Health improvement through WASH (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene) - As part of the NIHR Global Health Research Group on Adolescent Health and Wellbeing (https://adolescentwellbeingmalawi.org/), we are working with adolescents, their families and community members, health workers, policy makers, and other vested organisations, to better understand the psychological, sociocultural, socioeconomic, educational, political and geographical contexts which influence adolescent health and wellbeing, and explore how interventions and policies can best support young people. As a work strand lead (WS4 Water, Sanitation & Hygiene and Adolescents), together with colleagues from Malawi University of Business and Applied Science (MUBAS), we are assessing the critical role of WASH in promoting the health and wellbeing of adolescents, and will use this information in the co-creation and implementation of pilot interventions among rural and urban adolescent populations.

Waste Management in low income countries - investigation into the efficiency of recycling within Higher Education Institutions in Nigeria with the goal of making recommendations to improve the process. Despite the presence of recycling policy and infrastructure waste is often disposed of in landfill. Poor policy implementation results in low recovery rates. Targeted waste reduction and increased material recovery would enhance efficiency. Improved awareness of recycling benefits, in addition to policy enforcement, could serve as tools to increase stakeholder participation in recycling.

Ecology of Legionella species in compost environments - Legionnaires’ disease is a severe pneumonia caused by Legionella, usually Legionella pneumophila associated with contaminated aerosols from water systems, e.g. air conditioning, water cooling towers. However, in recent years several cases of Legionnaires’ disease in Scotland, caused by Legionella longbeachae have been linked to compost; most recently 4 cases occurring in Lothian have been reported in the media. The ecology of these organisms within compost is largely unknown. Studies have included work on: the presence of Legionella species in compost commercially available in the UK; the effect of greenhouse storage on Legionella survival in compost; the influence of free-living amoeba, particularly Acanthamoeba species, on Legionella ecology. See See Legionella spp. in UK composts – a potential public health issue

Ocular infection - specifically keratitis caused by the free-living protozoa Acanthamoeba, and the association with contact lenses; much of this work has focused on newer generation silicone hydrogel lenses. Studies have included work on: The effect lens material has on Acanthamoebal attachement to contact lenses; the efficacy of contact lens disinfection solutions against Acanthamoeba; Potential new drugs for the treatment of ocular infection with Acanthamoeba; isolation and molecular typing of clinical and environmental isolates of Acanthamoeba.

Current Research Students

• Caitlin Hope - Health effects of exposure to air pollutants, knowledge transfer on air quality monitoring and modelling between developed and developing countries
• Imogen West - Measurement and modelling of the health effects of exposure to air pollutants from the use of wood burning stoves in urban areas.
• Mindy Panulo - Using process evaluation to enhance Community-Led Total Sanitation (CLTS) delivery in rural communities of Malawi. 
• Charles Mbama - Solid Waste Management in Nigeria
• Jasper Ceuppens - Improving Adolescent Health and Wellbeing in Malawi.

Graduated Research Students

• Sandra Currie – Ecology of Legionella species in compost
• Kondwani Chidziwisano - Measure the relative impact of WASH and food hygiene interventions on diarrhoeal disease in children under five in Chikwawa district, southern Malawi
• Sadia Khan - The role of water distribution systems in the enrichment of antimicrobial resistance
• Fiona Mabonga - Mitigation of health effects of exposure to air pollutants
• Ansley Kasambara - Maternal Health Data Consitency and Management: A Longitudinal Study in Chikhwawa District
• Becky Laidlaw (second supervisor) - use of mHealth in health promotion programmes

Contributes to Undergraduate and Postgraduate teaching programmes:

• CL446 Water and Environmental Management
• CL413 Solid Waste Management
• CL904 Waste Management and Landfill Design
• CL913 Public Health Studies
• EV921 Water and Environmental Management

An environmental engineer with a focus on public health, Tara took on the role of course director for the MSc Environmental Engineering in 2019. She has expertise in environmental management, particularly surface water, solid waste management, and she also runs the departments only dedicated public health module, which introduces students from a non-health background to the fundamental issues around public health. Her research revolves around providing the scientific evidence of environmental risk to public health and eliciting behavioural change towards health enhancement. Much of her research has been based in Malawi delivering public health interventions. She is part of a multidisciplinary research team who have just been awarded £3million by the National Institute for Health Research to set up a Global Health Research Group on Adolescent Health and Wellbeing which will be located in Malawi.

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