News and events - 2023

December 2023

Papreen at ECTMIH conference

Dr Papreen Nahar, Senior Research Fellow in Medical Anthropology and Global Health at BSMS, attended the European Consortium for Tropical Medicine and International Health (ECTMIH) conference from 13-16 November. Centred around the theme 'Saving the future of an equitable and sustainable planetary world', the conference effectively addressed issues of global health in the context of climate change, inequity, justice and racism within academia and beyond. Papreen served as one of the panel members for a session on infertility, and received positive feedback regarding this session (through the IBP Network Global Health group's email forum). 

EASA 2024 conference

A panel led by Dr Papreen Nahar, Senior Research Fellow in Medical Anthropology and Global Health at BSMS, has been accepted for the EASA 2024 conference. As convenor, Papreen would like to announce a call for abstracts for the 18th EASA Biennial Conference, Barcelona 2024, “Doing and Undoing of Anthropology”. Panel no. P017, Panel title: (Unravelling Global Health Disparities: The Role of Medical Anthropology in Combatting Neglect). Find out more information and abstract submission information below.

Find out more here >

November 2023

Jaime inaugural

Prof Jaime Vera, Chair in HIV Medicine, will present his inaugural lecture ‘From despair to hope: The past, present and future of HIV medicine’ on Wednesday 22 November. Prof Vera will share insights from his research on HIV prevention, ageing, brain health and therapeutics to illustrate the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration in HIV research, and discuss actions that might be needed to eliminate HIV while improving the quality of life of those living with the condition.

New video showcases Centres of Excellence

A new video has been released to showcase the Centres of Excellence at the University of Sussex, which launched earlier this year. One of the 12 centres is the Centre for Global Health Research, which is the Global Health and Infection team at BSMS. The video features world-leading researchers from three centres, each taking on impossible challenges and driving progress for our planet and its people.

Watch it here >

BSMS at BHASVIC for film screening

On October 18, Dr Khalid Ali and Dr Caroline Ackley from BSMS hosted a short film screening at BHASVIC for their medical and film societies. Approximately 30 students attended during their lunch break to watch an Egyptian short film called This is my night. The 2019 film premiered at Al-Gouna Film Festival in 2019 and centres on how a mother and her son with Down syndrome are treated and how their social class also impacts their experiences and struggles. After the film the students engaged in a lively discussion on stigma and health. The event was part of the Stigma Working Group’s initiative to engage the community in discussions on intersecting stigmas through film.

Impact of extreme weather events for people living with HIV

Researchers in sub-Saharan Africa and the UK are working together to tackle the health impacts of climate change, thanks to £2.7 million in new research funding from the Medical Research Foundation. Dr Kingsley Orievulu and Dr Saeideh Babashahi from BSMS will investigate the effects of excess rainfall on access to healthcare for HIV patients in South Africa. The increased frequency and severity of extreme weather events, such as droughts, floods and heatwaves, have been documented in South Africa. Vulnerable populations and regions are affected differently by extreme weather.

Find out more here >

Papreen to present in the Netherlands

Dr Papreen Nahar, Senior Research Fellow, has received an invitation to present at the prestigious European Congress on Tropical Medicine and International Health (ECTMIH) 2023 conference, in Utrecht, the Netherlands from 20-23 November. She  will be a speaker on a panel talk on infertility.

See more here >

Dr James Price talks about his research career for the NIHR's Shape the Future campaign

Dr James Price, Senior Lecturer in Global Health and Infection at BSMS and an Honorary Consultant in Infectious Diseases and Microbiology at University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust, has featured in a new case study profile on the NIHR website. James discusses his career path and how he is shaping the future of healthcare in the field of infection.

Read the profile here >

New report sets the groundwork for reducing the carbon footprint of surgical care

A landmark report published this week presents the first detailed account of how to reduce the environmental impact of surgical care while maintaining high quality patient care and potentially saving the NHS money. In the UK, surgical care is responsible for the equivalent of about 5.7 million tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions each year – equivalent to that from heat, electricity, transport and waste of 700,000 UK homes. Reducing the emissions produced during surgery would be a significant step towards the NHS achieving its aim to be net zero by 2045. The report shows that solutions are available and, in many cases, could result in better options for patients while at the same time costing the NHS less. Prof Mood Bhutta, Dr Mei Trueba and Dr Chantelle Rizan from BSMS were major contributors to the report.

Read the report here >

Rethinking Global Health – call for abstracts

The Global Health and Infection team are calling for abstracts for their one-day research symposium 'Rethinking Global Health' at the University of Sussex next June. Early Career Researchers are invited to submit abstracts on geopolitics and regulations, challenges of new digital technologies, decolonial approaches to global health methods or humanitarian crises and climate change. Authors of selected abstracts will be invited to present their research at a breakout session during the symposium. Presentations will be 10-15 minutes and can be delivered ‘in person’ or remotely. Deadline for abstract submission is 15 January 2024.

