Dr Daniela Manno, MBBS, MSc, MD, PhD
Clinical Assistant Professor
London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine
Keppel Street
London
WC1E 7HT
United Kingdom
I am a clinical epidemiologist with extensive experience designing, leading and evaluating clinical trials and epidemiological studies on outbreak-prone infectious diseases. I have provided scientific leadership and coordination for multiple vaccine trials implemented in Sierra Leone, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Tanzania. My PhD evaluated the safety and immunogenicity of the heterologous Ad26.ZEBOV, MVA-BN-Filo Ebola vaccine regimen in Sierra Leone, generating evidence that supported its licensure in the European Union.
As LSHTM Responsible Physician, I led the Safety Working Group for a large-scale Ebola vaccine effectiveness study in the DRC that enrolled more than 20,000 individuals — including 1,221 pregnant women — during the 2018–2020 outbreak. This study generated critical data informing the use of the Ad26.ZEBOV, MVA-BN-Filo regimen in pregnancy and contributed to updates in licensure information. I am currently contributing to research on Lassa fever epidemiology in Sierra Leone, innovative HPV vaccine delivery strategies in Nigeria and Tanzania, and evidence synthesis on single-dose HPV vaccination. I have contributed to securing substantial external funding from IMI, CEPI and EDCTP3 for major vaccine research programmes.
I contribute internationally as a member of the WHO Filovirus Collaborative Open Research Consultation (CORC), supporting global priority-setting for filovirus research and vaccine development. My research agenda focuses on improving the inclusion and safety of pregnant and breastfeeding women in vaccine research for emerging infections, and on understanding the burden of Lassa fever and other emerging infections in pregnancy to inform vaccine development and deployment strategies.
I am a course organiser of the Pandemics: Emergence, Spread and Response short course at LSHTM and co-lead decolonising initiatives for the DTM&H and MSc Clinical Trials programmes. I also champion EDI within LSHTM, including securing funding to implement peer-support activities to address EDI-related barriers to career progression. My long-term aim is to advance inclusive, trusted and policy-relevant vaccine research during health emergencies for underserved populations.
Affiliations
Centres
Teaching
I actively contribute to teaching, educational leadership, and curriculum development across multiple LSHTM programmes, with a strong commitment to equity and student engagement.
Course and Seminar Organisation
Co-organiser, “Pandemics: Emergence, Spread and Response” Short Course (2025–ongoing)
I co-organise this interdisciplinary short course, which examines the emergence, transmission dynamics, and global responses to pandemics. I contribute to curriculum development, speaker coordination, and delivery of research-informed teaching that integrates epidemiology, social science, and global health policy perspectives.
Co-organiser, Decolonising Global Health Seminar Series, DTM&H Programme (2022–ongoing)
I co-organise this flagship seminar series for the Diploma in Tropical Medicine & Hygiene, convening expert speakers and facilitating critical discussions on colonial legacies, power dynamics, and structural inequities in global health. The series aims to foster reflective practice and challenge conventional paradigms in global health research and education.
Co-developer and Co-organiser, Decolonising Global Health Seminar Series for the MSc Clinical Trials (2025–ongoing)
I co-lead the development and integration of a new seminar series on decolonising global health within the MSc Clinical Trials. This initiative embeds critical perspectives on ethics, equity, community engagement, and global research ecosystems into the curriculum, supporting students to develop responsible and context-sensitive approaches to clinical trial design and implementation.
Teaching Roles
Tutor and Marker:
- Applying Public Health Principles in Developing Countries (Module 3198)
- Control of Sexually Transmitted Infections (Module 3192)
I support MSc students learning through tutorials, formative feedback, and coursework assessment.
Leadership and Mentoring
Child Theme Co-Lead, LSHTM Centre for Maternal, Adolescent, Reproductive and Child Health (MARCH)
As Child Theme Co-Lead and member of the MARCH Steering Committee, I contribute to the Centre’s strategic planning, cross-programme integration, and student engagement activities. I work closely with Student Liaison Officers to facilitate research dissemination, promote inclusive training opportunities, and strengthen interdisciplinary learning environments.
Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) Leadership
I champion EDI within LSHTM and recently secured internal funding to design and implement an initiative addressing EDI-related barriers to academic progression within the Faculty of Infectious and Tropical Diseases. As part of this work:
- I trained as an Action Learning Set (ALS) facilitator.
- I am designing structured peer-support sessions for staff and research degree students experiencing barriers related to equity, inclusion, or work–life balance.
- This initiative aims to develop a sustainable and inclusive peer-support model that enhances career development, well-being, and retention across the Faculty.
Research
I am interested in advancing equitable and evidence-driven vaccine research for emerging and epidemic-prone infectious diseases, with a particular emphasis on populations historically excluded from clinical studies.
A central focus of my work is improving the inclusion and safety of pregnant and breastfeeding women in vaccine research for emerging infections. I aim to investigate how vaccines can be evaluated ethically and safely in these populations, examining immunogenicity, safety and acceptability, as well as barriers to participation and strategies to promote equitable vaccine trial design.
I am also committed to evaluating the burden of Lassa fever and other emerging infections in pregnancy, generating data that underpin vaccine development, regulatory decision-making and deployment strategies.
In addition, I am interested in understanding how breastfeeding, early years nutrition, and maternal and child vaccination can be strengthened to protect mothers and children from infectious diseases in the UK.
Across these areas, my research agenda integrates epidemiology, clinical trials, immunology, social science and ethics to strengthen preparedness and inform global vaccine policy. My overarching aim is to develop inclusive, context-driven evidence to support safe, effective, and equitable vaccination strategies for underserved populations during health emergencies.
Selected Publications
