World Endoscopy Organisation's African Outreach Committee and serves on climate change committees for global gastroenterology societies.

• Chair, African Outreach Committee, World Endoscopy Organisation
• Climate Change Committees: World Gastroenterology Organisation, GESA
• Visiting Academic appointments: University of Oslo, Imperial College London, Hôpital St Louis