Submit here >

‘30 Seconds to Beat HIV’ animation launches

A new animation on HIV has been launched. ‘30 Seconds to Beat HIV’ is for all primary and secondary care providers who routinely take bloods and want to be part of the impetus in getting to zero new infections. The animation is free to use in training and educational programmes, on information screens, as part of social media messaging, across healthcare services and on public information websites. The animation will also update people’s knowledge around HIV and go some way to tackling HIV-related stigma. The animation is narrated by Prof Chris van Tulleken and was funded by an educational grant via the Gilead UK and Ireland Fellowship Programme. Prof Jaime Vera, Chair in HIV Medicine at BSMS, was also involved in the creation of the animation.

Watch it here >

October 2023

Project awarded over £1m to develop translational research and commercialisation framework

A Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine (LSTM) programme to develop a framework for translational health research and commercial development has been awarded over £1m in UK government funding. FLIGHT (Framework for Leveraging Innovation in Global Health Technologies) is one of 14 successful projects in the latest round of Research England’s Connecting Capability Fund / Research England Development Fund awards. Awarded more than £1.1m, FLIGHT involves LSTM, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and BSMS, as well as a range of businesses and global health partners. 

Read the full story here >

Jaime in Ethiopia for HIV workshop

Prof Jaime Vera, Chair in HIV Medicine at BSMS, delivered a workshop in Ethiopia earlier this month aimed at identifying gaps in research, policy and practice to improve sexual and reproductive health services in Southern Ethiopia. This is part of the Knowledge Exchange Policy Fellowships at the University of Sussex which are aiming to achieve universal and equitable access to sexual and reproductive health by engaging key stakeholders to establish an action research and policy network that will design and implement policy-influencing interventions.

Planetary Health talk by Jo on YouTube

Jo Middleton (Research Fellow in Public Health) has a new video available on YouTube of a talk on their project in Papua New Guinea which has established primary care for previously medically neglected indigenous peoples and enabled preservation of 150 square kilometres of their threatened rainforest home (storing an estimated 1.5 million tonnes of carbon). The video also includes a further talk by Jo’s collaborator Gladys Kelema-Zikusoka (Uganda’s chief wildlife veterinarian) on integrating provision of community medical services with protection of mountain gorillas.

Watch the video here >

Success for Global Health alumni

MSc Global Health alumna Freya Harding has won an award for the best presentation at the ICGO 2023: XVII. International Conference on Gynecology and Obstetrics. Freya presented her dissertation research findings, which was supervised by Global Health and Infection department members Dr Anne Gatuguta and Dr Chi Eziefula, and explores the gaps and challenges pregnant women faced accessing services during the Covid-19 pandemic. Read the findings here. MSc Global Health 2022-23 alum Sam Parker has been appointed as a Graduate Trainee Lecturer of Health and Social Science at the London School of Science & Technology. Sam has thanked the Global Health team and BSMS for their role in this achievement, saying: “BSMS provided me with an environment where I was able to grow and develop both personally and academically, along with the skills and knowledge I need to be able to take forward, share and have a truly positive impact on a new generation of students. I am forever grateful for the support and opportunities that BSMS Global Health has given me.”

BSMS students present IRP work at the annual meeting

BSMS students Dasha Alderton and Janani Murugesh presented their Individual Research Project (IRP) research at the annual Royal Society for Tropical Medicine & Hygiene meeting last week. Dasha’s poster was titled ‘The gendered psychosocial impacts of skin-neglected tropical diseases’ and Janani’s talk was on the experience of vulnerability for women with skin-neglected tropical diseases. Their IRP research was supervised by Dr Mei Trueba and Dr Caroline Ackley from the Global Health and Infection department at BSMS respectively. Dasha’s poster presentation received the honourable mention as a runner up for best poster award at the meeting, with Dr Ackley supporting both students before and during the presentation.

New publication on scabies control in Ethiopia

Recently graduated BSMS PhD student Robel Yirgu has a new publication out with his doctoral supervisors Jo Middleton (Research Fellow in Public Health) and Professors Abebaw Fekadu, Gail Davey and Jackie Cassell, along with Professor Stephen Bremner and Chris Jones (Senior Research Fellow in Statistics). The study, part of the work of the NIHR Global Health Research Unit on Neglected Tropical Diseases, found that single doses of ivermectin given population-wide to reduce onchocerciasis did not reduce scabies prevalence and recommended that the Ethiopian Ministry of Health supply a second course to communities to gain the benefit on scabies control seen in other mass drug administrations.

