Assistant Professor Hannah Clapham will assume leadership of the School’s Infectious Diseases programme, effective from 1 September 2022. In her new role, Hannah will be responsible for the programme’s research capabilities as well as work very closely with the School leadership and faculty to further expand and strengthen the quality and vitality of the programme’s stakeholder networks.
Hannah’s complex modelling work on flaviviruses, specifically Dengue and Japanese Encephalitis (JE), and more recently COVID-19, has made a major impact on international and national efforts on infectious disease control and vaccination as recognised by the World Health Organisation, GAVI the Vaccine Alliance, Gates Foundation and the Ministry of Health, Singapore (MOH). Her work is highly challenging and achievements significant given the complexity of the immunogenicity and transmission dynamics profile of these diseases, combined with her requisite talent to independently harness and incorporate multiple disciplines including mathematics, human and animal biology, immunology, epidemiology, public health, and public policy to create complex yet usable models to inform public health policies and programmes.
Hannah has also demonstrated leadership qualities in her ability to build strong and trusting relationships with multiple stakeholders including academics, government and non-government agencies and funders within Singapore and internationally. Testament to this is her leadership and connections to elite and prestigious modelling groups in her capacity as Head of the Mathematical Modelling group in the Oxford University Clinical Research Unit (OUCRU) in Vietnam, and leading a JE modelling group in Vaccine Impact Modelling Consortium (VIMC) funded by GAVI, as well as the SSHSPH COVID-19 modelling group that has informed MOH and National COVID-19 Taskforce. Her work has similarly generated an impressive grant and publication record that befits her clear standing as an established leader in infectious disease modelling and public health research that will undoubtedly become more prominent over time.
The School would also like to take the opportunity to thank Associate Professor Hsu Li Yang for leading the infectious diseases programme leader since 2018. At his helm, Li Yang had established a stronger and collegial community of public health infectious diseases academics at the School, who have played both collaborative and coordinating roles in the region’s infectious diseases communities. Seed research grants provided by the programme have paved the way for larger research projects, including tuberculosis research in Cambodia supported by the Cambodian National TB Programme and funding from US NIH, as well as a web drama video series on HIV and other sexually transmitted infections to improve sexual health and reduce the risk of infections among gay, bisexual and men who have sex with men.
At the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, the infectious diseases faculty members at the School have also, under his leadership and direction, contributed towards understanding and mitigating the impact of the pandemic, most prominently in the areas of mathematical modelling and health systems research. Notably, he was also instrumental in securing a grant of S$2.5 million for NUS to establish with other local institutions, including the NUS Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, Duke-NUS Medical School, Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine, NTU as well as the National Centre for Infectious Diseases to host the Asian Clinical Research Network (ACRN) at the School to conduct antimicrobial clinical research to develop the most effective ways to treat and prevent life-threatening drug-resistant infections. This will be the first clinical trial network established in Asia focusing on drug-resistant infections.
Associate Professor Hsu Li Yang will formally step down as the ID programme leader on 1 September 2022 where he will continue his role and responsibilities as the School’s Vice Dean for Global Health.
Congratulations and best wishes to Hannah as she embarks on her new responsibilities.