London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine

The MRC International Statistics & Epidemiology Group (MRC ISEG) 50^th anniversary symposium and celebration 

To celebrate the 50th anniversary of MRC ISEG we are hosting a symposium to be held virtually on June 28-30, 2022.  The Symposium is hosted by LSHTM and our six partner institutes in Colombia (CIDIEM), The Gambia (MRC Unit The Gambia at LSHTM), Tanzania (Mwanza Intervention Trials Unit), Uganda (MRC/UVRI and LSHTM Uganda Research Unit), Zambia (Zambart) and Zimbabwe (The Health Research Institute - THRU Zim).  

The symposium will reflect on the contribution of medical statistics and epidemiology to global health over the past 50 years and look to the future with discussion and debate on strategies to transform capacity in medical statistics and epidemiology globally.  Sessions will include a conversation with Dr Soumya Swaminathan, Chief Scientist at WHO discussing capacity strengthening, advice to early-career researchers, and shaping epidemiological research in global health. The event will also include epidemiologists, medical statisticans, scientists and physicians who will discuss challenges and solutions in advancing research in both infectious and non communicable diseases. 

The symposium is open to anyone who has an interest in epidemiology or medical statistics. 

Programme and recording links 

Day 1: Tuesday 28 June 2022 

• 12:00-13:00: Welcome and introduction

  • 12:00-12:05: Welcome remarks 
    • Speaker: Liam Smeeth, LSHTM 
  • 12.05–12.55: The development of the MRC International Statistics and Epidemiology Group (ISEG) and contributions to global health in the past 50 years 
    • Speaker: Peter Smith, MRC ISEG, LSHTM 
  • 12.55-13.00: Break  

• 13:00-14:40: Session 1 - Emerging & Neglected Tropical Diseases. This session was hosted by the MRC/UVRI & LSHTM Uganda Research Unit 

  • 13:00-13:05: Welcome  
    • Chair: Pontiano Kaleebu, MRC/UVRI & LSHTM Uganda Research Unit 
  • 13.05-13.20: Controlled human infection model for testing schistosomiasis vaccines 
    • Speaker: Emmanuella Driciru, MRC/UVRI & LSHTM Uganda Research Unit 
  • 13:20-13:35:  Rift valley fever: development and evaluation of a One Health vaccine 
    • Speaker: Zac Anywaine, MRC/UVRI & LSHTM Uganda Research Unit 
  • 13:35-13:50: Africa CDC COVID-19 seroprevalence surveys 
    • Speaker: Festo Mazuguni, Africa CDC and MRC ISEG 
  • 13:50-14:05: SARS-CoV2 and COVID-19 surveillance in a general population in Uganda 
    • Speaker: Joseph Mugisha, MRC/UVRI & LSHTM Uganda Research Unit 
  • 14:05-14:20 Discussion 
    • Chair: Pontiano Kaleebu, MRC/UVRI & LSHTM Uganda Research Unit 
  • 14:20-14:40: Break  

• 14:00-16:15: Session 2 – Malaria. This session was hosted by the MRC Unit The Gambia at LSHTM

  • 14:40-14:45: Welcome 
    • Chair: Umberto D’Alessandro,  MRC Unit The Gambia at LSHTM
  • 14:45-15:05: New approaches to mass drug administration to eliminate malaria 
    • Speaker: Edgard Dabira, MRC Unit The Gambia at LSHTM 
  • 15:05-15:25: Seasonal interventions for malaria control 
    • Speaker: Matt Cairns, MRC ISEG LSHTM 
  • 15:25-15:45: Effectiveness of dual active ingredient treated nets against malaria in Tanzania 
    • Speaker: Jackie Mosha, NIMR Tanzania 
  • 15:45-16:00: Discussion 
    • Chair: Umberto D’Alessandro,  MRC Unit The Gambia  at LSHTM
  • 16:00-16:15: Break 

• 16:15-17:00: Session 3 – In conversation with. This session was hosted by the MRC ISEG, LSHTM 

  • 16:15-17:00: In conversation with Dr Soumya Swaminathan, WHO: Expanding capacity and shaping epidemiological research to advance global health 

Day 2: Wednesday 29 June 2022  

• 12:00-13:00: Session 1 – Stakeholder survey results. This session was by MRC ISEG, LSHTM 

  • 12:00-12:50: Capacity in medical statistics and epidemiology in global health research: What is the problem? What are the solutions? 
    • Chair: Elizabeth Allen, LSHTM
• 12:50-13:00: Break 

• 13:00-14:40: Session 2 – Tuberculosis. This session was hosted by Zambart, Zambia 