Read the publication here >

September 2023

Joint book launch: Reproductive Realities in South Asia

Tuesday 19 September, 3-5pm

The Royal Anthropological Institute  organised a joint book launch of Dr Papreen Nahar’s book and Prof Maya Unnithan’s book for their recurring book launching event. Papreen's book examines the multidimensional narratives of childless women across rural poverty and urban middle-class contexts in Bangladesh, shedding light on the complex interplay of intersectionality and lived experiences.

Current Stories in Global Health: Necropolitics and Migration 

Wednesday 20 September, 6-7:15pm

The Global Health and Infection team hosted the third session of their Current Stories in Global Health online series, featuring talks on necropolitics and migration. The team were joined by Dr Arianne Shahvisi (BSMS), Dr Hyab Yohannes (University of Glasgow) and Dr Tesfalem Yemane (University of Liverpool) to discuss this important and timely topic.

Mei participates in British Academy of Management Conference

Dr Mei Trueba, Senior Lecturer in International Development and Global Health, and her co-authors Iu Tusell and Martin Schleper presented a developmental talk on ‘Social Sustainability in Lleida's Agriculture: An Exploratory Study of Main Issues, Drivers and Avenues for Change’ as part of the British Academy of Management Conference. The conference took place in the first week of September at the Business School at the University of Sussex campus.The talk was well received and the chairs and audience praised the novel insights on this subject brought up by this interdisciplinary collaboration which joined researchers with a combined background in development studies, occupational health, organisational anthropology, business ethics and business management (and included an NGO and local government officials).

Rubayat Rahman receives prestigious palliative care award

PhD candidate Rubayat Rahman from the Global Health and Infection department has received a prestigious palliative care award from the American Society for Clinical Oncology (ASCO), recognising more than 13 years dedicated to working on palliative care issues in Bangladesh. The award also includes a visit to an American or Canadian institution to experience palliative care performed in a multidisciplinary environment, with Rubayat being placed for a week for clinical training at Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston. Rubayat is currently completing his PhD at BSMS on ‘Mainstreaming Palliative Care in Bangladesh: Challenges and Prospects’ under the supervision of Prof Shahaduz Zaman.

Papreen presents at IFFS conference

Dr Papreen Nahar, Senior Research Fellow in Medical Anthropology and Global Health at BSMS, was a guest speaker at the prestigious World Congress of the International Federation of Fertility Societies (IFFS) conference, held in Athens, Greece, from 10-13 September. Papreen presented on a panel titled ‘Global and Sociocultural Dynamics in Infertility and Infertility Care’, organised by the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology. Her presentation centred on intricate socio-cultural facets of infertility/childlessness in LMIC.

Read more here >

August 2023

Daire wins best talk at Acid Fast Club

Dr Daire Cantillon won the best talk award at the Acid Fast Club mycobacterial research conference hosted by the University of Surrey. His talk, presenting work from his time in the Waddell lab in Global Health and Infection, examined the interactions between antimicrobial drugs prescribed to treat non-tuberculous mycobacterial (NTM) infections in people living with cystic fibrosis. Mycobacterium abscessus is an increasingly hard to treat AMR problem. The Acid Fast Club was formed in 1954 by scientists at the National Institute for Medical Research in London, and has become the de facto UK mycobacterial research society through biannual meetings, at which all aspects of mycobacterial research are presented. Talks by young scientists are especially encouraged. Prof Simon Waddell is the current secretary of the club.

Global Health alumna in Chicago

Syra Dhillon, alumna on the Global Health postgraduate course at BSMS, was in Chicago at the STI and HIV World Congress to present her MSc Global Health Dissertation research last week. Syra finished the course in 2022 and was supervised by Prof Jaime from the Global Health and Infection department.

Crossing Lake Abaya published

Gail Davey OBE, Professor of Global Health Epidemiology at BSMS, had her short story shortlisted for the Commonwealth Short Story Prize earlier this year, the world’s most global literature prize. Gail’s Crossing Lake Abaya is based on 20 years’ experience of working with people affected by the debilitating leg swelling condition podoconiosis. Gail says: “Much still remains to be done to raise awareness in affected populations that the condition is preventable and treatable – I hope this short story contributes in some small way.” Crossing Lake Abaya was published online in July 2023.

Read it here >

Zaman gives talk in China

Shahaduz Zaman, Professor in Medical Anthropology and Global Health, was invited as a panel speaker for a seminar organised by the Research Centre for Health and Wellbeing at the University of Shanghai, China. The seminar, which took place on 9 August, focused on the ‘Social History of Tuberculosis’. Zaman spoke about ‘Infectious Disease, Communities, and Prevention: Responding to TB in a Global Context’.

