Download 2. Department of Infectious and Tropical Diseases

International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness (IAPB)
VISION 2020: The Right to Sight
International Centre for Eye Health (ICEH)
Programme Resources Officer
Job Description
London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine
(University of London)
Department of Infectious and Tropical Diseases
Background
The Programme Resources Officer will work with partner organisations to raise funds for the global
VISION 2020: The Right to Sight initiative. He/she will co-ordinate and prepare proposals to major
agencies, foundations, trusts and corporate organisations to obtain additional funding for priority VISION
2020 programmes, and work closely with national eye care programmes, the international non
governmental development eye care organisations and partner organisations such as the World Health
Organization. He/she will help to develop resource mobilisation strategies for different target markets
and facilitate their implementation.
1. The London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine
The London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine has an internationally excellent reputation in public
health and tropical medicine, is a leading postgraduate medical Institution in Europe and is Britain’s
national school of public health. A special strength of the School’s research is its multi-disciplinary
nature: leading researchers have backgrounds in public health medicine, epidemiology, clinical medicine,
infectious diseases, chemotherapy, biochemistry, immunology, genetics, molecular biology, entomology,
statistics, demography, health economics, public health engineering, medical anthropology, health
promotion, environmental health management, and health policy.
The mission of the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine is to contribute to the improvement
of health world-wide through the pursuit of excellence in research, postgraduate teaching and advanced
training in national and international public health and tropical medicine, and through informing policy
and practice in these areas.
2. Department of Infectious and Tropical Diseases
The Department of Infectious and Tropical Diseases encompasses all of the laboratory-based research in
the School as well as that on the clinical and epidemiological aspects of infectious and tropical diseases.
It is headed by Hazel Dockrell, who is Professor of Immunology. The range of disciplines represented in
the department is very broad and inter-disciplinary research is a feature of much of our activity. The
spectrum of diseases studied is wide and there are major research groups with a focus on malaria,
tuberculosis, HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases, vaccine development and evaluation,
and vector biology and disease control. The Department is organised into five large research units
comprising: Pathogen Molecular Biology, Immunology, Disease Control and Vector Biology, Infectious
Disease Epidemiology and Clinical Research. There is close interaction between scientists in different
research teams. The Department has strong overseas links, which provide a basis for field studies and
international collaborations in developed and developing countries. The teaching programme includes
MSc courses, taught in-house and by distance learning, which are modular in structure, a variety of shortcourses and an active doctoral programme (PhD and DrPH).
Immunology Unit (Head: Prof. Eleanor Riley)
Research in the Immunology Unit centres on analysis of the host response to infection at the molecular,
cellular and population levels. The goals are to develop a greater understanding of basic mechanisms of
immunological protection versus pathology, and to apply this knowledge to the development of
immunological interventions and the identification of correlates of immune status. Our work involves
application of state-of-the-art cellular and molecular approaches to the in vitro analysis of pathogen-host
cell interactions, to in vivo studies in models and to the study of immunity at the population level in
disease endemic areas. Main areas of research include the regulation of acute and chronic inflammation;
macrophage-pathogen interactions; cellular pharmacology; the production of cytokines during innate and
acquired immune responses; T-cell function and antigen recognition; the mechanisms of
immunopathology; the development of vaccines; and delivery systems for vaccines and drugs.
Current research includes the role of acute phase proteins in resistance to infection, homeostasis and
inflammatory disease, mechanisms of macrophage activation, control of cytokine synthesis and
mammalian lectin interactions (J. Raynes); intracellular trafficking and secretory pathways of cells of the
immune system (T. Ward); the role of innate responses in resistance to the bacterial pathogens,
Mycobacterium tuberculosis and Burkholderia pseudomallei, activity and regulation of natural killer cells
and their effect on macrophage activation and recruitment, regulation of chemokine receptors during
infection and granulomatous tissue responses in the lung against Cryptococcus neoformans and
Mycobacterium tuberculosis (G. Bancroft); correlates of protection against tuberculosis and studies of
BCG vaccination, human CD8+ T-cell responses to mycobacterial antigens and synthetic peptides, use of
whole blood assays in immuno-epidemiology (H. Dockrell); cytokine and chemokine responses to
leprosy, cellular composition and effects of steroids on skin and nerve lesions of reactional leprosy,
identification of specific peptides for immunodiagnosis of leprosy (S. Young); innate and adative
immunity to malaria including activation of natural killer cells, cytokine regulation in clinical immunity
and immunopathology, regulation of antibody production and immunoglobulin class switching (E. Riley);
transmission of Plasmodium falciparum malaria including antibody responses to gametocyte-infected
erythrocyte surface antigens, effect of gamete antigen variability on transmission, gametocyte
sequestration and development and gametocyticidal drug therapy (G. Targett, C. Sutherland);
characterisation of protective immune mechanisms and defined antigens in attenuated vaccine models of
schistosomiasis (Q. Bickle); pathogenesis of Epstein Barr virus, Kaposi's sarcoma virus and other human
herpes virus 8-related diseases in the immunocompromised, tumour (B/T-cell) clonality and TCR gene
