Kalpana Sabapathy is a clinical epidemiologist and Assistant Professor at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, and is Trial Co-ordination Associate on the HPTN-071/PopART (HIV Prevention Trials Network 071 / Population Effects of Antiretroviral Treatment to Reduce Transmission) Trial. PopART is a 3 arm cluster randomised trial involving 21 communities in Zambia and South Africa which is examining the potential of combination prevention including immediate ART for all HIV-infected individuals, to reduce HIV incidence at a population level.

Kalpana's professional experience over the last 20 years has included working in the National Health Service in the UK, and with Medecins Sans Frontieres in a number of resource-limited settings in Asia and Africa to improve access to HIV care and treatment, at a time when HIV was a global health emergency and generic ART had just become available in low-income countries. Her research has focused on optimising the cascade of care to expand access to HIV testing, facilitate timely linkage and initiation of antiretroviral treatment with sustained engagement in care for HIV-infected individuals across population sub-groups. 

Kalpana is now also interested in exploring cardiovascular disease in people living with HIV. This is increasingly recognised as a neglected area in sub-Saharan Africa but with growing importance in terms of morbidity and mortality. She is also returning to clinical practice as a GP in the UK.