July 2023

Chi presents at infection prevention conference

Dr Chi Eziefula, Senior Lecturer in the Global Health and Infection department, presented at the Sussex Integrated Care Systems Infection Prevention Conference on Infection Prevention and Control in Maternity Services at the AMEX stadium last week. This was a system-wide conference with delegates from management, clinical and non-clinical backgrounds. The conference explored health inequalities through an infection prevention perspective. Chi focused on interventions in maternity, and their implications for maternal and newborn experience, wellbeing, health outcomes and development.

Centre for Global Health Research selected as new Centre of Excellence

The Centre for Global Health Research (CGHR) at BSMS is delighted to announce it has been selected by the University of Sussex as a Centre of Excellence, chosen for its collaborative and innovative research that addresses areas of global importance. The work carried out by the CGHR, part of the Global Health and Infection department at the medical school, includes research into infectious diseases, HIV, tuberculosis and neglected tropical diseases. In less than a decade since its launch, the Centre's research has had international impact, for example helping to inform World Health Organization guidelines.

Read the full story here >

Mei and Ffion present in Geneva

Dr Mei Trueba, Senior Lecturer in International Development and Global Health, and Ffion Staniland, Year 4 medical student at BSMS, presented their research at the International Labour Organization (ILO) Regulating Decent Work Conference held in Geneva 10-12 July. Their presentation explored whether (and how) import bans can be an effective tool for improving working conditions and health and safety in global supply chains, building from the case of the recent USA ban on Malaysia’s rubber gloves. The ILO have also published a report, which was co-produced by BSMS, the University of Nottingham and Newcastle University.

Read the report here >

HIS Early Career Award for James Price

The Council of the Healthcare Infection Society (HIS) has announced Dr James Price, Senior Lecturer in Global Health and Infection, as a recipient of the HIS Early Career Award 2023 in recognition of his outstanding innovative contributions to the prevention and control of healthcare-associated infections as an early career clinician. The award was launched in 2020 in celebration of the 40th anniversaries of HIS and the Journal of Hospital Infection. On winning the award, Dr Price said: “I am thrilled and honoured to have been selected as the recipient of the HIS Early Career Award. This recognition comes as a delightful surprise, and I would like to express my thanks to the remarkable team of individuals who have supported and inspired me throughout my career. I am incredibly fortunate to work with such exceptional talents, and this award is a testament to our collective achievements.”

Find out more here >

New paper: harm reduction

Gigi McGaughey, alumnus on the Global Health postgraduate course, has published a new article with BSMS colleagues Prof Jaime Vera and Prof Daniel Richardson. The article is titled ‘Harm reduction services for people engaging in chemsex in Brighton, UK: A pilot qualitative study’. This study suggests that to improve chemsex harm reduction outcomes, a more integrated approach between providers with clear client pathways and a broader reach including offering services outside of typical business hours is needed.

Read the paper here >

HIV and Brain Health animation launch

Dr Kate Alford, Prof Jaime Vera and Dr Stephanie Daley from BSMS have made a short animation about cognitive impairment and looking after your brain health for people living with HIV. The animation was launched on 22 July for World Brain Day and is voiced by Sir Simon Callow. The video is a collaboration between BSMS, Brighton and Sussex LGBTQ+ Switchboard and people living with HIV who have cognitive issues. Cognitive impairment is seen at higher rates in people with HIV and this video is part of an information provision initiative being developed by researchers at BSMS and University Hospitals Sussex. The initiative is in response to findings that people living with HIV who have cognitive issues are unsure of what their HIV status means, its causes and of their prognosis, which cause significant stress and anxiety. The trio’s research has also found people living with HIV with and without cognitive issues are worried about their cognitive health but are unsure of how to support and maintain good brain health as they get older.

Watch the video here >

June 2023

Abebaw appointed RSTMH Honorary Fellow

Prof Abebaw Fekadu, Co-Director of the Global Health Research Unit on NTDs at BSMS, has been appointed as Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene (RSTMH) Honorary Fellow.

Read more here >

Researcher wins first prize at student conference

Congratulations to researcher Jamie Medley, part of the tuberculosis research group at BSMS, who won first prize for his presentation at the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) PhD student conference in May. His work aims to understand how Mycobacterium tuberculosis adapts to survive during pulmonary disease. Tuberculosis is once again the leading infectious cause of death worldwide, and a significant contributor to the threat from antimicrobial resistant (AMR) infections.

New paper: M.tb

Visiting researcher Elena Hailu from the Armauer Hansen Research Institute in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, along with Dr Daire Cantillon, Prof Simon Waddell and colleagues, published a new paper ‘Lack of methoxy-mycolates characterizes the geographically restricted lineage 7 of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M.tb) complex’ in microbial genomics. The study investigates why the L7 M.tb lineage is restricted geographically to parts of Ethiopia and contributes to our understanding of the spread of M.tb across the globe. The research was funded by the Wellcome Trust and the Association of Physicians of Great Britain and the Ireland Links with Developing Countries Scheme.

