Bio

I am a clinical epidemiologist with a specific focus on infectious diseases and vaccines. I trained in clinical medicine at Oxford University, in infectious diseases in London and Newcastle and in epidemiology at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (LSHTM). I joined the Programme in 1993 and I was based at the University of Oxford for 15 years before taking up my current position at LSHTM as Professor of Vaccine Epidemiology.

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Current Work

My work has explored the aetiology of pneumonia in children and adults, the incidence of bacterial invasive diseases in children and the impact of conjugate vaccines against H. influenzae type b and pneumococcus. I have run trials of different types of vaccines against pneumococcus, in different schedules (e.g. for neonates) and different doses and I have established various systems of public health surveillance against invasive bacterial disease and SARS-CoV-2. With Tom Williams I set up the Kilifi Health and Demographic Surveillance System (KHDSS) in 2000 and I have worked with many internal and external collaborators to estimate cause specific morbidity and mortality in the KDHSS. Research Group - Katherine Gallagher - Wangeci Kagucia - Esther Muthumbi - John Ojal Other Roles; Director of the Health Protection Research Unit in Immunisation, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine Policy roles: Member – Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) UK Member – World Health Organization Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on Immunisation (WHO SAGE)

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Recent publications

Global impact of 10- and 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccines on pneumococcal meningitis in all ages: the PSERENADE project.
Yang, Y., Knoll, M. D., Herbert, C., Bennett, J. C., Feikin, D. R., Quesada, M. G., Hetrich, M. K., Zeger, S. L., Kagucia, E. W., Xiao, M., Cohen, A. L., van der Linden, M., du Plessis, M., Yildirim, I., Winje, B. A., Varon, E., Valenzuela, M. T., Valentiner-Branth, P., Steens, A., Scott, J. A., Savrasova, L., Sanz, J. C., Khan, A. S., Oishi, K., Nzoyikorera, N., Nuorti, J. P., Mereckiene, J., McMahon, K., McGeer, A., Mackenzie, G. A., MacDonald, L., Ladhani, S. N., Kristinsson, K. G., Kleynhans, J., Kellner, J. D., Jayasinghe, S., Ho, P. L., Hilty, M., Hammitt, L. L., Guevara, M., Gilkison, C., Gierke, R., Desmet, S., De Wals, P., Dagan, R., Colzani, E., Ciruela, P., Chuluunbat, U., Chan, G., Camilli, R., Bruce, M. G., Brandileone, M. C., Ampofo, K., O'Brien, K. L., Hayford, K.
J Infect, (2025). :106426

Comparison of causes of stillbirth and child deaths as determined by verbal autopsy and minimally invasive tissue sampling.
Assefa, N., Scott, A., Madrid, L., Dheresa, M., Mengesha, G., Mahdi, S., Mahtab, S., Dangor, Z., Myburgh, N., Mothibi, L. K., Sow, S. O., Kotloff, K. L., Tapia, M. D., Onwuchekwa, U. U., Djiteye, M., Varo, R., Mandomando, I., Nhacolo, A., Sacoor, C., Xerinda, E., Ogbuanu, I., Samura, S., Duduyemi, B., Swaray-Deen, A., Bah, A., El Arifeen, S., Gurley, E. S., Hossain, M. Z., Rahman, A., Chowdhury, A. I., Quique, B., Mutevedzi, P., Cunningham, S. A., Blau, D., Whitney, C.
PLOS Glob Public Health, (2024). 4:e0003065

Effect of mass campaigns with full and fractional doses of pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (Pneumosil) on the reduction of nasopharyngeal pneumococcal carriage in Niger: a three-arm, open-label, cluster-randomised trial.
Coldiron, M. E., Soumana, I., Baudin, E., Langendorf, C., Mamiafo Tchoula, C., Brah, S., Karani, A., Gallagher, K. E., Kagucia, E. W., Scott, J. A. G., Grais, R. F.
Lancet Infect Dis, (2025). :

Evaluation of population immunity against SARS-CoV-2 variants, EG.5.1, FY.4, BA.2.86, JN.1, JN.1.4, and KP.3.1.1 using samples from two health demographic surveillance systems in Kenya.
Lugano, D., Kutima, B., Kimani, M., Sigilai, A., Gitonga, J., Karani, A., Akech, D., Karia, B., Ziraba, A. K., Maina, A., Lambisia, A., Omuoyo, D., Mugo, D., Lucinde, R., Owuor, S., Konyino, G., Newman, J., Bailey, D., Nduati, E., Githinji, G., Agoti, C. N., Bejon, P., Scott, J. A. G., Agweyu, A., Kagucia, W., Warimwe, G. M., Sande, C., Ochola-Oyier, L. I., Nyagwange, J.
BMC Infect Dis, (2024). 24:1474

The discrepancy of antemortem clinical diagnosis and postmortem autopsy diagnosis of lung pathologies in under-five deaths and the reasons for discrepancies: a case series analysis.
Leulseged, H., Rees, C. A., Alemu, A., Tippett Barr, B. A., Dheresa, M., Madrid, L., Scott, A., Assefa, N.
BMC Pediatr, (2024). 24:365