usage, serological assays, prognostic markers and diagnostic pathology (A. Thomas); impact of
concomitant viral, bacterial, protozoal and helminth infections on induction of immune responses and
immunopathology and T cell regulation and induction of mucosal immune responses during intestinal
nematode infections (H. Helmby); the identification and evaluation of novel drugs and drug delivery
systems for leishmaniasis, trypanosomiasis and malaria, interaction between antiprotozoal drugs and the
immune response (S. Croft, V. Yardley).
Pathogen Molecular Biology Unit (Head: Professor Brendan Wren)
Research in the PMB Unit focuses on the molecular biology and genetics of pathogens and their hosts in
the context of improving the understanding and control of infectious diseases. Aspects of pathogen
biology of interest include: (i) determining the mechanisms of infection of globally important viral,
bacterial and parasitic pathogens; (ii) deciphering the genetic diversity of selected disease agents in
natural populations and to determine its epidemiological impact, (iii) studying immune evasion
mechanisms of particular disease agents, (iv) exploiting parasitic, bacterial and viral pathogens as model
biological systems and (v) developing practical applications including improved diagnostic tests and the
identification and characterisation of vaccine candidates and drug targets.
PMBU currently has funding to investigate, amongst others, the malaria parasite (Plasmodium spp),
Chagas disease (Trypanosoma cruzi), African sleeping sickness (Trypanosoma brucei), amoebic
dysentery (Entamoeba), the Leishmania species, bacterial food borne pathogens (Campylobacter jejuni
and Yersinia enterocolitica), gastric ulcers/cancer (Helicobacter pylori), plague (Yersinia pestis), paddy
field meliodosis (Burkholderia pseudomallei), Tuberculosis (Mycobacterium tuberculosis), Blue tongue
virus, Herpesviridae and SARS.
The long-term aim of PMBU research is to gain a fully rounded understanding of the complex and
dynamic ways by which pathogens modulate virulence and interact with the human host. Such a holistic
approach will vastly increase the scope for the rational of design of long-term intervention strategies to
reduce the burden of infectious disease. In recent years such a mission has been significantly enhanced by
the availability of whole genome sequences. Members of the Unit are, or have been, involved in several
pathogen genome projects including Herpes, Campylobacter jejuni, Yersinia pestis, Clostridium difficile,
Entamoeba and Trypanosome species. The interpretation and exploitation of this basic information is the
platform for numerous new avenues of research on pathogenesis, epidemiology and the evolution of
virulence. Unit members have been proactive in exploiting the post genome bonanza and have recently
gained significant funding under the Wellcome Trust and the BBSRC functional genomics initiatives, to
functionally dissect Campylobacter, Plasmodium and Trypanosome species.
A genome resource facility and bioinformatic suite are now operational and have greatly expedited
genome data mining, population genetics, phylogenetic and microarray analyses. A dedicated centre for
protein expression and fermentation is near completion. This multifunctional resource centre will help to
translate the research lead that we have in pathogen genomics into practical applications and will facilitate
research on the structural analysis of virulence determinants and the development of vaccine candidates
and drug targets. More details of the PMB members and the PMB Unit can be found on
http://www.lshtm.ac.uk/pmbu/
Infectious Disease Epidemiology Unit (Head: Prof Laura Rodrigues)
The Infectious Disease Epidemiology Unit conducts research on the epidemiology and control of
infectious diseases both in developing and industrialized countries. The research programme is broad, but
there is a major focus on four areas: HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), tuberculosis,
maternal health and vaccine-preventable diseases.
Professor Paul Fine and Professor Dockrell (Immunology Unit) lead a group working at the long
established field site at Karonga, Malawi. This began as a large cohort study of leprosy followed by a
large scale vaccine trial against that disease. Research has now broadened with immuno-epidemiological
studies of BCG effects, helminths, HIV and filariasis. Dr Laura Rodrigues is one of the principal
investigators of a large scale evaluation of a second dose of BCG in Brazil. She also studies the
relationship between worms and atopy through collaborations in Ecuador and Gabon. In the UK her work
focuses on gastrointestinal infections. Professor Andy Hall has a long standing interest in liver disease
and hepatitis vaccination. Currently evaluations are being made of routine HBV programmes in Colombia
and the Yemen. His UK work relates to adult influenza and pneumococcal vaccination, autism, and the
social determinants of age at infection.
The Maternal Health Group, headed by Dr Oona Campbell, conducts research on specific interventions
and service content to improve maternity care in poor countries. The research includes studies with an
emphasis on understanding the health policy and health system issues which obstruct the political will for
change. This builds on the growing awareness that the international Safe Motherhood Initiative has
neglected the wider picture by focusing primarily on technical aspects. Research activities also include
the assessment of the effectiveness of specific interventions such as vitamin A supplementation or clinical
audits, and the development and promotion of methods for monitoring and evaluating progress achieved
by maternal health programmes. The wide programme of research activities is conducted in partnership
with UK and international collaborators, including many developing country partners well placed to
influence policy at the national level.
The MRC Tropical Epidemiology Group (TEG) comprises statisticians and epidemiologists who conduct
research on the public health problems of developing countries. The TEG was established in 1973, and
receives its core support from the UK Medical Research Council (MRC). Professor Richard Hayes and
Professor Peter Smith are the joint grantholders and, in addition, the Group comprises a number of senior
lecturers, lecturers or research fellows in medical statistics and/or epidemiology. The main focus of the
Group's research is on the major infectious diseases of developing countries, notably HIV and other