Read the paper here >

Anne appointed Global Assessor

Dr Anne Gatuguta, Senior Lecturer in Global Health, has been appointed as a Global Assessor by the Royal Society of Tropical Medicine & Hygiene (RSTMH). Global Assessors are a group of around 50 global experts who volunteer their time to help shape the careers of researchers and professionals in tropical medicine and global health. They assess all submissions including for early career grants, travel scholarships and event abstracts.

Dr Kinglsey Asiedu opens 5S Foundation meeting

Members of the 5S Foundation, established at BSMS, were delighted to welcome Dr Kinglsey Asiedu, Medical Officer from the Department of Control of Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs) at the World Health Organization (WHO), to open the fourth annual meeting on 13-14 June. Dr Asiedu focused on three key messages: how 5S outputs can contribute unique insights in the context of operational research into skin NTDs; how the focus on stigma represents significant progress for NTD partners; and the importance of uncovering bottlenecks in current NTD interventions. He also reminded attendees about the recently created WHO NTD working groups, where several BSMS researchers are already involved and contributing. The meeting took place on Zoom and included 46 participants from across the four countries where 5S is active. The group were particularly thrilled to see and hear from Sudanese colleagues, who have suffered displacement due to the ongoing conflict in that country but were able to join from different locations. The programme covered a range of presentations from early career researchers grouped under the themes: gender, refugee settings, lived experience, global policy and intervention evaluation. Find out more about the 5S Foundation below. 

Find out more here >

Trans-Inclusive Language in Healthcare

Monday 10 July, 6-8pm, The Queery, George Street, Hove

BSMS colleagues and friends are invited to this event as part of Trans Pride 2023. The event will focus on improving our understanding of appropriate and inclusive language when engaging with transgender and non-binary individuals in healthcare settings to ultimately produce a report with recommendations. During the event, you will hear from a range of experts in the field including Rory Finn from THT, Floralis from The Clare Project, Colin from All Sorts Youth, and Jacob Bayliss and Cass Watson from Brighton & Hove LGBT Switchboard. Their presentations will be followed by a Q&A session and a roundtable discussion, "Collective Responsibility: Improving Trans-Inclusive Language Practices in Healthcare".

Register here >

New poster to be presented in Kenya

​Dr Gem Aellah, Research Fellow in Global Health and Infection, is a co-author of a new poster which will be presented at Kenya’s 1st National Community Systems Strengthening (CSS) Knowledge Dissemination Forum from 4-6 July. The theme is 'Communities as agents of change in improving health outcomes' . Erick Okioma, co-author, community organiser and activist in Kenya, will present this sub-theme of ‘Community-led monitoring’. The poster title is 'HIV treatment access, activism and the 2020/21 #KEMSACOVIDHEIST in Western Kenya.

View the poster here >

May 2023

Order of service and eulogy for Maho

An order of service and eulogy for Dr Maho Yokoyama, who passed away on 8 April 2023, is available below. Maho joined BSMS in 2018 to work on an antibiotic resistance project with Prof Martin Llewelyn, having just completed her PhD at the University of Bath. 

View the order of service here >

View the eulogy here >

New paper: non-medical prescribing

Dr Saeideh Babashahi, Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Health Economics, is the author of a new paper, titled 'Costs, consequences and value for money in non-medical prescribing: a scoping review'. The paper has been published in BMJ Open.

Read it here >

Conference attendance report: ECCMID

Dr Leena Al-Hassan, Senior Research Fellow in Global Health and Infection at BSMS, attended the European Congress on Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (ECCMID). It takes place annually and is recognised by academia, the clinical setting and industry as the largest European congress for the presentation and discussion of research in the fields of clinical microbiology and infection. The scientific programme of ECCMID is a synthesis of current priorities in the fields of clinical microbiology and infection. The diagnosis, treatment, epidemiology and prevention of infectious diseases, as well as related basic microbiology, are addressed by leading scientists. Leena said: “As well as giving me the opportunity to present my latest research outputs (four posters presented this year), attending ECCMID allowed me to meet with collaborators and colleagues to discuss projects and progress, and meet new people. I benefitted from the wide range of topics, the most recent research and scientific findings, as well as the opportunity to engage and network with ESCMID Study Groups and researchers in the field of infectious diseases, thereby stimulating novel research ideas and future projects.”

Papreen presents research at Cambridge

Dr Papreen Nahar, Senior Research Fellow (Medical Anthropology and Global Health), presented her work at the Reproductive Justice conference that took place at the University of Cambridge this year. Papreen’s talk was titled 'Reproductive Injustices and the Many Lives of South Asian Women'. The panel she was part of explored the many sources of reproductive injustice in South Asia, including the intertwined history of the sub-continent, the lasting legacy of colonialism, the structural inequities embedded in social locations and geographies, the policies of postcolonial states, entrenched patriarchies, and the lack of social protection mechanisms. You can read more about her research below.

