Dr. Panniyammakal received his PhD from the University of Glasgow, UK. He received his MPH from the Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute of Medical Sciences and Technology in Kerala, India. Dr. Panniyammakal is a 'trained epidemiologist' with over a decade of experience in observational epidemiological studies and clinical trials. He has developed a focus on cardiovascular disease epidemiology over the last 10 years and participated in several landmark epidemiologic studies and clinical trials in India. His research interests are in risk prediction, biomarkers, and translational trials in chronic diseases in India and other middle-income settings. His career plan for the next five years is to acquire necessary leadership skills to become a research leader in chronic disease epidemiology and an eminent academician at the national level.