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Dr Tansy Edwards

Associate Professor

United Kingdom

I studied Mathematics at the University of Leeds and then for a MSc in Medical Statistics at the University of Leicester.

I joined LSHTM in 2003 as a Research Fellow in Medical Statistics, within the International Statistics and Epidemiology Group (ISEG), in 2003.

I am a member of the management committee for the LSHTM Clinical Trials Unit and I am co-theme leader of ISEG's work on emerging and neglected diseases.

Affiliations

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

Centres

Centre for Data and Statistical Science for Health
Centre for Evaluation
Health in Humanitarian Crises Centre
Antimicrobial Resistance Centre

Teaching

I am co module organiser for two courses; analysis and design of research studies, which is a core term 1 statistics module for MSc students in the Faculty of Infectious Diseases, and for the summer project (thesis) module for MSc Epidemiology (distance-learning) students.

I teach across a number of statistical and epidemiological modules for in-house and distance learning MSc programmes in Epidemiology and Clinical Trials. Other responsibilities including being a personal tutor and MSc thesis supervisor and a variety of roles in setting and marking assessments.

PhD Supervision:

Nathaniel Lee. Improving the evidence base for therapeutic interventions for Leptospirosis (2022-)

Lauren Hashiguchi. Longitudinal modelling of glucose control and TB treatment outcomes in persons with TB and Diabetes in the Philippines (2022)

Jacqueline Lim. The burden of dengue in Africa (2019)

I hold and have held several statistical advisory panel roles for PhD students, including projects relating to epidemiology of tuberculosis, diphtheria, malaria, trachoma.

Research

My research is focussed on the design and analysis of trials of therapeutics and vaccines and epidemiology of predominantly rare, neglected and outbreak diseases, as well as other infectious diseases such as tuberculosis, and nutrition, affecting vulnerable populations across Africa and Asia

I have extensive experience in the design, analysis, implementation, interpretation and reporting of clinical trials to evaluate therapeutic treatments and vaccines via a variety of trial designs (phase 2-4, superiority, non-inferiority, factorial, group sequential, individually randomised, cluster randomised); and addressing global health research questions through rigorous epidemiological studies.

My PhD from LSHTM was focussed on the impact of heterogeneity and non-compliance in individuals on the design and analysis of cluster randomised trials.

I am particularly interested in trial design and development to evaluate therapeutics and vaccines for rare and acute infectious diseases, including those with outbreak potential (Ebola, Leptospirosis, Lassa Fever, bubonic plague, Acinetobacter baumanni).

Selected current and past projects:

I am the lead statistician for Action Against Stunting Hub https://actionagainststunting.org . £13m. UKRI. 2019-2024.

I am co-investigator, lead statistician, and a member of the trial steering committee and the trial operations committee, for a non-inferiority trial of ciprofloxacin vs aminoglycoside plus ciprofloxacin, for the treatment of bubonic plague in Madagascar. This will be the first randomised trial to achieve the planned sample size to evaluate efficacy and safety of treatments for this rare disease. £1.6m Wellcome Trust. 2019-2025.

I am co-investigator and lead statistician for the African coaLition for Epidemic Research Response and Training (ALERRT) consortium, a network of existing and emerging research leaders and institutions across west, central and east Africa and four European universities. €10m EDCTP. 2017-2024

I am a member of the Trial Steering Committee: Phase 1b trial of Favipiravir & Ribavirin for Crimean-Congo Haemorrhagic Fever (2023-)

I was a co-investigator and lead statistician for an evaluation of a heterologous, two-dose preventive vaccine regimen for Ebola virus disease in Democratic Republic of Congo. This large-scale vaccination trial importantly included a large number of pregnant women, enabling safety data collection in this group of often neglected participants in trials. $22.5m Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations. 2019-2022.

Past grants and projects include

Co-investigator, lead statistician: Non-inferiority trial of nutrition therapeutics for severe acute malnutrition in children 6-59 months in India. MSF. 2017-2020

Co-principal investigator, lead statistician, trial management committee: Emergency evaluation of convalescent blood & plasma for Ebola Viral Disease in affected West African countries. €2.9m EU. 2014-2016.