Find out more here >

BSMS-based applicants selected for top PhD programme

Claire Norcross and Kate Mattick have been awarded a place in the Africa Health Research Training Programme (CREATE), an innovative PhD programme. The CREATE PhD Programme will provide 25 doctoral fellowships to UK professional body registered health professionals who will register for their PhD at one of the five UK Partner Institutions, of which BSMS forms part, and conduct their research at one of six African Partner Institutions. In addition, the CREATE PhD programme will also recruit and support an equal number of fellows based in African partner countries (Uganda, The Gambia, Zambia, Zimbabwe and Ethiopia) to undertake a PhD. The fellows from the African countries will have the choice to register their PhD in their home country or at one of the UK partner institutions. Claire will be carrying out her Research on Drug resistance and long-acting injectable HIV prevention & treatment in Africa (partnership with MRC/UVRI & LSHTM Uganda Research Unit). The overarching aim of the project is to contribute towards the safe use and implementation of injectable antiretroviral therapy, and this will be achieved by describing pre-treatment archived HIV drug resistance patterns and prevalence, characterising emergent HIV drug resistance patterns during failure on long-acting injectable treatment and determining predictors of virological failure on injectable treatment. She will be supported by the following supervisory team: Prof Jaime Vera (BMS), Dr Deogratius Ssemwanga (MRC/UVRI & LSHTM Uganda Research Unit), Dr Fiona Cresswell (BSMS) and Dr Daniel Grint (LSHTM). Kate is an older persons physiotherapist and will be based in Zimbabwe at The Health Research Unit (THRU) for 18 months - 2 years during her PhD. Kate will be using participatory research methods to co-develop community peer-to-peer support groups for older adults in urban Harare, and a more rural location Murewa. The peer-to-peer models of care aim to enhance the functional ability and quality of life for older adults through physical activity, empowerment and discussion based problem solving. Kate will also be exploring local access to assistive technology (e.g. walking aids and adaptations around the home) to support healthy ageing. Kate's supervisory team include Dr Hazel Horobin (BSMS), Prof Gail Davey (BSMS), Dr Mandi Tembo (THRU-Zim, BRTI) and Prof Celia Gregson (University of Bristol / THRU-Zim, BRTI). 

April 2023

BSMS at first WHO global meeting on skin NTDs

The first World Health Organization (WHO) global meeting on skin-related neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) took place on 27-31 March in Geneva, Switzerland. The week-long hybrid meeting was attended by about 300 in-person and more than 1,000 online attendees from 86 countries including several from BSMS/NIHR funded projects. Prof Gail Davey gave a keynote presentation on the theme of ‘Operational research for skin NTDs – what are the critical needs.’ Dr Kibur Engdawork, a Postdoctoral Fellow at the 5S Foundation programme gave a talk on the impact of a social intervention on podoconiosis-related stigma in Northwestern Ethiopia. And presenting talks from the NIHR Unit on NTDs at BSMS were Dr Maya Semrau, Dr Oumer Ali and Dr Asrat Mengiste. Dr Gem Aellah from the 5S Foundation carried out an observation of the meeting for her research on understanding how policy around NTDs get made. 

This historic meeting brought together experts in skin NTDs, policy-makers, health workers, national programme managers, scientists, representatives of partner organizations and research institutions, patients’ organizations, and WHO regional and country focal persons for NTDs. The objectives were to discuss the medical, socioeconomic and research aspects of the 10 NTDs with skin manifestations; review lessons learnt on the ground and in the laboratory; strengthen integrated approaches; and contribute to advancing research, prevention and clinical care for patients worldwide, thereby accelerating progress towards the 2030 road map targets. The WHO agreed to convene a similar meeting in 2025. Pictured here are Gail, Kibur and Gem who attended in person.

Obituary: Dr Maho Yokoyama

It is with great sadness that Global Health and Infection announces the death of Dr Maho Yokoyama on the 8th of April 2023.  Maho joined BSMS in 2018 to work on an antibiotic resistance project with Prof Martin Llewelyn, having just completed her PhD at the University of Bath. Martin writes: “Maho’s work involved metagenomic sequencing analysis to measure antibiotic resistance in patients. It was her first post doc and a brave departure from the work she had done in her PhD. Maho clearly relished the challenge of learning the new techniques she needed working with collaborators in Oxford and Reading. She mastered not only the practical and data science techniques needed but also used amazing charm and patience working with NHS laboratories to secure the samples she needed.  In what was essentially a single huge experiment she undertook one of the largest clinical metagenomic sequencing studies published which came out two months before her death. Alongside this work she threw herself into the wider microbiology research community at BSMS allowing others working there to benefit from her expertise.” Maho was a dear colleague and she will be greatly missed by her family and close friends. A memorial service will be held on Tuesday 2 May at 3:30pm.

