Mr. Shrestha’s research centers on the epidemiology of antimicrobial-resistant infections in neonatal and pediatric populations, with a particular focus on early-life exposure and transmission. He has led as a Principal Investigator for the Neonatal Colonization (NeCo) Study, a prospective cohort of mother-newborn pairs examining the acquisition and persistence of multidrug-resistant organisms during the neonatal period. This work provides insight into early-life colonization pathways and their implications for infection risk in high-burden settings. Beyond this, he has contributed to evaluations of pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV-10) impact in Nepal and to strengthening infection prevention and control practices in neonatal care. His work consistently aims to bridge clinical epidemiology and microbiology to inform practical interventions targeting antimicrobial resistance in vulnerable populations. He has authored multiple peer-reviewed publications in international journals and contributes to the academic community as a reviewer for several journals on infectious diseases and global health. He has also contributed to strengthening research capacity in low-resource settings, including as a founding member of the Birth Registry and Biobank at Siddhi Memorial Hospital, supporting longitudinal maternal and neonatal health research, and through collaborations with international partners such as the School of Tropical Medicine and Global Health at Nagasaki University. His contributions have been recognized through the ISID/Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Research Capacity Building Grant (2023) and the World Society for Pediatric Infectious Diseases (WSPID) Fellowship (2025).
