I am the Head of the Clinical Research Department at LSHTM and an Honorary Consultant in Paediatric Infectious Disease at St Mary's Hospital, London. I undertook a PhD on malaria and antimalarial drug resistance in Southeast Asia, which involved epidemiological and economic modelling, and community based studies on the access toand quality of diagnosis and treatment for malaria. Since then, I have continued to lead implementation and health service research that bridge across disciplines in order to address clinical, operational and policy relevant questions related to malaria, infectious disease and child health. When reports of artemisinin resistance P. falciparum malaria first surfaced on the Cambodia-Thai border, I helped to lead the scientific and operational response, for a period working for the WHO Global Malaria Programme in Geneva.

 My research focus has expanded beyond malaria and I am particularly interested in diagnostics and their role in improving the diagnosis and management of acute infections in children.

I have worked in KwaZulu/Natal South Africa, Sierra Leone, Thailand and Cambodia. I was the co-lead for MARCH centre Child Health theme and am on the board of Angkor Hospital for Children in Cambodia where I chair the Medical Ethics, Education and Oversight Committee. I am on a number of other expert committees and advisory boards.