Oxford University Clinical Research Unit - Nepal

Oxford University Clinical Research Unit-Nepal (OUCRU-NP) is hosted by Patan Hospital and the Patan Academy of Health Sciences in Kathmandu Nepal and works in close collaboration with the Nepal Health Research Council at the Nepalese Ministry of Health and Population. Our mission within the Patan Hospital, the Patan Academy of Health Sciences and OUCRU-NP is to build a strong critical mass of young Nepalese clinician scientists who can help build Nepal's scientific and clinical future.

Patan Hospital, Kathmandu

Patan HospitalOUCRU-NP was initiated in the summer of 2003 following a visit to Nepal by Prof. Jeremy Farrar after an exchange of letters with Dr Buddha Basnyat (Consultant, Patan Hospital) in the New England Journal of Medicine, subsequent to a review article by Prof.  Farrar and colleagues on typhoid fever.

Since 2003, the research collaboration has evolved and OUCRU-NP has become a respected and integral part of the work of both the Patan Hospital and the Patan Academy of Health Sciences. There has been considerable investment in upgrading the hospital laboratories including Microbiology and now Biochemistry, Heamatology and Pathology, in the Clinical Research Unit and in the training of young Nepalese clinicians and scientists. Our main research focus has been on the most common infectious diseases affecting patients at Patan Hospital and in the surrounding areas of Lalipitur.  We have a major focus on enteric fever (Typhoid and Paratyphoid) and other causes of febrile illness including typhus, infections of the central nervous system and Hepatitis E.  We plan in the future to expand this work to include viral causes of pneumonia, TB, emerging illnesses and other public health priorities in Nepal. High altitiude sickness in Nepalese and travellers has also been an interest of this collaboration over the last ten years.

Latest News flash

March 2013 

When you have time, please read the weekly (every Friday) health column by Dr Buddha Basnyat in the most widely read English language weekly in Nepal, The Nepali Times (www.nepalitimes.com) where for almost 3 years without fail this column (named Dhanvantari, after the mythical Vedic physician to the gods) by Dr Basnyat has addressed issues predominantly in tropical illnesses to public health to mountain medicine as it relates to Nepal and other countries in South Asia.  Old columns are also easily available in their archives. The Oxford University Clinical Research Unit\Nepal is trying to do more in terms of public engagement and this is an example