Vijaya Sundararajan

Associate Professor Vijaya Sundararajan serves as Associate Professor of Epidemiology and Biostatistics in the Department of Medicine at St Vincent's Hospital, part of the Melbourne Medical School, Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences, University of Melbourne. She leads the Health Outcomes Research Group, which investigates health care performance and patient outcomes using advanced epidemiological, biostatistical, and health economic methods. The group's clinical focus spans the trajectory of chronic conditions from diagnosis to end-of-life, encompassing ischaemic heart disease, stroke, diabetes, mental health disorders, and infectious diseases. Particular attention is given to social determinants of health affecting vulnerable populations, including culturally and linguistically diverse communities and individuals experiencing homelessness. Through the Centre for Research Methods in the Eastern Hill Precinct, she offers expert statistical consulting services to researchers on a fee-for-service basis. Her academic qualifications include an MD, MPH, and fellowship as a Fellow of the American College of Physicians (FACP, awarded 1999). Her professional trajectory includes clinical roles in emergency departments in both the United States and Australia prior to her academic appointments.

Sundararajan has authored numerous influential publications in leading journals. Notable works include 'Coding algorithms for defining comorbidities in ICD-9-CM and ICD-10 administrative data' (Medical Care, 2005), 'Epidemiology of sepsis in Victoria, Australia' (Critical Care Medicine, 2005), 'Increased case fatality rates following a first acute cardiovascular event in patients with rheumatoid arthritis' (Arthritis & Rheumatism, 2006), 'Trends over time in the risk of stroke after an incident transient ischemic attack' (Stroke, 2014), and 'Risk of Major Cardiovascular Events in People with Down Syndrome' (PLoS One, 2015). She has received the Best New Research Award from the Australian Cardiac Rehabilitation Association in 2003. Sundararajan contributes to public health discourse through articles on COVID-19 modeling and palliative care triaging published on the University of Melbourne's Pursuit platform, and she has presented research grand rounds on health equity. She also holds an adjunct professorship in Public Health at La Trobe University.

Professional Email: vijayas@unimelb.edu.au