Yet again, the high quality of applications for this prestigious prize (now in its eighth year), posed a quandary for the panel. It was therefore decided that two very deserving candidate would jointly share the award.
Many well-deserved congratulations to the successful joint winners for 2024, Dr Rachel Burke (LSHTM) and Dr Ali Ismail (University of Cape Town). The LSHTM TB Centre will welcome both in person at the 2025 Stephen Lawn Memorial Lecture on 20 March, to be given by Dr Tereza Kasaeva, MD, PhD, Director WHO Global Tuberculosis Programme.
- Dr Rachel Burke
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A clinical epidemiologist working on TB and HIV, predominantly in Southern Africa, Rachel worked for three years in Malawi during her Wellcome-funded clinical PhD, on the CASTLE trial of Chest X-ray with AI and urine LAM testing for TB diagnostics. She has worked on TB and HIV epidemiology and public health at all of community, primary care and hospital levels, co-led a second randomised trial on starting ART in people with TB symptoms and contributed to developing guidelines for WHO. Currently, she is engaged on projects related to advanced HIV disease and reducing AIDS deaths, always with the aim of highlighting equity and justice. She is also a NHS infectious disease registrar doctor.
- Dr Ali Ismail
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Ali is an early-career clinician and scientist who combines clinical expertise and research acumen having recently completed his PhD on TB diagnostics by publication at the University of Cape Town. He is dedicated to advancing the understanding TB diagnostics and therapeutic interventions for tuberculosis in patients with HIV co-infection. He leads several clinical trials regarding tuberculosis throughout sub-Saharan Africa. Ali is also intricately involved in undergraduate and postgraduate training at UCT.