sexually transmitted diseases (STD), tuberculosis and malaria. There is a particular emphasis on
rigorously designed intervention trials. The Group also conducts research on statistical and
epidemiological methods. A major function of the TEG is to provide statistical and epidemiological
support to the overseas units of the MRC in The Gambia and Uganda. The TEG also collaborates with a
large number of other research groups in Africa, Asia and Latin America.
An MRC Co-operative Group, with Professor Richard Hayes and Dr David Ross from the unit, has been
set up to promote work on the epidemiology and control of HIV and related infections in collaboration
with the Department of STD, at University College Hospital, the MRC Clinical Trials Unit and colleagues
in the Clinical Research Unit. In Mwanza, Tanzania, over 9000 schoolchildren have been recruited to a
randomized trial, which is measuring the impact of an adolescent sexual health intervention on HIV
incidence. MRC funding has been secured to conduct quantitative and qualitative research on the sexual
behaviour of adolescents in rural Mwanza. A multicentre study of heterogeneity in the HIV epidemic in
four African cities has been completed. There were few differences in sexual behaviour between high and
low prevalence cities, but fewer men were circumcised and there was a higher prevalence of ulcerative
STDs in high prevalence cities. The Unit has carried out a meta-analysis, which supports the role of male
circumcision in reducing the risk of HIV acquisition. There is particular interest in the role of HSV2 in
transmission of HIV since vaccination is a possibility.
Clinical Research Unit (Head: Dr Diana Lockwood)
The Clinical Research Unit addresses infectious diseases of major public health importance in developing
countries. Activities include trials of new therapies, vaccines and educational interventions; the
development of new diagnostic tests; studies to elucidate the immunological and molecular correlates of
pathogenesis and protective immunity, and to identify genetic polymorphisms conferring protection or
susceptibility to infectious diseases; health services research which aims to identify the most efficient and
cost-effective way to deliver health care; and health policy analysis. In addition to our many overseas
collaborations, we have close links with the Hospital for Tropical Diseases, in new, purpose-built
accommodation on the main UCL Hospital campus, five minutes walk from the School. The Wellcome
Trust Bloomsbury Centre for Clinical Tropical Medicine is based in the Unit, and currently supports five
Clinical Training Fellows and two Career Development Fellows, most of whom are based overseas.
Much of the Unit's research concerns HIV and related infections; in particular, the interaction between
HIV infection and other sexually transmitted diseases, and between HIV infection and tuberculosis. We
have longstanding and fruitful collaborations addressing these issues in Tanzania, Zambia, Uganda and
South Africa. Brian Greenwood FRS is leading an initiative to strengthen malaria research in the School
through new collaborative links in Africa. Research and teaching on blinding diseases in developing
countries has been greatly strengthened by the recruitment of Allen Foster, who is Medical Director of
CBM International, an NGO with programmes for the prevention of blindness and disability in over 100
countries; our research on trachoma has played an important part in framing the strategies adopted by the
WHO and the new International Trachoma Initiative for the elimination of blinding trachoma by the year
2020.
Disease Control and Vector Biology Unit (Head: Dr Daniel Chandramohan)
This multidisciplinary Unit includes epidemiologists, entomologists, anthropologists and social scientists,
clinical scientists, public health engineers, and geographers. This range of expertise provides us with a
battery of tools for focusing on the control of diseases that are insect-borne, water-borne or associated
with poor hygiene – mostly in developing countries. Much of the research can be categorised as:
evaluating disease control interventions; investigating implementation strategies - including working with
the private sector; understanding the factors underlying household behaviour in relation to family health;
or determining how control resources can be targeted most efficiently. Particular attention is paid to
research directed at current health policy issues, including the gap between policy and practice. Notably,
the Unit houses the DFID Resource Centre for Water and Environmental Health (WELL). WELL and the
new Hygiene Centre make up the Unit's Environmental Health Group, which plays a leadership role in
research and operational support for hygiene promotion, water supply and sanitation. The Unit also
houses the largest research group in LSHTM working on malaria control, including the DIFD Malaria
Knowledge Programme and many staff in the Gates Malaria Partnership. The Unit’s valuable mosquito
colonies are used for testing . repellent products and insecticides in the laboratory. The Unit also includes
a major grouping of researchers using spatial analysis in public health.
3. Teaching
The School offers 22 one year full-time taught courses leading to the Master of Science (MSc) degree of
the University of London and the Diploma of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine
(DLSHTM). The Department of Infectious and Tropical Diseases runs or contributes substantially to ten
of these courses and the “Immunology of Infectious Diseases” course is run from within the Immunology
Unit. In addition, the Department is responsible for the three-month Diploma in Tropical Medicine and
Hygiene (DTM&H) and offers a range of specialist short courses lasting usually one or two weeks. Three
MSc courses are also offered by Distance-based Learning, including one on Infectious Diseases.
4. Research Training
The School offers two doctoral training programmes. The MPhil/PhD degrees are designed for those who
wish to go on to a full time research career. The DrPH is directed towards those who expect their careers
to be more in the practice of public health.
The International Centre for Eye Health (VISION 2020) – Head: Professor Allen Foster
The International Centre for Eye Health has the goal to promote the VISION 2020 programme for the
elimination of avoidable blindness through research, training and information.
Its core activities are:

