Contributions on Tuberculosis research from the Department of Global Public Health at the Union Conference 2021
The Union World Conference on Lung Health is the world’s largest gathering of clinicians and public health workers, health programme managers, policymakers, researchers and advocates working to end the suffering caused by lung disease, with a focus specifically on the challenges faced by low-and lower-middle income populations. This year the conference took place virtually from 19 October to 22 October, 2021.
The Department of Global Public Health was well represented in the conference with former and current students, professors and researchers who presented their research on tuberculosis (TB).
Jay Achar, physician and PhD student, chaired the session Adverts events during treatment of drug-resistant TB (DR-TB), which discussed care and treatment in DR-TB and clinical trials and operational research for new treatments for drug-susceptible TB (DS-TB) and DR-TB in adults.
Kritika Dixit, Research Manager in Birat Nepal Medical Trust and PhD student, presented a qualitative study about the barriers and facilitators to accessing and delivering TB services in the Covid-19 pandemic in Nepal.
Rachel Forse, Programme Director at the Friends for International TB Relief (FIT) and PhD student, presented a qualitative study on the acceptability of a social protection package for TB-affected families in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.
Clara Yoshino, M.Sc. in Global Health, also presented a qualitative study on social protection for TB, which examines the availability and implementation of social protection programmes in 11 high TB burden countries.
Annika Gerken, M.Sc. in Global Health, presented a study comparing TB knowledge among community members and people with TB diagnosed through active and passive case-finding in Nepal.
Anna Carlqvist, M.Sc. in Global Health, presented an analysis of gender of national tuberculosis patient cost surveys, as part of the Community Connect session on the gendered impact of TB.
Salla Atkins, affiliated associate professor, had an e-poster about a scoping study on the socio-economic impact of TB on children and adolescents.
Isabella Razzolini, M.Sc. in Global Health, had an e-poster on a retrospective cohort study that analysed the association and intersectionality of sex, race and homelessness with adverse TB treatment outcomes in Brazil.
The presentations reflected the diversity of the research within lung health, with focus on TB, which is conducted at the Department. It included qualitative and quantitative studies and topics from TB diagnoses and care, epidemiological and socio-economic factors of TB and policy questions.
The Union conference took place virtually from 19 October to 22 October, 2021.