Rebalancing TB care: Improving outcomes for the 96% with drug sensitive TB with Dr Salome Charalambous
2026 Heath Clark Lecture
Each year, an estimated 10.7 million people develop tuberculosis (TB), with 96% affected by drug-sensitive TB (DS TB) — a form of the disease that continues to have devastating consequences for individuals, families and livelihoods, and which, when poorly treated, can drive the emergence of drug-resistant TB. While reported treatment success rates appear high, these figures often mask the realities of undocumented deaths and the lack of microbiological confirmation of cure.
Improving outcomes for DS TB is achievable. It requires earlier diagnosis, stronger adherence support and better retention in care. This lecture will examine work done on strategies that could transform DS TB care, including adherence support trials led by Dr Charalambous and colleagues, such as the TB Mate and ASCENT studies conducted in collaboration with LSHTM. It will also explore the latest developments in treatment shortening regimens and the steps needed to bring these innovations to people with DS TB. Prepare for a provocative session that challenges current priorities and argues for renewed focus on the 96%.
The lecture will take place from 17:15 - 18:15, followed by a 1-hour in-person drinks reception in the Pumphandle Social.
Speaker
Dr Salome Charalambous
Salome Charalambous is the Group Health Officer at The Aurum Institute in South Africa, a long-standing partner of LSHTM. She completed her medical training in South Africa and went on to earn both her MSc in Epidemiology and her PhD through LSHTM.
Dr Charalambous has worked at the forefront of TB and HIV implementation and research since 1998. Her publications span TB case finding, TB–HIV integration, TB treatment interventions, and HIV programme management. From 2003 to 2010, she led large scale TB–HIV programme implementation - including ART delivery - across diverse settings such as private practices, mining companies, public hospitals, and correctional services.
She subsequently focused on TB clinical trials and operational research in HIV and TB, contributing to multi-country collaborative projects with colleagues from LSHTM. Her work has extended across South Africa, Lesotho, Tanzania, The Gambia, Ghana, Zambia, and Mozambique.
Dr Charalambous has also played a central role in shaping national policy. She served as lead of the Secretariat for the South African National TB Think Tank and has been a Monitoring and Evaluation consultant to the South African TB programme. In addition to her role at Aurum, she holds joint appointments with Vanderbilt University and the Yale School of Public Health.
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