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Dr M Sanni Ali

Assistant Professor in Epidemiology and Medical Statistics

United Kingdom

I am an assistant Professor in Medical Statistics with a focus in epidemiology and public health evaluation. My primary interest has been in the benefit and harms of medication, devices and intervention; use of secondary data for health research, epidemiology of HIV/AIDS and Malaria in sub-Saharan Africa, migration (particulalty to the middle east) and health and in developing and evalauting interventions to address these public health issues.

Affiliations

Department of Disease Control
Faculty of Infectious and Tropical Diseases

Teaching

I teach in Analysis of Electronic Medical Records: Causal Inference and Propensity score methods, and the Term 2 module in Evaluation of Public Health Interventions practical. I also teach in Basic Stats for Public Health. I also contribute to tutoring in MSc Public Health.

Research

I specialise in research methodology, evaluation of statistical methods, and quantitative research on evaluation of effectiveness/safety of medications, devices, and interventions; how interventions and policies influence infectious diseases. My research has used a wide array of methods including (cluster) randomised control/clinical trials, quasi-randomosed studies, systematic reviews, cohort, case-control (test negative case control studies), and cross-sectional studies. 

I have use electronic medical records from several countries including USA, Europe (UK, Netherlands, Spain, Italy, Denmark) and secondary data from Brazil, Southern and Eastern Africa. I use simulation studies to evaluate statistical/data science methods in epidemiology.

Research Area
Epidemiology
Pharmacoepidemiology
Applied statistics (medical)
Impact evaluation
Evaluation
Implementation science
Vaccines
Pharmacovigilance
Adolescent health
Infectious disease policy
Clinical trials
Clinical research
Disease and Health Conditions
Malaria
HIV/AIDS
Sexually transmitted infections
Non-communicable diseases
Tuberculosis
Country
Ethiopia
Ghana
Mali
Burkina Faso
Malawi
Zimbabwe
South Africa
Kenya

Selected Publications

Empirical Comparison of Exposure Set Definitions in the Prevalent New‐User Design
TAZARE, J; Gibbons, DC; SMEETH, L; Sanni Ali, M; Gillespie, IA; Cunnington, M; Logie, J; WILLIAMSON, EJ; Douglas, IJ;
2026
Pharmacoepidemiology and drug safety
"We carried her in a wheelbarrow to the clinic": process evaluation of the AMETHIST intervention combining microplanning with self-help groups to improve HIV prevention and treatment among female sex workers in Zimbabwe.
Machingura, F; Madimutsa, G; Makamba, M; Kujeke, T; Takaruza, A; Maguma, J; ALI, S; Chabata, ST; Matambanadzo, P; Steen, R; Shahmanesh, M; Mpofu, A; Mugurungi, O; Phillips, AN; HARGREAVES, JR; Cowan, FM; BUSZA, J;
2026
BMC health services research
Assessment of a Modified High-Dimensional Propensity Score Approach for UK Electronic Health Record Data: Evaluating Upper Gastrointestinal Safety of NSAIDs and COX-2 Inhibitors.
TAZARE, J; Gibbons, DC; SMEETH, L; ALI, MS; Gillespie, IA; Cunnington, M; Logie, J; DOUGLAS, IJ; WILLIAMSON, EJ;
2026
Pharmacoepidemiology and drug safety
Impact and cost-effectiveness of the community-led AMETHIST intervention among female sex workers in Zimbabwe.
Bansi-Matharu, L; Mangenah, C; Revill, P; Machingura, F; ALI, S; Chabata, ST; Matambanadzo, P; Steen, R; Mpofu, A; Mugurungi, O; Taramusi, I; HARGREAVES, JR; Cowan, FM; Phillips, AN;
2025
Nature communications
Decline in HIV prevalence among female sex workers in Zimbabwe between 2013 and 2023.
Chabata, ST; JONES, HS; Hove, T; ALI, MS; Bansi-Matharu, L; Machingura, F; Takaruza, A; Matambanadzo, P; Dirawo, J; Steen, R; BUSZA, J; Yekeye, R; Mugurungi, O; Phillips, AN; Cowan, FM; HARGREAVES, JR;
2025
Nature communications
An Exploratory Study Using Respondent-Driven Sampling to Map HIV Risk Across Sex Work Locations in Blantyre, Malawi.
Chirombo, J; LORA, WS; Sakala, D; Shahmanesh, M; ALI, S; Chabata, ST; HARGREAVES, JR; Cowan, FM; DESMOND, N;
2025
Journal of acquired immune deficiency syndromes (1999)
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