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Prof Shelley Lees

Professor Anthropology of Public Health

United Kingdom

With 25 years of working and living in Tanzania I have conducted anthropological studies to explore gender and power with a focus on sexuality and violence. My anthropological research on disease epidemics in Tanzania and Sierra Leone focuses local experiences of biomedical research and epidemic response. In this field, I also provide critical perspectives on biomedical practices.

Affiliations

Department of Global Health and Development
Faculty of Public Health and Policy

Centres

Centre for Evaluation
Centre for Maternal Adolescent Reproductive & Child Health
Vaccine Centre

Teaching

I teach on the Medical Anthropology of Public Health module and Conflict and Health. I am also co-organiser of the Pandemic Preparedness Short Course which runs in February - March.

Research

In Mwanza I was co-investigator and anthropological lead on the Maisha Trial (strive.lshtm.ac.uk/projects/maisha-microfinance-and-gender-training-reduce-violence-against-women). I have also conducted research on sexual violence against children in Zanzibar with Karen Devries and Louise Knight, which has also explored constructions of childhood amongst the Swahili and IPV. I have also conducted research on cash transfers and IPV in Mali.

My research on anthropology of epidemics has included research on sexuality and HIV as part of a microbicides trial and more recently, research on young women's experiences of PrEP, both conducted in Mwanza, Tanzania. A more recent focus of my research has been on emergent epidemics, including Ebola. I am the lead anthropologist on the EBOVAC-Salone Trial (www.ebovac.org) and work package lead on the ALERRT consortium, focusing on the social science of community engagement (www.alerrt.global). I am also senior anthropologist with the UK-PHRST where the social science team conducts social science research, capacity building and deployment (www.lshtm.ac.uk/research/centres-projects-groups/uk-phrst).
Our research group addressing the Politics and Anthropology of Violence and Epidemics, brings together all our research studies on violence and epidemics (www.lshtm.ac.uk/research/centres-projects-groups/pave).
Research Area
Medical anthropology
Gender-based violence
Violence against women and girls
Disease and Health Conditions
HIV/AIDS
Ebola virus
Marburg virus
COVID-19
Country
Tanzania
Sierra Leone
Democratic Republic of the Congo
Uganda
Region
Sub-Saharan Africa (developing only)

Selected Publications

Regulator experiences of trials during Ebola epidemics in Sierra Leone, Guinea, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Kasonia, K; Baiden, F; Le Marcis, F; Lapika, B; Kiyulu, J; Kimina, H; Bikioli, F; Attas, F; MANSARAY, A; BURNS, R; Nouvet, E; Thys, S; Paviotti, A; Manno, D; Fahnbulleh, MK; Leigh, B; Samai, M; GREENWOOD, B; LEES, S; Mulopo, PM; Watson-Jones, D;
2025
Tropical medicine & international health : TM & IH
Using an analogue-digital hybrid clinical data management platform during a two-dose preventive Ebola virus vaccine trial in Goma, the Democratic Republic of the Congo
WATSON-JONES, D; Brindle, HE; Tetsatata, D; Edwards, T; Choi, E; Kambale, K; Aboubacar, S; Mambula, G; Kavunga, H; Grais, R; Johnson, J; Bausch, D; Muyembe, J-J; Baisa, W; LEES, S; Camacho, A; ROBERTS, C;
2025
PLOS Global Public Health
Feminist anthropology and epidemics
LEES, S;
2024
The Routledge Handbook of Feminist Anthropology
Women's informal group participation and intimate partner violence in Mwanza, Tanzania: A longitudinal study.
Shukla, S; Mosha, NR; Meyer, SR; Harvey, S; LEES, S; Mshana, G; Stöckl, H;
2024
Social science & medicine
Political and Community Logics of Emergent Disease Vaccine Deployment: Anthropological Insights from DRC, Uganda and Tanzania
LEES, S; Alcanya-Stevens, L; Bowmer, A; MARCHANT, M; ENRIA, L; Vanderslott, S;
2024
Anthropologica
'If they see you bleeding they will quarantine you': Women's help-seeking for violence during the Ebola and COVID-19 outbreaks in Sierra Leone.
BURNS, R; SINGH, N; Fofanah, M; Momoh, T; LEES, S; SEELEY, J; COLOMBINI, M;
2024
Global public health
Long-term cellular immunity of vaccines for Zaire Ebola Virus Diseases.
Wiedemann, A; Lhomme, E; Huchon, M; Foucat, E; Bérerd-Camara, M; Guillaumat, L; Yaradouno, M; Tambalou, J; Rodrigues, C; Ribeiro, A; Béavogui, AH; Lacabaratz, C; Thiébaut, R; Richert, L; Lévy, Y; Prevac study team,;
2024
Nature communications
26 Social Science Evidence for Outbreak and Pandemic Response: Rapid Research and Analytics for Public Health Emergencies
Gobat, N; Carter, S; Kutalek, R; Rashid, SF; LEES, S; Anoko, JN;
2024
Principles and Practice of Emergency Research Response
Delivery and Safety of a Two-Dose Preventive Ebola Virus Disease Vaccine in Pregnant and Non-Pregnant Participants during an Outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Kavunga-Membo, H; WATSON-JONES, D; Kasonia, K; EDWARDS, T; Camacho, A; Mambula, G; Tetsa-Tata, D; CHOI, EM-L; Aboubacar, S; Brindle, H; ROBERTS, C; MANNO, D; Faguer, B; Mossoko, Z; Mukadi, P; Kakule, M; Balingene, B; Mapendo, EK; Makarimi, R; Toure, O; Campbell, P; Mousset, M; Nsaibirni, R; Ama, IS; Janvier, KK; ... Muyembe-Tamfum, JJ.
2024
Vaccines
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