Wanitda Watthanaworawit

Wanitda Watthanaworawit worked as a Molecular Microbiologist at Shoklo Malaria Research Unit (SMRU), Thailand since November 2006. In 2021, she runs the Microbiology and molecular laboratories and other related activities of the unit.

Following her degree in Agriculture (Plant Pathology) at Chiang Mai University (CMU), Wanitda continued her interest in Plant Pathology and obtained a Master’s degree in Molecular Plant Pathology at CMU and carried out research on Phylogenetics of the Powdery Mildew in Tribe Phyllactinieae in Northern Thailand, in collaboration with Mie University, Japan.

After her arrival at SMRU, Wanitda played a key role in establishing the Microbiology molecular diagnostic service and surveillance for respiratory viral infections, particularly influenza. She later obtained a PhD from the Open University (OU), UK where her research focused on evaluating diagnostic tests for acute undifferentiated febrile illness, which involved the use of serological and molecular methods. Following her PhD, Wanitda continued to work on common causes of fever and expanded her work to explore other undiagnosed causes of fever through sequencing approaches such as metagenomics.

Wanitda’s work became particularly relevant in 2019 where she led the laboratory response to the Chikungunya outbreak and was able to identify the first cases using the PCR she had previously established at SMRU with collaborators. This marked the first detection of Chikungunya at SMRU. In March 2020, she led the laboratory response to the COVID-19 pandemic and successfully registered the laboratory as a certified COVID-19 testing laboratory, which was awarded by the Department of Medical Science, Ministry of Public Health, Thailand. SMRU continues the COVID-19 testing services under her leadership. Her current researches focus on diagnostics and surveillance of antimicrobial resistance and respiratory infections, aiming to capture and monitor any emerging/re-emerging infectious diseases and response to outbreaks quickly. SMRU is able to capture the vaccine preventable diseases such as diphtheria, pertussis and cholera, in collaboration with the Thai Public Health and local hospitals. Wanitda is currently working on several projects, which support clinical care for migrant and refugee populations along the Thailand-Myanmar border, directly benefiting the local community.