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10 PEOPLE IN THE UK WHO ARE CHANGING THE FACE OF HEALTH

Britain punches above its weight in health and medical science. Our research is world-renowned, and continues to save and improve lives around the globe.

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10 PEOPLE IN THE UK WHO ARE CHANGING THE FACE OF HEALTH

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For a tiny island, we’re a very talented bunch. Our skills, knowledge and research are world-renowned throughout history, right up to today, as we continue to make incredible advancements and improvements in health all over the globe.

Dr Emily Adams

Senior Lecturer in Diagnostics for Infectious Diseases, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine

Dr Emily Adams, diagnostic lead at LSTM’s Centre for Drugs and Diagnostics, is at the forefront of the UK’s battle against coronavirus. A specialist in the development of diagnostic tools for parasitic and viral diseases, her recent work has focused on point of care tests for COVID-19. These tests require no lab equipment, meaning more medical professionals can use them, and more patients get treated. By accelerating diagnosis and treatment, these tests ease the strain on healthcare systems and, ultimately, save lives.

Olalekan Popoola

Researcher Associate, Department of Chemistry at Queens’ College, University of Cambridge

Olalekan Popoola undertook a doctorate at the Centre for Atmospheric Science after moving to the UK from Nigeria in 2009. He has since emerged as a leading expert on the impact of air pollution on human health and the environment. His groundbreaking research, focused on the monitoring and forecasting of air pollution events, will reduce emissions in pollution hotspots around the world. The impact of his work will be far-reaching. By working within the existing infrastructure, it promises cheap and globally scalable solutions to the lethal problem of air pollution.

Dr Ross White

Researcher in Clinical Psychology, University of Liverpool

Dr Ross White is the Head of the Department of Primary Care and Mental Health at the University of Liverpool. An expert on global mental health, he is currently leading a study evaluating the effectiveness of a psychosocial intervention (community-based sociotherapy) for reducing depressive symptomatology experienced by people affected by humanitarian crises, specifically Congolese refugees living in Uganda and Rwanda. Dr White is also investigating approaches for supporting the mental health and wellbeing of asylum seekers and refugees in the UK. His work helps international organisations offer the best possible psychological support to those in desperate need.

Professor Appolinaire Djikeng

Director of the Centre for Tropical Livestock Genetics and Health (CTLGH) at the Roslin Institute, University of Edinburgh

Since 2017, Professor Djikeng leads the Centre in its mission to drive and support research to develop tools and technologies to improve the health, resilience and productivity of tropical livestock through genetic gain. This will allow countries across the tropics to develop sustainable farming practices, which focus on agricultural development and human health.

Dr Katherine Gallagher

Assistant Professor of Epidemiology at London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine

Dr. Katherine Gallagher, an emerging specialist in vaccines and infectious disease, has dedicated her career to research focused on HIV, HPV and other debilitating illnesses. On HPV, she helped evaluate the introduction of the HPV vaccine in Tanzania and conducted pioneering research into the barriers to access and uptake in 45 other low and middle-income countries. She also worked on research towards an Ebola vaccine. As a postdoc, she was the London-based academic coordinator for two observational studies and two vaccine trials in Sierra Leone. Based in Kenya since 2018, she has been trialling lower dose versions of the pneumococcal conjugate vaccine.

Ingrid Etoke

Senior Market Access Manager at Innovative Vector Control

Originally from Cameroon, Ingrid Etoke is now working at the forefront of British innovation and science, helping develop new vector control tools for Malaria eradication. By working with manufacturers of insecticides, she’s set up strategic industrial, supply chain and commercial initiatives to foster a more independent and resilient healthcare system, such as early access to innovative tools and resources to help the countries in Africa most in need of Malaria protection.
For 15 years she’s supported leading healthcare companies (Novartis, Sanofi, GSK) in building and accelerating their businesses in Africa. In these tenures she launched some key malaria drugs. Her areas of expertise are marketing, business planning performance management, and her passion is to inspire people and make an impact in the world.

Professor Daniela Ferreira

Professor of respiratory vaccines and infection immunology, Head of Clinical Sciences Department, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine

Professor Ferreira’s group has established a unique model to induce pneumococcal carriage in human volunteers to research host immune responses and inform vaccine development. During COVID-19 Daniela’s team has provided expertise for the development and trialling of a number of vaccine candidates, including the development of LSTM as a Phase III trial site for the Oxford Vaccine Trial.

Dr Ioannis D Gallos

Senior Lecturer in Global Women’s Health at the University of Birmingham

Dr Gallos’ work focusses on preventing mothers dying from haemorrhage after childbirth – the biggest killer of mothers worldwide. Over 99% of maternal deaths occur in low-resource countries where life-saving drugs lose their potency in warm environments; Dr Gallos’ research established that a heat-stable drug can be more effective than the standard heat-sensitive drug for preventing haemorrhage. This work resulted in Dr Gallos collaborating with the World Health Organization (WHO) to change global guidance for preventing haemorrhage after childbirth.
Despite efforts to prevent haemorrhage after childbirth, millions of mothers will still go on to bleed excessively. Dr Gallos is now coordinating a global initiative to tackle haemorrhage after childbirth – the E-MOTIVE programme. The aim is to help doctors and midwifes recognise when a mother is haemorrhaging early by accurately measuring the blood loss and stopping the bleeding quickly by using a ‘first response’ set of effective interventions. The goal is to reduce deaths and complications related to haemorrhage by 25%.

Dr. Andrew Macadam

Principal Scientist at the National Institute for Biological Standards and Control (NIBSC); Coordinator of the nOPV Consortium

Research by Dr. Andrew Macadam and his team who were part of a global Consortium that has led to the design, for the first time in 50 years, of a new oral Polio vaccine which has shown promise in early clinical trials. This new vaccine is an improved version of the existing oral Polio vaccine and has potential to be rolled out later this year. It promises to be a key tool to achieve and sustain polio eradication.

Vivian Li

Group Leader, Stem Cell and Cancer Biology Laboratory, The Francis Crick Institute

Vivian Li, a pioneering scientist from the Francis Crick Institute, has made huge strides in stem cell research. Li was part of the effort to grow human intestinal grafts using stem cells from patient tissue. The grafts are one layer of the small intestine, and while researchers still need to work out how to grow the other layers and then combine these into transplants, the work is promising in a number of ways. First, it is an important step toward providing small intestinal transplants and so eliminating the shortage of organ donors. Second, success with intestinal grafts opens up the possibility of growing other body parts. Thanks to Li’s research, we are a step closer to personalised transplants for children with intestinal failure a hugely significant development for science and healthcare.

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