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Dr Chrissy h Roberts

Associate Professor

London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine
Keppel Street
London
WC1E 7HT
United Kingdom

I am an associate professor in LSHTM’s Clinical Research Department and the lead scientist of the LSHTM Global Health Analytics Group. Originally trained as a laboratory scientist, the majority of my work is now highly multi-disciplinary, focused on research methodology, research about data and technological innovations for bench, field and computer based methods for public good.

As a research methodologist, I am particularly interested in understanding how emerging technology can be leveraged for the benefit of human health. Drawing on a diverse skills set, I apply mixed methods from epidemiology, laboratory sciences, data science & analytics to a broad range of public health problems. Current focus-points of my work centre on the development of electronic data systems for use in health emergencies and epidemics, on scalable low-cost laboratory diagnostics and on methods for integrated surveillance of infectious diseases. Through funding from the NIHR and DHSC, my group has recently been providing data collection and real time analytics support to two major evaluations of Ebola vaccines in DR Congo.

I was the principal investigator of the NIHR funded Emergency and Epidemic Data Kit project, which won the 2018 LSHTM Director's Award for Best Research Group and the 2017 LSHTM Director's Award for innovation in teaching and learning. I was also a co-investigator and senior data coordinator on the flagship "Tujiokowe" (DRC-EB-001) trial, a major evaluation of Janssen pharmaceuticals' heterologous two dose ebola vaccine, which was funded by a £22m grant from CEPI.

I was a co-investigator and lead of two work-packages on FIEBRE, a £10m UK Government (FCDO/UKAID) funded study on the causes of fever in resource limited settings. I am also the principal investigator of the lab based Mos-Def study, a sister study to FIEBRE which is funded by a £360,000 grant from GHLabs (formerly The Global Good Fund).

I previously led a major programme of research in to the epidemiology of trachoma in the Western Pacific Region, research that was funded by more than £800,000 in grants from the International Trachoma Initiative, Fred Hollows Foundation, Queen Elizabeth Diamond Jubilee Trust and Coalition for Operational Research on NTDs (COR-NTD). This work supported ministries of health in Fiji, Vanuatu, Solomon Islands, Kiribati and Papua New Guinea in their very successful public health programmes which aim to eliminate trachoma as a public health problem.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, my work moved in another new direction towards a focus on research to better understand the opportunities, barriers and methods that can facilitate high quality mixed methods (qual/quant) research during health emergencies. 

A substantial focus of my current work is the development of novel methods for data collection, processing, management and governance in global health research. Working exclusively in the open-source domain, I use emerging software and hardware to implement novel platforms for data science. This includes the creation of code which is available on my Github repositories at https://github.com/chrissyhroberts/ and https://github.com/LSHTM-ORK

 

I currently supervise several brilliant research degree students who are studying for both PhD and DrPH programmes. 

 

  •  Morgan Lemin (2023 UKRI LID PhD) -  Applied Artificial Intelligence & Open-Source Data Methods for Female Genital Schistosomiasis and Global Women’s Health
  •  Anthony Mansaray (2023 Commonwealth Scholarship PhD) - From Ebola to COVID-19 in Sierra Leone : Community Based Surveillance towards One Health
  •  Namrata Thaker (2023 DrPH Cohort) - Organisational Policy Analysis and research on service enhancements within PEEK Vision.
  • Sara Hollis (starting Autumn 2024, PhD) - Optimal integration of community-based surveillance (CBS) into One Health surveillance efforts to inform pre- and post-spillover interventions

 

Affiliations

Department of Clinical Research
Faculty of Infectious and Tropical Diseases

Centres

Centre for Epidemic Preparedness and Response

Teaching

I have extensive teaching experience and I am involved in the LSHTM taught course and distance learning programme as well as supervising and mentoring research degree students.

 

  • Exam Board Chair for the LSHTM Distance Learning Programme Postgraduate Certificate/Postgraduate Diploma/MSc in Infectious Diseases
  • Research Degrees Coordinator for LSHTM's Clinical Research Department
  • Module Organiser for the Distance Learning Module IDM-102 : Principles of Biology.

 

Along with my colleagues Michael Marks & Matthew MacGregor, I was the recipient of the 2017 LSHTM Director's Award for Excellence and innovation in the use of technology to enhance learning.

