CEBP Workshop Series | Effect Modification – Interaction, Interpretation and Applied Examples

Professor Dr Sanjay Rampal Lekhraj Rampal

Dr Sanjay Rampal is Executive Director of Research Development at Universiti Malaya and Professor of Epidemiology and Public Health. Medically trained in India, he served in Malaysia’s Ministry of Health before earning an MPH from Harvard and a PhD from Johns Hopkins. Since joining Universiti Malaya in 2005, Dr Rampal has advanced Malaysia’s public health research capacity, focusing on the epidemiology and prevention of cardiovascular and metabolic diseases, cancer, and communicable diseases such as dengue. His methodological expertise spans research design, biostatistics, and causal inference. He has published 122 peer-reviewed papers (h-index: 38 WOS, 39 SCOPUS) and supervised over 65 postgraduate students.

Dr Rampal has held major leadership roles, including Deputy Dean (Research) and Head of the Department of Social & Preventive Medicine, driving transformative growth in research and education. He has led regional and global collaborations, chaired national speciality committees, and contributed to Malaysia’s COVID-19 response through research, policy, and public communication. As a Fellow of the Academy of Medicine Malaysia and a global leader, Dr Rampal is dedicated to advancing public health through research excellence, education, and collaborative leadership.

Dr Vivek Jason Jayaraj

Dr Vivek Jason Jayaraj is a Public Health Physician, currently serving at the National Institutes of Health Malaysia. He has previously served in rural Sabah for several years prior to his enrollment in postgraduate study. He is a professional with a keen interest in the confluence of data analytics, epidemiology, infectious disease, and health systems. His portfolio includes key projects on the epidemiology of COVID-19, the effectiveness of non-pharmaceutical interventions, and the comparative impact of health systems on COVID-19 transmission.

With a penchant for data-driven solutions, Dr Vivek has been involved in developing and implementing mathematical, time-series, and machine-learning models to forecast the spread of infectious diseases, including dengue, COVID-19, and hand, foot and mouth disease (HFMD). He strongly advocates the integration of data and compassion in creating a promising future in healthcare. He relentlessly strives to reduce the time gaps in data-driven solutions within the realm of infectious disease and health systems, working to shape a world where technology and humanity meet to improve health outcomes.

Dr Vivek dedicates himself to community outreach with great passion. He led the team to set up pour flush pit latrines at the Orang Asli village at Bukit Manchung with a sanitary education programme. He also conducted risk assessment activities at Angelcare Nursing Home and Persatuan Pengasih Malaysia during the COVID-19 pandemic.