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Dr Rein Houben

Professor of Infectious Disease Epid

United Kingdom

I trained in epidemiology, and came to LSHTM in 2006 for my PhD, working primarily on the molecular epidemiology of Tuberculosis. After spending three years working on field studies in North Malawi, I moved back to London in 2012 to work in TB modelling, and joined the LSHTM TB modelling group which I now co-lead. Between 2014 and 2019 led the development and implementation of the TIME model to support countries in their TB policy decision-making. In recent years my focus has been the spectrum of Mtb infection and TB disease, using historical and contemporary data to better understand the individual, population and policy consequences of appropriately considering the spectrum of TB. I also have an interest in the many structural determinants of TB, including nutrition, climate health and poverty.

Affiliations

Department of Infectious Disease Epidemiology and Dynamics
Faculty of Epidemiology and Population Health

Centres

Centre for Mathematical Modelling of Infectious Diseases
TB Centre

Teaching

I have taught on a wide variety of courses at LSHTM, including Intensive and Online courses, mostly in epidemiology and mathematical modelling. Currently I am a module co-organiser for EP202: Statistical Methods in Epidemiology. I also run the Virtual Ethics Committee exercise, which is part of the Online MSc Epidemiology course.

I have supervised more than 20 MSc projects, and I currently (co-)supervise 5 PhD students at LSHTM and other universities who are exploring questions around TB natural history, subclinical TB, post-TB sequelae and community-wide screening for TB. I welcome being contacted by prospective PhD students for a chat about TB.

 

Research

My research mainly looks to combine empirical data with mathematical modelling tools to address key scientific and policy questions, while providing opportunities for training and career development of individuals.  

My current work focusses on understanding how our recently renewed appreciation of the spectrum of TB disease provides both challenges and opportunities to reduce the impact of this disease on individuals and their communities.  

Current activities look at the whole spectrum, from quantifying the burden of Mtb infection and the role of self-clearance, to considering non-infectious and subclinical TB in community-wide screening programmes and policy. Together with partners in South Africa and Cambodia we also look to better map the many ways post-TB consequences affect TB survivors and their communities, and how we can provide post-TB care where it is needed. 

We also work on the many, and interrelated, structural determinants of TB, such as nutrition, climate health, incarceration and poverty.  

Our work has contributed to national, regional and global policy decisions, and continues to do so. Funding has come from National Institutes of Health (US), National Institute for Health and Care Research (UK), Wellcome Trust, European Research Council, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, UNITAID, USAID, Global Fund against AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria World Health Organisation and the Economic and Social Research Council.

 

Selected Publications

Classification of early tuberculosis states to guide research for improved care and prevention: an international Delphi consensus exercise.
Coussens, AK; Zaidi, SM A; Allwood, BW; Dewan, PK; Gray, G; Kohli, M; Kredo, T; Marais, BJ; Marks, GB; Martinez, L; Ruhwald, M; Scriba, TJ; Seddon, JA; Tisile, P; Warner, DF; Wilkinson, RJ; Esmail, H; HOUBEN, RM G J; International Consensus for Early TB (ICE-TB) grou,;
2024
The Lancet Respiratory Medicine
Estimating the contribution of subclinical tuberculosis disease to transmission: An individual patient data analysis from prevalence surveys.
Emery, JC; Dodd, PJ; Banu, S; Frascella, B; Garden, FL; HORTON, KC; Hossain, S; Law, I; Van Leth, F; Marks, GB; Nguyen, HB; Nguyen, HV; Onozaki, I; Quelapio, MI D; RICHARDS, AS; Shaikh, N; Tiemersma, EW; WHITE, RG; Zaman, K; Cobelens, F; HOUBEN, RM G J;
2023
eLife
Reevaluating progression and pathways following <i>Mycobacterium tuberculosis</i> infection within the spectrum of tuberculosis.
HORTON, KC; RICHARDS, AS; EMERY, JC; Esmail, H; HOUBEN, RM G J;
2023
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
Quantifying progression and regression across the spectrum of pulmonary tuberculosis: a data synthesis study.
RICHARDS, AS; Sossen, B; EMERY, JC; HORTON, KC; Heinsohn, T; Frascella, B; Balzarini, F; Oradini-Alacreu, A; Häcker, B; Odone, A; MCCREESH, N; GRANT, AD; KRANZER, K; Cobelens, F; Esmail, H; HOUBEN, RM G J;
2023
The Lancet Global health
The natural history of untreated pulmonary tuberculosis in adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
Sossen, B; RICHARDS, AS; Heinsohn, T; Frascella, B; Balzarini, F; Oradini-Alacreu, A; Odone, A; Rogozinska, E; Häcker, B; Cobelens, F; KRANZER, K; HOUBEN, RM G J; Esmail, H;
2023
The Lancet Respiratory medicine
Self-clearance of Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection: implications for lifetime risk and population at-risk of tuberculosis disease.
EMERY, JC; RICHARDS, AS; Dale, KD; MCQUAID, CF; WHITE, RG; Denholm, JT; HOUBEN, RM G J;
2020
Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences
Subclinical Tuberculosis Disease-A Review and Analysis of Prevalence Surveys to Inform Definitions, Burden, Associations, and Screening Methodology.
Frascella, B; RICHARDS, AS; Sossen, B; EMERY, JC; Odone, A; Law, I; Onozaki, I; Esmail, H; HOUBEN, RM G J;
2020
Clinical infectious diseases : an official publication of the Infectious Diseases Society of America
The contribution of asymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infections to transmission on the Diamond Princess cruise ship.
EMERY, JC; RUSSELL, TW; LIU, Y; HELLEWELL, J; PEARSON, CA; CMMID COVID-19 Working Group,; KNIGHT, GM; EGGO, RM; Kucharski, AJ; FUNK, S; FLASCHE, S; HOUBEN, RM;
2020
eLife
Post-tuberculosis mortality and morbidity: valuing the hidden epidemic.
QUAIFE, M; HOUBEN, RM G J; Allwood, B; Cohen, T; Coussens, AK; Harries, AD; Van Kampen, S; Marx, FM; SWEENEY, S; Wallis, RS; Menzies, NA;
2020
The Lancet Respiratory Medicine
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