  • 13:00-13:05: Welcome 
    • Chair: Helen Ayles, LSHTM
  • 13:05-13:20: What can we learn from a combined TB screening and HIV testing door-to-door community-wide strategy, in settings with a high prevalence of TB/HIV? 
    • Speaker: Thomas Gachie, Zambart, Zambia 
  • 13:20-13:35: TB and COVID – what are the links? 
    • Speaker: Kwame Shanaube, Zambart, Zambia 
  • 13:35-13:50: Digital adherence technologies to support tuberculosis care in Ethiopia 
    • Speaker: Amare Tadesse, MRC ISEG, LSHTM 
  • 13:50-14:05: TB-Practecal: results from a non-inferiority treatment trial for rifampicin-resistant tuberculosis 
    • Speaker: Katherine Fielding, MRC ISEG, LSHTM 
  • 14:05-14:20: Discussion 
    • Chair: Helen Ayles, LSHTM
  • 14:20-14:40: Break 

• 14:40-16:00: Session 3 – Methodology. This session was hosted by CIDEIM, Colombia  

  • 14:40-14:45: Welcome 
    • Chair: Neal Alexander, LSHTM
  • 14:45-15:00 Developing and validating the Social Ecology of Occupational Zoonoses (SEOZ) psychometric instrument for the prevention of infections in agricultural settings 
    • Speaker: Jairo Palomares, CIDEIM, Colombia 
  • 15:00-15:15: Simulated trials: Assessment of treatment effect in the era of widespread use of active controls 
    • Speaker: Andrew Abaasa, MRC/UVRI & LSHTM, Uganda 
  • 15:15-15:30: Gender and intersectionality: Impacts of Artificial Intelligence/digital systems on marginalized groups 
    • Speaker: Sylvia Muyingo, Africa Population & Health Research Center, Kenya 
  • 15:30-15:45: Data science in outbreak response 
    • Speaker: Chris Grundy, MRC ISEG, LSHTM 
  • 15:45-16:00: Discussion 
    • Chair: Neal Alexander 

Day 3: Thursday 30 June 2022 

• 12:00-13:00: Session 1 – Discussion. This session was hosted by MRC ISEG, LSHTM

  • 12:00-12:50: Increasing capacity in medical statistics and epidemiology in LMICs: What works 
    • Chair: Helen Weiss, LSHTM
    • Speakers from: MRC ISEG, Zambart, DREAMS, THRU, MRC Units 
  • 12:50-13:00: Break 

• 13:00-14:40: Session 2: Chronic Diseases. This session was hosted by Mwanza Intervention Trials Unit, Tanzania  

  • 13:00-13:05: Welcome 
    • Chair: Saidi Kapiga, MITU, Tanzania and LSHTM
  • 13.05-13.20: Hypertension in HIV infected adults: a complex and important problem 
    • Speaker: Robert Peck, MITU, Tanzania 
  • 13.20-13.35: From epidemiology to the integration of care: 10 years of research on the response to chronic diseases in East Africa,  
    • Speaker: Bazil Kavishe, MITU, Tanzania 
  • 13.35-13.50: Accuracy of blood pressure measurement in Kenya: Implications for controlling the epidemic of cardiovascular disease 
    • Speaker: Anthony Etyang, KEMRI, Kenya 
  • 13:50-14:05: Leveraging the HIV care platform to improve hypertension care using the PRECEDE model: a cluster randomised trial from Uganda 
    • Speaker: Jane Kabami, Infectious Disease Research Collaboration, Uganda 
  • 14:05-14:20: Discussion 
    • Chair: Saidi Kapiga, MITU and LSHTM 
  • 14:20-14:40: Break 

• 14:40-16:15: Session 3 – HIV. This session was hosted by THRU Zim

  • 14:40-14:45: Welcome 
    • Chair: Agnes Mahomva 
  • 14:45-15:00: Universal test & treat: What have we learnt about ending the HIV epidemic?
    • Speaker: Richard Hayes, MRC ISEG, LSHTM 
  • 15:00-15:20: Beyond HIV: Broadening access to sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) in southern and eastern Africa 
    • Speakers: Maryam Shahmanesh, AHRI and UCL and Catherine Kansiime, MRC/UVRI, Uganda 
  • 15:20-15:45: Innovation and Integration for HIV/SRH interventions for young people 
    • Speakers:  
      • Chido Dziva Chikwari, THRU & MRC ISEG 
      • Tinashe Mwaturura, THRU, Zimbabwe 
      • Bernadette Hensen, LSHTM 
      • Mwelwa Phiri, Zambart, Zambia 

  • 15:45-16:00: Discussion 

    • Chair: Agnes Mahomva 

  • 16:00-16:15: Break 

• 16:16-17:00: Closing session. This session was hosted by MRC ISEG, LSHTM 

  • New horizons in medical statistics and epidemiology: Reflections from researchers and funders on how to meaningfully increase capacity 

    • Chair: Rashida Ferrand, THRU & LSHTM 
    • Speakers: Representatives from EDCTP, MRC and other funders 

Other MRC-ISEG events 

• Pre-symposium training course 1 - Thursday 26 May 2022
• Pre-symposium training course 2 - Monday 20 June 2022
• Pre-symposium training course 3 - Thursday 23 June 2022

Registration disclaimer 

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Please note that the recording link will be listed on this page when available