Charlotte Watts MSc PhD

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Background

Charlotte Watts is director of the Gender, Violence and Health Centre, and head of the HIVTools Research Group. Originally trained as a mathematician, with further training in epidemiology, economics and public health, she has more than fifteen years experience in international HIV and violence research.  

Charlotte has held several senior research and advisory positions, including acting as Core Research Team Member for the WHO multi-country study on women's health and domestic violence, Chair of the Expert Working Group to Assess the Global Burden of Inter-Personal Violence, Advisor to the UK Prevalence Study on the Mistreatment and Abuse of Older People, and Chair of the Public Health Benefits Working Group of the Rockefeller Foundation Microbicide Inidiative. She has also served on several WHO Expert Consultations on HIV, violence against women, and on microbicides.

Teaching

Charlotte teaches on the Control of Infectious Diseases (CIDS) MSc, gives lectures on several of the LSHTM study modules, and is deputy chair of the CIDS exam board.

Research

Much of my research aims to provide insights into how to address the complex challenge of women's vulnerability to HIV and to violence. My research draws on my multi-disciplinary background and the expertise of my research groups, with a focus on bringing together the appropriate disciplines and research expertise to conduct rigorous research that can be used to inform change. 

My current research projects span many aspects of violence and HIV, and include randomised controlled trials of community focused violence and HIV prevention programmes in Uganda and Cote DIvoire, global assessments of the health burden of interpersonal violence, mathematical modelling of HIV and rape in conflict affected settings, economic evaulations of the integrated delivery of HIV and reproductive health services in Kenya, Swaziland and Malawi, and modelling analyses of the potential impact and optimal introduction strategies for new female initiated HIV prevention technologies, such as microbicides. 

More information about this research is available on the Gender, Violence and Health Centre web-page, and on the HIVTools web-page.

Selected publications

• Kim, J.C.; Watts, C.H.; Hargreaves, J.R.; Ndhlovu, L.X.; Phetla, G.; Morison, L.A.; Busza, J.; Porter, J.D.; Pronyk, P.; Understanding the Impact of a Microfinance-Based Intervention on Women's Empowerment and the Reduction of Intimate Partner Violence in South Africa. Am J Public Health, 2007; 97(10):1794-1802
• Garcia-Moreno, C.; Jansen, H.A.; Ellsberg, M.; Heise, L.; Watts, C.H.; WHO Multi-country Study on Women's Health and Domestic Violence against Women Study Team, .; Prevalence of intimate partner violence: findings from the WHO multi-country study on women's health and domestic violence. Lancet, 2006; 368(9543):1260-9
• Ellsberg, M.; Jansen, H.A.; Heise, L.; Watts, C.H.; Garcia-Moreno, C.; WHO Multi-country Study on Women's Health and Domestic Violence against Women Study Team, (also including Rodrigues, LC;) Intimate partner violence and women's physical and mental health in the WHO multi-country study on women's health and domestic violence: an observational study. Lancet, 2008; 371(9619):1165-72
• Pronyk, P.M.; Hargreaves, J.R.; Kim, J.C.; Morison, L.A.; Phetla, G.; Watts, C.; Busza, J.; Porter, J.D.H. Effect of a structural intervention for the prevention of intimate-partner violence and HIV in rural South Africa: a cluster randomised trial Lancet, 2006; 368(9551):1973-1983
• Garcia-Moreno, C.; Heise, L.; Jansen, H.A.; Ellsberg, M.; Watts, C.; Public health. Violence against women. Science, 2005; 310(5752):1282-3
• Foss, A. M.; Vickerman, P. T.; Heise, L.; Watts, C. H. Shifts in condom use following microbicide introduction: should we be concerned? Aids, 2003; 17(8):1227-37
• Jansen, Hafm; Watts, C.; Ellsberg, M.; Heise, L.; Garcia-Moreno, C. Interviewer training in the WHO multi-country study on women's health and domestic violence Violence against Women, 2004; 10(7):831
• Colombini, M.; Mayhew, S.; Watts, C. Health-sector responses to intimate partner violence in low- and middle-income settings: a review of current models, challenges and opportunities Bulletin of the World Health Organization, 2008; 86(8):635-642

Full publications listing (since 2001)