Research

Multi-disciplinary and mixed methods research
Emerging technology
Data Science and Analytics
Outbreaks
Electronic Data Collection Software
Clinical trials
Clinical Research Methodology
Genetics
Neglected Tropical Diseases
Infectious Diseases

Community Based Surveillance 

One Health

Research Area
Anthropology
Epidemiology
Genetic Epidemiology
Immunoepidemiology
Immunology
Molecular biology
Molecular epidemiology
Operational research
Vaccinology
Data management
Data science
Mixed methods research
Research methodology
Disease and Health Conditions
Blindness
Leprosy
Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs)
Non-communicable diseases
Pandemic diseases
Trachoma
Tropical diseases
Tuberculosis
Infectious diseases
Emerging infectious diseases
Region
World

Selected Publications

Immunogenicity of an Extended Dose Interval for the Ad26.ZEBOV, MVA-BN-Filo Ebola Vaccine Regimen in Adults and Children in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
CHOI, EM-L; Kasonia, K; Kavunga-Membo, H; Mukadi-Bamuleka, D; Soumah, A; Mossoko, Z; EDWARDS, T; Tetsa-Tata, D; Makarimi, R; Toure, O; Mambula, G; Brindle, H; Camacho, A; CONNOR, NE; Mukadi, P; McLean, C; Keshinro, B; Gaddah, A; Robinson, C; Luhn, K; Foster, J; ROBERTS, CH; Johnson, JE; Imbault, N; Bausch, DG; ... Tujiokowe Study Consortium,
2024
Vaccines
Delivery and Safety of a Two-Dose Preventive Ebola Virus Disease Vaccine in Pregnant and Non-Pregnant Participants during an Outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Kavunga-Membo, H; WATSON-JONES, D; Kasonia, K; EDWARDS, T; Camacho, A; Mambula, G; Tetsa-Tata, D; CHOI, EM-L; Aboubacar, S; Brindle, H; ROBERTS, C; Manno, D; Faguer, B; Mossoko, Z; Mukadi, P; Kakule, M; Balingene, B; Mapendo, EK; Makarimi, R; Toure, O; Campbell, P; Mousset, M; Nsaibirni, R; Ama, IS; Janvier, KK; ... Muyembe-Tamfum, JJ.
2024
Vaccines
Dynamics of Trypanosoma cruzi infection in hamsters and novel association with progressive motor dysfunction.
Langston, H; FORTES FRANCISCO, A; Doidge, C; ROBERTS, CH; Khan, AA; Jayawardhana, S; TAYLOR, MC; KELLY, JM; Lewis, MD;
2024
PLoS neglected tropical diseases
Source data for: "Dynamics of Trypanosoma cruzi infection in hamsters and novel association with progressive motor dysfunction"
Langston, H; FORTES FRANCISCO, A; Doidge, C; ROBERTS, CH; Khan, AA; Jayawardhana, S; TAYLOR, MC; KELLY, JM; Lewis, MD;
2024
PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases
Source files for 3D printed hamster anaesthesia delivery nosecone
Langston, H; FORTES FRANCISCO, A; Doidge, C; ROBERTS, CH; Khan, AA; Jayawardhana, S; TAYLOR, MC; KELLY, JM; Lewis, MD;
2024
PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases
The UK Soft Drinks Industry Levy and childhood hospital admissions for asthma in England.
ROGERS, NT; CUMMINS, S; Jones, CP; Mytton, OT; ROBERTS, CH; Shaheen, SO; Shah, SA; Sheikh, A; White, M; Adams, J;
2024
Nature Communications
Estimated impact of the UK soft drinks industry levy on childhood hospital admissions for carious tooth extractions: interrupted time series analysis.
ROGERS, NT; Conway, DI; Mytton, O; ROBERTS, CH; Rutter, H; Sherriff, A; White, M; Adams, J;
2023
BMJ nutrition, prevention & health
Dynamics of Trypanosoma cruzi infection in hamsters and novel association with progressive motor dysfunction
Langston, H; FORTES FRANCISCO, A; Doidge, C; ROBERTS, CH; Khan, AA; Jayawardhana, S; TAYLOR, MC; KELLY, JM; Lewis, MD;
2023
PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases
Dynamics of<i>Trypanosoma cruzi</i>infection in hamsters and novel association with progressive motor dysfunction
Langston, H; Francisco, AF; Doidge, C; ROBERTS, C; Khan, A; Jayawardhana, S; Taylor, M; Kelly, J; Lewis, M;
2023
bioRxiv
The UK Soft Drinks Industry Levy and childhood hospital admissions for asthma in England
ROGERS, N; CUMMINS, S; Jones, C; Mytton, O; ROBERTS, C; Shaheen, S; Shah, SA; Sheikh, A; White, M; Adams, J;
2023
medRxiv
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