Additional role
Consultant, Arkansas Department of Health
Education
Ph.D. – Epidemiology, Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health, National University of Singapore, Singapore
M.Sc. – Biostatistics, Madras University, Christian Medical College, India
B.Sc. – Statistics, Madras University, India
Areas of Expertise
Chronic disease prevention (cardio-metabolic, cancer, mental health)
Nutritional epidemiology
Systematic review and meta-analysis
Statistical computing
Introduction
Dr. Neelakantan is an Associate Professor of Epidemiology. She also serves as a consultant for the ADH and provides epidemiological and statistical support to the Division of Health Advancement.
Teaching Focus
Dr. Neelakantan’s encourages scientific inquiry and critical thinking among her students. She teaches data management and programming for epidemiologists so they can gain the necessary analytical skills to interpret epidemiologic data. She also lectures on sample size calculation, statistical analysis of clinical trials, and systematic review and meta-analysis.
Research Overview
Dr. Neelakantan’s research focuses on the impact of diet and lifestyle on chronic disease development and prevention. Her findings on sugar-sweetened beverages and coconut oil have informed dietary policies to reduce chronic disease risk. Her long-term goal is to study the complex interactions between lifestyle, genetics, and environmental factors in relation to non-communicable diseases.
Recent Books or Publications
- Diabetes: An Individual Participant Federated Meta-analysis of 1.97 Million Adults with 100 000 Incident Cases from 31 Cohorts in 20 Countries. Lancet Diabetes Endocrinol. 2024; 12(9): 619-630. PMID: 39174161.
- Lim GH, Neelakantan N, Lee YQ, et al. Dietary Patterns and Cardiovascular Diseases in Asia: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis. Adv Nutr. 2024: 15(7): PMCID: PMC11294752.
- Liew SJ, Petrunoff NA, Neelakantan N, et al. Device-measured Physical Activity and Sedentary Behavior in Relation to Cardiovascular Diseases and All-cause Mortality: Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Prospective Cohort Studies. AJPM Focus. 2022; 2(1): 100054. PMCID: PMC10546582.
- Neelakantan N, Seah JYH, van Dam RM. The Effect of Coconut Oil Consumption on Cardiovascular Risk Factors: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Clinical Trials. Circulation. 2020; 141(10): 803-814. PMID: 31928080.
- Neelakantan et al. Development of a Semi-Quantitative Food Frequency Questionnaire to Assess the Dietary Intake of a Multi-Ethnic Urban Asian Population. 2016; 8(9): 528. PMCID: PMC5037515.
Fun Fact
Growing up in south India, I witnessed firsthand the challenges and disparities regarding health care. The lack of public health awareness within my own community inspired me to pursue a career in public health. I have worked as a lead biostatistician for an eye care network and as a senior scientist at a pharmaceutical company.