March 2023

Using folktales for female wellbeing

Dr Papreen Nahar, Senior Research Fellow at BSMS, presented a seminar on ‘Women characters in Bengali folklore’ organised by Sharothi, a London-based cultural organisation. In the run-up to International Women’s Day, Papreen decided to focus her talk on how looking back at folktales can help increase the self-esteem and wellbeing of British Bangladeshi women. Papreen said: “One of the main ideas of contemporary feminist theories include how women use their ‘agency’, everyday form of ‘resistance’, ‘resilience’ or ‘negotiation’ to protect their existence. By analysing characterisation of women in Bengali folktales in the light of these theories, I tried to see how marginalised women position themselves in reference to adverse patriarchal environment.” In my talk, I referred six Bengali folk stories based on women as central characters. None of these characters were crafted focusing women as just victims, rather as agents against patriarchal oppression. I elaborated on the character of Mahua from the story, Mohua Shundori (which can be traced as back as 1650), and showed how she did not take the social oppression for granted, instead actively reacted against it. In the story, Mahua has been characterised an adopted daughter of a snack charmer, who constantly using ‘everyday’ form of women’s agency against social oppression. As the story goes, Mohua overcomes the enormous hurdle by using ‘strategies’, ‘tricks’,  love as a power, and  being not ‘fearful’, and a ‘negotiator’. Instead of taking the role of vulnerable, victim or oppressed, she has taken all these ‘acts’ to bring changes in her situation in life and can be considered as ‘power’ to fight against patriarchal suppression. The last point I made is that Bangladeshi migrant women do not need to seek food for thoughts only from the western feminist movement, the elements are available in their own culture, and one just needs to learn how to gather or extract from them. If they ask others; grandmothers, mothers, aunts, sisters about the old folk stories, they will be enriched as these stories are inspiring. There are various indications in Bengali folktales (folktales from other cultures as well)  of how women exercise their ‘power’ in a hostile environment. How women's 'power’ can be or should be acknowledged differently than the men."

BSMS HIV team present in Seattle

Members of the HIV research team at BSMS attended the prestigious Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI) in Seattle, USA, from 19-23 February. CROI was established in 1993 and has facilitated the presentation of important discoveries in the field of HIV, hepatitis viruses, SARS-CoV-2, monkeypox, and other viral infections and their related conditions. Prof Jaime Vera gave an oral presentation on ‘(Neuro) inflammatory biomarkers mediate the association between HIV and depression’ and Harriet Daultrey (PhD student and soon to be a member of the HIV team) gave a poster presentation on ‘Agreement between HbA1c and interstitial glucose in people living with HIV’.

New paper: Global Health alumnus

Geeta Hitch, alumnus on the Global Health MSc at BSMS, has published a paper from her dissertation work, titled ‘Covid-19 pandemic experiences of students from BAME and White ethnic groups pursuing higher education in the UK: A qualitative comparative exploration’. The paper is co-authored with her supervisor, Shahaduz Zaman, Professor in Medical Anthropology and Global Health at BSMS.

Read it here >

New paper: mental health and asylum

Dr Mei Trueba, from the Department of Global Health and Infection, has recently published a paper looking into whether asylum seekers and refugees are provided with appropriate mental health support in the UK, using data from Brighton & Hove. The paper is published in the Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies.

Read it here > 

Successful Grant

Professor Jaime Vera has been awarded a KE Policy Fellowship to establish a multidisciplinary action research and policy network that will design and implement policy-influencing interventions in STIs and sexual and reproductive healthcare that are acceptable to the community. This work will strengthen the existing partnership between the BSMS Centre of Global Health Research and the University of Hawassa in Southern Ethiopia by engaging with policymakers to continue increasing capacity for research, innovation and knowledge exchange in sexual health and HIV.

Global Health Summer School

The new global health summer school module is now open for registration. The three-week module Critical Reflections on Global Health is suitable for undergraduate students, professionals interested in global health and anyone interested in engaging with important discourses on global health inequities. It is delivered with our collaborators from Universidad del Rosario, Colombia, allowing us to engage with different concepts such as the Latin American theoretical construct of ‘determination of health’ (vs determinants of health). If you are interested please register for the course here or for more information please email Anne Gatuguta. 

Email Anne here >

5S Foundation film wins award

Agony of the Night, a film made as part of the 5S Foundation’s work, has won the film award at the annual Festival of the International Society for Neglected Tropical Diseases. The awarded documentary, created by independent Ethiopian filmmaker Eyerusalem Kassahun and Dereje Wonde, a PhD researcher from BSMS, shares the stories of people in north-western Ethiopia affected by scabies and the health workers treating them. The Social Sciences for Severe Stigmatising Skin Conditions (5S) Foundation was established in 2019 at BSMS as part of Global Health and Infection.

