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Prof Helen Weiss

Professor of Epidemiology

United Kingdom

Helen joined the School in 1997, and is Director of the MRC International Statistics & Epidemiology Group. A medical statistician by training, Helen initially studied cancer epidemiology for her DPhil at the University of Oxford, followed by a post-doctoral position at the National Cancer Institute, USA.

Affiliations

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

Centres

Centre for Evaluation
Centre for Maternal Adolescent Reproductive & Child Health

Teaching

Helen co-organises the Advanced Course in Epidemiological Analysis which runs for 2 weeks each September in hybrid format. In 2023, the 56 course participants came from 29 countries. She also teaches on several MSc modules on epidemiology and statistics.

Research

Helen's research focuses on adolescent health, sexual health, HIV infection and mental health in low-income settings. She has collaborated on many observational and intervention studies, including recently studies of interventions to improve uptake of HIV testing, linkage-to-care and adherence particularly among young people in southern Africa. Work on mental health includes randomised trials to evaluate the effectiveness of lay health-worker delivered counselling interventions for depression, anxiety and alcohol use disorders.

Helen is Principal Investigator of the MENISCUS trial to evaluate the impact of a school-based menstrual health intervention in Uganda (funded by the Joint Global Health Trial Scheme), and is a Co-I on a range of adolescent health and mental health related intervention studies.

Helen has a specific interest in capacity strengthening and is PI of a newly-funded MRC International Statistics and Epidemiology Partnership which aims to strengthen and sustain an African-centered network of applied medical statisticians.

Research Area
Adolescent health
Epidemiology
Applied statistics (medical)
Randomised controlled trials
Disease and Health Conditions
HIV/AIDS
Mental health
Sexually transmitted infections
Country
Uganda
Zimbabwe
Region
Sub-Saharan Africa (developing only)

Selected Publications

Comparison of index-linked HIV testing for children and adolescents in health facility and community settings in Zimbabwe: findings from the interventional B-GAP study.
DZIVA CHIKWARI, C; SIMMS, V; KRANZER, K; Dringus, S; Chikodzore, R; Sibanda, E; Webb, K; Engelsmann, B; Redzo, N; Bandason, T; Mujuru, H; Apollo, T; Ncube, G; Hatzold, K; WEISS, HA; FERRAND, RA;
2020
The lancet HIV
Effectiveness of a brief lay counsellor-delivered, problem-solving intervention for adolescent mental health problems in urban, low-income schools in India: a randomised controlled trial.
Michelson, D; Malik, K; Parikh, R; WEISS, HA; DOYLE, AM; Bhat, B; Sahu, R; Chilhate, B; Mathur, S; Krishna, M; Sharma, R; Sudhir, P; King, M; Cuijpers, P; Chorpita, B; Fairburn, CG; Patel, V;
2020
Lancet Child and Adolescent Health
Assessing the effectiveness of a comprehensive menstrual health intervention program in Ugandan schools (MENISCUS): process evaluation of a pilot intervention study.
Nalugya, R; TANTON, C; Hytti, L; Kansiime, C; Nakuya, K; Namirembe, P; Nakalema, S; Neema, S; Alezuyo, C; Namuli Musoke, S; TORONDEL, B; FRANCIS, SC; Ross, DA; BONELL, C; SEELEY, J; WEISS, HA;
2020
Pilot and feasibility studies
Menstrual health intervention and school attendance in Uganda (MENISCUS-2): a pilot intervention study.
Kansiime, C; Hytti, L; Nalugya, R; Nakuya, K; Namirembe, P; Nakalema, S; Neema, S; TANTON, C; Alezuyo, C; Namuli Musoke, S; TORONDEL, B; FRANCIS, SC; Ross, DA; BONELL, C; SEELEY, J; WEISS, HA;
2020
BMJ open
A multicomponent secondary school health promotion intervention and adolescent health: An extension of the SEHER cluster randomised controlled trial in Bihar, India.
Shinde, S; WEISS, HA; Khandeparkar, P; Pereira, B; Sharma, A; Gupta, R; Ross, DA; Patton, G; Patel, V;
2020
PLoS medicine
Effect of a differentiated service delivery model on virological failure in adolescents with HIV in Zimbabwe (Zvandiri): a cluster-randomised controlled trial.
Mavhu, W; Willis, N; Mufuka, J; BERNAYS, S; Tshuma, M; Mangenah, C; Maheswaran, H; Mangezi, W; Apollo, T; Araya, R; WEISS, HA; Cowan, FM;
2020
The Lancet Global Health
Delivering the Thinking Healthy Programme for perinatal depression through peers: an individually randomised controlled trial in India.
FUHR, DC; Weobong, B; Lazarus, A; VANOBBERGHEN, F; WEISS, HA; Singla, DR; Tabana, H; Afonso, E; De Sa, A; D'Souza, E; Joshi, A; Korgaonkar, P; Krishna, R; Price, LN; Rahman, A; Patel, V;
2019
Lancet Psychiatry
Delivering the Thinking Healthy Programme for perinatal depression through volunteer peers: a cluster randomised controlled trial in Pakistan.
Sikander, S; Ahmad, I; Atif, N; Zaidi, A; VANOBBERGHEN, F; WEISS, HA; Nisar, A; Tabana, H; Ain, QU; Bibi, A; Bilal, S; Bibi, T; Liaqat, R; Sharif, M; Zulfiqar, S; FUHR, DC; Price, LN; Patel, V; Rahman, A;
2019
Lancet Psychiatry
Promoting school climate and health outcomes with the SEHER multi-component secondary school intervention in Bihar, India: a cluster-randomised controlled trial.
Shinde, S; WEISS, HA; Varghese, B; Khandeparkar, P; Pereira, B; Sharma, A; Gupta, R; Ross, DA; Patton, G; PATEL, V;
2018
Lancet
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