research into the control of major blinding diseases with current emphasis on;

childhood blindness

trachoma

cataract

training in community eye health and VISION 2020 programme planning;

collection and dissemination of information for the VISION 2020 programme.
Duties of the post

Prepare an overall resource mobilisation strategy in conjunction with the Resource Mobilisation
Committee and take the lead role in facilitating its implementation;

Work with VISION 2020 partner organisations to coordinate and prepare proposals for submission to
development organisations, trusts, foundations and corporations in accordance with VISION 2020
resource mobilisation principles and agreed strategy;

Maintain close liaison with VISION 2020 partner organisations to ensure that there is agreed added
value from making a submission as a VISION 2020 proposal, either directly or through a partner
organisation;

In accordance with VISION 2020 country and programme priorities, research the agencies and
organisations which offer the best prospects for obtaining programme funds;

When required, become directly involved in proposal writing and subsequent reporting and ensure the
information requirements of the donors are met fully and promptly;

Work closely with the Programme Committee, the WHO PBD programme, IAPB Regional Chairs
and national VISION 2020 working groups to identify high priority, good quality programmes to
submit for funding;

Maintain an overview of the global official funding environment and prepare background papers
which demonstrate the contribution of VISION 2020 programmes to the Millenium Development
Goals, poverty alleviation etc;

Maintain a record of programme funds generated, either directly or indirectly, as a result of VISION
2020 resource mobilisation activities;

Support the Corporate Working Group in fulfilling it’s Terms of Reference, as required by the
Chairman of the Group;

Coordinate and facilitate the Resource Mobilisation Committee, prepare papers for meetings, take
minutes etc.
Person specification
Essential:
 at least three years’ experience of relevant programme funding;
 a broad knowledge and experience of overseas development issues;
 good research experience;
 excellent report-writing and organisational skills;
 excellent interpersonal skills.
Desirable:
 an interest in prevention of blindness;
 working knowledge of Microsoft Office.
Accountability
The post-holder will be responsible to Richard Porter, Deputy Director of the International Agency for the
Prevention of Blindness (IAPB), VISION 2020: The Right to Sight, the Head of the International Centre
for Eye Health and through that person to the Head of the Clinical Research Unit and the Head of the
Infectious and Tropical Diseases Department and, ultimately, the Director of the School.
Salary and conditions of appointment
This post is a full-time appointment until 31 July 2007 in the first instance.
Starting salary will be Administrative Scale Grade 2 £25,403 - £32,023 per annum inclusive of London
Allowance.