Read the full story here >

February 2023

Global Health aim to increase awareness of NTDs at Parliament

Colleagues from the Global Health and Infection Department at BSMS were part of the organising team behind a week-long exhibition at Parliament, Westminster to highlight the need for more investment to tackle neglected tropical diseases (NTDs). The inauguration event took place on 30 January, World NTD Day, and was attended by parliamentarians, healthcare professionals, civil servants and members of the public. The exhibition included six images from partners across the 5S Foundation and the Global Health Research Unit on NTDs at BSMS, as well as two films from the 5S Ethiopia and 5S Rwanda team on podoconiosis and scabies respectively.

Catherine West, MP for Hornsey and Wood Green and Chair of the APPG on Malaria and NTDs, hosted the event, which included recorded statements from Dr Socé Fall, the newly appointed Director for NTDs at the World Health Organization, and Professor Getnet Tadele from Addis Ababa University in Ethiopia and Co-Investigator of the 5S Foundation project, run by BSMS. Dr Fall stated that NTD programmes are vehicles for greater social justice and called for greater investment in these programmes.  

Professor Tadele highlighted the importance of valuing indigenous knowledge, stating: “We are mutually interdependent - those from the global north have better technical expertise or competence and resources, while we, living and working in NTD-endemic countries, have deeper understanding of the context of the country. These must be valued equally.” You can watch Prof. Tadele’s full talk here.  

As well as a collection of scabies garments highlighting the presence of this neglected disease in the UK. The knitted items stem from a collaboration between Dr. Vikki Haffenden from the Department of Fashion Textiles at the University of Brighton and the Brighton and Sussex Medical School Public Health team who have been investigating scabies in care homes in the South East of England.

On the occasion of World NTD Day, Professor Gail Davey Head of the Global Health and Infection Department, wrote a blog for the Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene on the theme of “Act now. Act together. Invest in tackling neglected tropical diseases for health equity and social justice.”

Read it here >

New paper: One health

Dr Papreen Nahar, Senior Research Fellow (Medical Anthropology and Global Health), is the co-author of a new paper published in BMC Public Health last week. The ‘One health’ approach study used structured observation with 580 samples in Bangladesh, which revealed antibiotic stewardship initiatives in the community need to consider gender and urban-rural dimensions of drug shop uptake and prescription use for antibiotics in both human and animal medicine. Such initiatives could strengthen antimicrobial resistance national action plans in low- and middle-income countries.

Read it here >

Global Health researchers from BSMS meet Ugandan MPs to discuss collaboration 

Prof Gail Davey, Dr Chi Eziefula and Dr Ali Chakera travelled to the Ugandan High Commission in London to meet a delegation of MPs who were visiting the UK on a health-focused trip. HE Nirmala J Madhvani (High Commissioner) hosted the meeting. Hon Dr Batuwa Timothy Lusala (MP Jinja West, Shadow Minister of Health and Chair Uganda Parliamentary Forum on Malaria) mentioned that Neglected Tropical Diseases have recently been added to the Forum, and Forum members are seeking to develop an expertise in this area. Prof Davey shared with the group that BSMS is currently supporting the Ugandan Ministry of Health, Makerere University and IFOTRODE in mapping podoconiosis across Uganda. The group agreed to schedule a meeting with policymakers once the mapping had been completed. Dr Eziefula shared her work on menstrual health in the region, Hon MP Rose Obigah who was at the meeting had an interest in human rights and recognised the importance of menstrual health in relation to school attendance and alleviation of poverty.  A relevant forum was identified to pursue collaboration, the Uganda Women Parliamentary Association. Dr Ali Chakera shared his interest in the diagnosis and support of people with rarer forms of diabetes that was developed when working as a clinician in in Mbarara, Uganda. The meeting was a good opportunity to strengthen the links between research and policymaking, and it was agreed that more opportunities for interaction and sharing of knowledge is vital to creating legislative responses to health issues.

January 2023

New paper: Global Pharmacy alumnus

Global Pharmacy alumnus Tim Meadows, together with his supervisor Prof Gail Davey, has published his dissertation research. Tim’s paper is a systematic review of adherence and non-adherence to multi-drug therapy for leprosy within the World Health Organization Southeast Asia region, which is one of the most affected regions. The paper was published in Leprosy Review journal and can be read below.

Read the paper here >

New staff member

Dr Sohail Jannesari joined the MSc Global Health teaching team in January. He previously worked as a postdoctoral researcher at King's College London and his research interests are in migration, decolonisation, mental health, human trafficking and modern slavery.