Co-principal investigator, lead statistician, trial management committees: AfriCoLeish: Treatment and Control of Visceral Leishmaniasis in East Africa. €3m EU. 2013-2016.
Research Area
Clinical trials
Disease control
Outbreaks
Pharmacovigilance
Statistical methods
Vaccines
Epidemiology
Capacity development
Disease and Health Conditions
Leishmaniasis
Malnutrition
Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs)
Pandemic diseases
Trachoma
Tropical diseases
Tuberculosis
Infectious diseases
Emerging infectious diseases
Country
Cambodia
Congo
Ethiopia
India
Japan
Kenya
Madagascar
Philippines
Region
East Asia & Pacific (developing only)
South Asia
Sub-Saharan Africa (developing only)

Selected Publications

SARS-CoV-2 antibody responses associate with sex, age and disease severity in previously uninfected people admitted to hospital with COVID-19: An ISARIC4C prospective study.
Parker, E; Thomas, J; Roper, KJ; Ijaz, S; EDWARDS, T; Marchesin, F; Katsanovskaja, K; Lett, L; Jones, C; Hardwick, HE; Davis, C; Vink, E; McDonald, SE; Moore, SC; Dicks, S; Jegatheesan, K; Cook, NJ; Hope, J; Cherepanov, P; McClure, MO; Baillie, JK; Openshaw, PJ M; Turtle, L; Ho, A; Semple, MG; ... ISARIC4C Investigators,
2023
Frontiers in immunology
Protocol for a phase 3 trial to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of a heterologous, two-dose vaccine for Ebola virus disease in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
WATSON-JONES, D; Kavunga-Membo, H; Grais, RF; Ahuka, S; Roberts, N; EDMUNDS, WJ; CHOI, EM; ROBERTS, CH; EDWARDS, T; Camacho, A; LEES, S; Leyssen, M; Spiessens, B; Luhn, K; Douoguih, M; Hatchett, R; Bausch, DG; Muyembe, J-J; DRC-EB-001 protocol writing team,;
2022
BMJ open
The seroprevalence, waning rate, and protective duration of anti-diphtheria toxoid IgG antibody in Nha Trang, Vietnam.
KITAMURA, N; Le, LT; Le, TT T; Nguyen, H-AT; EDWARDS, T; Madaniyazi, L; Bui, MX; Do, HT; Dang, D-A; Toizumi, M; FINE, P; Yoshida, L-M;
2022
International journal of infectious diseases : IJID : official publication of the International Society for Infectious Diseases
Patterns of non-communicable comorbidities at start of tuberculosis treatment in three regions of the Philippines: The St-ATT cohort.
Cox, SE; EDWARDS, T; Faguer, BN; Ferrer, JP; Suzuki, SJ; Koh, M; Ferdous, F; Saludar, NR; Garfin, A-MC G; Castro, MC; Solon, JA;
2021
PLOS global public health
Time to reconsider the role of ribavirin in Lassa fever.
Salam, AP; Cheng, V; EDWARDS, T; Olliaro, P; Sterne, J; Horby, P;
2021
PLoS neglected tropical diseases
Ebola virus antibody decay-stimulation in a high proportion of survivors.
Adaken, C; Scott, JT; Sharma, R; Gopal, R; Dicks, S; Niazi, S; Ijaz, S; EDWARDS, T; Smith, CC; Cole, CP; Kamara, P; Kargbo, O; Doughty, HA; Van Griensven, J; Horby, PW; Gevao, SM; Sahr, F; Ebola-CP Consortium,; Dimelow, RJ; Tedder, RS; Semple, MG; Paxton, WA; Pollakis, G;
2021
Nature
Estimating the Force of Infection for Dengue Virus Using Repeated Serosurveys, Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.
Lim, JK; Carabali, M; EDWARDS, T; Barro, A; Lee, J-S; Dahourou, D; Lee, KS; Nikiema, T; Shin, MY; Bonnet, E; Kagone, T; Kaba, L; Namkung, S; Somé, P-A; Yang, JS; Ridde, V; Yoon, I-K; ALEXANDER, N; Seydou, Y;
2021
Emerging infectious diseases
Effects of comorbidities on quality of life in Filipino people with tuberculosis.
EDWARDS, T; White, LV; LEE, N; Castro, MC; Saludar, NR; Faguer, BN; Fuente, ND; Mayoga, F; Ariyoshi, K; Garfin, AM C G; Solon, JA; COX, SE;
2020
The international journal of tuberculosis and lung disease : the official journal of the International Union against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease
Patterns and predictors of co-morbidities in Tuberculosis: A cross-sectional study in the Philippines.
White, LV; EDWARDS, T; LEE, N; Castro, MC; Saludar, NR; Calapis, RW; Faguer, BN; Fuente, ND; Mayoga, F; Saito, N; Ariyoshi, K; Garfin, AM C G; Solon, JA; COX, SE;
2020
Scientific reports
Long term outcomes and prognostics of visceral leishmaniasis in HIV infected patients with use of pentamidine as secondary prophylaxis based on CD4 level: a prospective cohort study in Ethiopia.
Diro, E; EDWARDS, T; Ritmeijer, K; Fikre, H; Abongomera, C; Kibret, A; Bardonneau, C; Soipei, P; Mutinda, B; Omollo, R; Van Griensven, J; Zijlstra, EE; Wasunna, M; Alves, F; Alvar, J; Hailu, A; ALEXANDER, N; Blesson, S;
2019
PLoS neglected tropical diseases
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