Professor Punam Mangtani
Professor
of Epidemiology
I am a professor of epidemiology at LSHTM with specialist areas work focusing on the epidemiological aspects of 'flu, TB, other respiratory infections including coronoviruses, livestock related zoonoses and post-licensure aspects of vaccines.
I joined the School on an MRC training fellowship after completing an MSc in epidemiology here. As a lecturer here I received a Wellcome Trust Valuing People award. Prior to this I was a lecturer in General Practice and had also worked at the Public Health England (formerly the Health Protection Agency).
I have a research background that includes the epidemiology of influenza and other vaccine-preventable infections. I am an honorary consultant at Public Health England. I am also a member of the pneumococcal subcommittee of the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation and have been a member of WHO's Global Advisory Committee on Vaccine Safety.
Affiliations
Centres
Teaching
As part of my role, I am also a faculty research degrees director. I was until recently one of the course directors for the MSc Epidemiology (face-to-face) programme. I teach on a number of courses at the School, including short courses in epidemiology and the epidemiological evaluation of vaccines each summer.
Research
My main research areas of interest are the epidemiology of vaccine preventable diseases, mainly influenza, other respiratory infections, TB, hepatitis and more recently spill-over zoonotic infections and SARS-CoV-2. My work has included the efficacy and effectiveness of BCG and influenza vaccines and on vaccine safety in pregnancy. I led work on assessing factors affecting the efficacy of BCG vaccine and duration of protection of BCG. I have carried out work on a seroepidemiological study of human brucella in India, and a similar multi-centre study in West Africa.
I currently work on several studies including as a co-investigator on the Coronavirus School Infection Survey. This is a study in partnership with Office for National Statistics and Public Health England. Based on 150 schools in England I co-lead on the epidemiology and transmission of the infection within schools. I also lead on the human aspects of transmission and control of avian influenza and corononviruses eg on UKRI funded studies on the transmission SARS-CoV-2 infection in traditional food markets, on MersCoV in Jordan, and on avian influenza in the GCRF OneHealth Poultry Hub.
I am interested in and have experience of interdisciplinary research to consider and respond to issues that are multifaceted e.g. an appreciation of the role of economics in the control of vaccine preventable diseases, the role of nutritional changes and cancer with migration and currently one-health approaches with veterinary and social sciences on drivers for, as well as the control and prevention of zoonotic infections and the transmission and impact of SARS-CoV-2 in schools.
Selected Publications
