Get ready! - the CTMGH X takeover begins on Tuesday 4 June and 8 IHTM students who are working around the world will be sharing their research placement experience.
On 31st May, the Public and Community Engagement Group at OUCRU re-launched the Science Visit project. This event saw 25 enthusiastic students from Vietnam, Brunei, Singapore, the Phillipines, and Cambodia. This student group is a part of the ASEAN Social Impact Program (ASIP), visit OUCRU. They joined a lab tour and participated in several group games centered around the clinical trials process.
At OUCRU, we believe that science can excite and inspire children, contribute to their understanding of the world, and present opportunities for life skill development. The better children understand and appreciate science, the better-informed decisions they can make throughout their lives.
Running continuously since Sept 2021, the PLATCOV trial has randomised over 1700 patients presenting with COVID19 infections. Work by PLATCOV\u2019s Dr Phrutsamon Wongnak published in the Lancet Infectious Diseases has shown that rates of oropharyngeal viral clearance have accelerated dramatically since the trial started: A SARS CoV2 viral clearance half-life in untreated patients of around 16 hours In Sept 2021 had reduced to around 9 hours by Oct 2023. The results highlight the importance of pharmacometric platform trials like PLATCOV, so that we are prepared for the next pandemic.
OUCRU Hanoi and its host, the National Hospital of Tropical Diseases (NHTD), recently organised a workshop entitled \u201cThe Value of Vaccines in Mitigating Antimicrobial Resistance in Vietnam.\u201d
OUCRU recently hosted an intensive week-long training event, the Viral Genomics and Bioinformatics course. This event was organised in collaboration with Wellcome Connecting Science, highlighting the ongoing commitment of both institutions to enhance global health research capacity, particularly in the field of infectious diseases.
Our students are currently scattered across the globe with their IHTM research placements but we have been given a fantastic opportunity to catch up with a few of them through the Tropical Medicine and Global Health, CTMGH\u2019s X (previously Twitter) feed.
The FemTech Forward Conference 2024 marked the first conference in this field in Oxford. Led by Christiane Hagel, DPhil Candidate in Clinical Medicine and President of the Oxford FemTech Society, the event gathered over 80 participants from diverse disciplines to explore advancements in women's health technology.
A workshop took place last week for the modellers from across disciplines in CGHR to enhance collaboration across statistics mathematical modelling and economics as well as medicine.
A project by the KEMRI Wellcome Trust Research Programme (KWTRP) at NDM highlighted the importance of future trials focussing on high-risk, undernourished children and using feeds tailored to their metabolic needs.
Serosurveillance remains a valuable yet underutilized tool. Through the KEMIS project, KWTRP aim to demonstrate the value of multi-pathogen serosurveillance in Kenya.
Shobhana Nagraj and the project team were very proud to accept a Highly Commended Community Partnership Award from the Vice-Chancellor for their work on \u2018Tackling childhood malnutrition in Oxfordshire: From grassroots to policy actions\u2019. The award recognises colleagues who have partnered with others to make a positive difference locally, nationally or globally.
The award for Outstanding Contribution acknowledges the Africa Oxford Initiative commitment to supporting the University\u2019s mission. AfOx is dedicated to partnering with Universities across Africa, to increase educational opportunities for students from the continent, boost employment opportunities and support new partnerships.
A new systematic scoping review of post-kala-azar dermal leishmaniasis (PKDL) studies found 56 studies published since 1973, with more than half of the studies dating from the last decade. Based on the relatively recent studies, which together include nearly 2,500 patients, the authors believe that the establishment of a PKDL data platform is feasible. The study is published in PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases.
The Public and Community Engagement group at OUCRU has a strong commitment to community engagement, particularly in the field of vaccine research. Let\u2019s look at some featured projects in all OUCRU\u2019s local offices, spreading out from typhoid in Nepal to TB in Vietnam.
Experts from across the globe joined forces to discuss how screening technologies can be improved so they can be more widely used to detect substandard and falsified medical products.
Neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) are a major cause of death, disability, and economic hardship worldwide, particularly in low- and middle-income countries. While many of these diseases are targeted for control, elimination, or eradication by 2030, achieving those targets will be challenging due to disruptions to programmes related to the COVID-19 pandemic and differences in disease transmission across regions, which requires tailoring interventions to local settings.
Malaria kills more than 600,000 people every year, and each year, World Malaria Day (25th April) raises awareness of what continues to be one of the world\u2019s deadliest infectious diseases. The theme for this year\u2019s World Malaria is on health equity across the globe, and the challenges faced by vulnerable groups such as pregnant women and young children.
On this World Malaria Day 2024, Professor Marta Maia from the KEMRI Welcome Trust Research Programme in Kilifi, Kenya, talks about her research work and shares her reflections on climate change and what this means to vector biology and current interventions.
A new study, led by researchers at the Infectious Diseases Data Observatory (IDDO) and the Mahidol Oxford Tropical Medicine Research Unit (MORU) at NDM, found that a large number of national guidelines recommend at least one treatment proven not to work.
The class of 2023 celebrated the end of exams with a formal dinner in the Divinity School where they were joined by teachers, staff, funders and friends of IHTM.
22th April is Earth Day. As important as clinical research, at OUCRU, we are also committed to promoting environmental activities and encouraging a culture of sustainability. Our initiatives include a dedicated Green Team and several activities, one of which is the Green Day event. The OUCRU Green Team is a group of passionate volunteers who work tirelessly to equip our office with eco-friendly systems and inspire staff to adopt environmentally sustainable lifestyles.
