Professor Goylette Chami, an infectious disease epidemiologist in the Big Data Institute, has been awarded the C.A. Wright Medal by the British Society for Parasitology (BSP) for her outstanding career contributions to the field.
Named after renowned British parasitologist Chris Atwood Wright, the medal is given annually to recognise ground-breaking advances in the study of parasitic diseases.
Professor Chami leads a research group based in Oxford and Uganda that aims to improve the treatment and control of schistosomiasis, a debilitating waterborne parasitic disease. In collaboration with the Division of Vector-Borne Disease and Neglected Tropical Diseases at the Ministry of Health in Uganda, she leads a large, community-based cohort study – SchistoTrack – that tracks individuals in rural areas of Uganda annually to understand how schistosomiasis-related diseases develop and the best methods for reducing transmission.
Her work has helped shape the field of schistosomiasis epidemiology, providing new insights into how the disease presents and progresses, as well as how social, ecological, and spatial factors interact to sustain transmission. Her team have developed new protocols for diagnosing schistosomiasis, setting up large-scale rural cohorts, and guiding the introduction of disease control interventions. Her research has had a far-reaching impact on national and global health policies.
Among her current positions, she holds advisory roles with the World Health Organization and the UK’s National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR).
Professor Chami said ‘I am really humbled and honoured to accept this medal, also on behalf of my research group. I've worked with great collaborators, especially in Uganda, and had the chance to mentor junior researchers both at Oxford and in sub-Saharan Africa.’
She will give her award lecture at a future BSP meeting.