Shabbar Ranapurwala, PhD
Research Assistant Professor Department of Epidemiology

Dr. Shabbar Ranapurwala is an epidemiologist who has conducted advanced analytical research in injury and violence prevention over the past seven years. His work utilizes a diverse set of epidemiological study designs including multiple cluster randomized trials (one as a principal investigator), retrospective cohort, case control and ecological studies.
Dr. Ranapurwala's current research interests include opioid poisoning prevention, violence prevention, occupational injury prevention and the application of principles of causal inference in these substantive areas. Before joining the UNC epidemiology faculty and the UNC Injury Prevention Research Center (IPRC), he completed a two year post-doctoral program at the University of Iowa IPRC. He enjoys hiking, trying new foods, and playing Bongos and Tabla (Indian percussion).
Representative Courses
EPID 690: Intervention Epidemiology (co-teaching)
Research Activities
- Prescription and non-prescription opioid abuse sequelae
- Violence prevention
- Occupational injury prevention
- Causal inference research methods, including DAGs
Staff/Administrative Duties
- Research Scientist, UNC Injury Prevention Research Center
- Adjunct Assistant Professor, Department of Epidemiology, University of Iowa
Key Publications
Volunteering in Adolescence and Adult Delinquency: A Longitudinal Analysis from the Add Health Study. Ranapurwala SI, Peek-Asa C, Casteel C (2016). Injury Epidemiology, 3(1), 26.
A GIS-based matched case-control study of road characteristics in farm vehicle crashes from nine Midwestern US states. Ranapurwala SI, Mello ER, Ramirez MR (2016). Epidemiology, 27(6), 827-834.
Reporting crime victimizations to the police and the incidence of future victimizations: A longitudinal study. Ranapurwala SI, Berg MT, Casteel C (2016). Plos One, 11(7).
The effect of using a pre-dive checklist on the incidence of diving mishaps in recreational scuba diving: A cluster randomized trial. Ranapurwala SI, Denoble PJ, Poole C, Marshall SW, Kucera KL, Wing S (2016). International Journal of Epidemiology, 45(1), 223-231.
Anti-Bullying Policies Reduce the Risk of Bullying Victimization: A State-Level Analysis. Hatzenbuehler ML, Schwab-Reese L, Ranapurwala SI, Hertz M, Ramirez MR (2015). JAMA Pediatrics, 169(10).
Education
PhD, Epidemiology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 2014
MPH, Environmental Health, Western Kentucky University, 2009
BHMS, Homeopathic Medicine and Surgery, Maharashtra University of Health Sciences, India, 2004