The Malariaworld exhibition has been developed for World Malaria Day 2024 to raise awareness of malaria and malaria research. We highlight some of the Nuffield Department of Medicine\u2019s contributions to malaria research. Come and visit our exhibition at the John Radcliffe Academic Centre, 22-29 April 2024.
Global Health research at the University of Oxford and its partners is broad reaching, bringing significant impact across all academic disciplines of medicine, the physical and life sciences, social sciences and humanities. The Diagnostics in Tropical and Infectious Disease (DiTi) award, run by the Translational Research Office, aims to strengthen the long-term partnership between Oxford University and Mahidol University by establishing partnerships and supporting collaborative projects to develop diagnostic devices for tropical and infectious diseases, with the goal of driving more translational research initiatives in global health. Read this interview from award winner Dr Chris Chew.
The objectives of the dengue group over the last 20 years have been to improve the diagnosis and management of dengue and to facilitate and enhance disease prevention strategies at a local, regional and global level.
An updated systematic search and review of published information from over 4,000 malaria samples has identified areas in central, eastern and north-eastern India where treatment-resistant malaria parasites could be more prevalent.
Health Innovation and Entrepreneurship, HIE \u2013 an exciting new podcast series from IHTM. The HIE podcast series provides a platform for entrepreneurs to share their vision of how innovation can help solve global health problems and what lessons the entrepreneurs have learnt on their journey.
A recent study published in the Journal of Maternal-Fetal & Neonatal Medicine has validated a novel biomarker that accurately predicts preterm births. The research represents an important advancement in the early detection and management of preterm labour risks, with potential implications for improving maternal and neonatal health outcomes in the Southeast Asian region.
New research by the Mahidol Oxford Tropical Medicine Research Unit, explores the potential benefits of a presumptive lateral flow rapid diagnostic test in managing acute non-malarial febrile illness (NMFI) patient care in rural areas of Southeast Asia.
It has been well-documented that healthcare workers were significantly affected during the COVID-19 pandemic. They faced increased risks, shortage of protective equipment, heavy workloads, and severe mental distress. However, most existing studies explored healthcare workers\u2019 experiences at the individual level rather than examining the collective responses. Exploring these experiences can highlight the local culture and social influence during the pandemic and point out system limits during public health crises.
In the 1st week of April each year, the global community comes together to celebrate health workers, the backbone of the health industry and society. This year, the theme is #SafeSupportedHealthWorkers. The Frontline Health Workers Coalition and its partners are leading the effort. The goal is to unite advocates, health workers, leaders, and communities worldwide to call for investment, protection, and support for the health workforce. This is especially important in low\u2014and middle-income countries.
Social workers play an important role in complex and fast-paced environments like hospitals. They support hospital staff, patients, and carers professionally, physically, and mentally.
OUCRU, in collaboration with KPMG Vietnam, recently led a delegation from the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Health (DoH) on a visit to the United Kingdom. This visit is a part of a UK-funded strategic initiative to support the DoH in developing Ho Chi Minh City as a health innovation hub for Vietnam and the region.
Members of OUCRU\u2019s Tuberculosis group have contributed to the World Health Organization's latest edition of the tuberculosis (TB) diagnostic handbook. The \"WHO operational handbook on tuberculosis\" is an important resource for the rapid detection and diagnosis of tuberculosis (TB).
Since obtaining her PhD from the University of Oxford in 2017, Dr Vu Thi Lan Huong has charted a transformative journey, rising to spearhead the Antimicrobial Stewardship (AMS) programme. Currently, as the Senior Research Fellow at OUCRU Ha Noi, she has dedicated her career to unravelling the complexities of this silent but deadly threat.
Much of the focus of Hilary term has been on preparing the policy briefs for the All-Party Parliamentary Group, APPG, on Malaria and Neglected Tropical Diseases, NTDs.
An analysis of over 11,000 falciparum malaria individual patient data sets has found that acutely malnourished children have a higher risk of reinfections and treatment failures, even when treated with recommended doses of artemisinin-based combination therapies, currently the best malaria treatment available. The malaria parasite clearance was also likely to be longer in these children.
Students taking this term\u2019s vaccinology module took part in a problem-based learning project, PBL, presenting their findings to a panel of experts.
Green Templeton College proudly marked #InternationalWomensDay2024 by honouring fourteen exceptional women through a series of nine stunning portraits including two members of the Health Systems Collaborative (HSC).
OUCRU and Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust have partnered to deliver a specialised training program in critical care medicine at the National Hospital for Tropical Diseases (Ha Noi) and the Hospital for Tropical Diseases (Ho Chi Minh City).
Bachtiar Andy Musaffa (Andy) stands at the intersection of data management and human leadership\u2014a place where numbers meet the nuanced complexities of team dynamics. As the Senior Research Data Manager at OUCRU Indonesia, Andy is not only at the helm of organising critical clinical trial data and developing databases but also at the core of leading a diverse team through the highs and lows of intensive research environments.
Oxford University Clinical Research Unit\u2019s host and partner in Ho Chi Minh City, the Hospital for Tropical Diseases, was recently honoured with the Vietnam 2023 Medical Achievement Award at an event hosted by Voice of Ho Chi Minh City (VoH).
Led by Benjamin Tsofa and Jacob McKnight, the project named \"A Novel Extreme Weather Risk Insurance System for Kenya (NEWRISK)\u201d will focus on using the latest methods to provide focused data on extreme weather, population vulnerability, and health system capacity readiness across various climatic zones in Kenya.
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