Research Group: Clinical Research Global Health

cblpilot

Implementing research in global settings

Chronic diseases place a major burden on individuals and challenge thin-stretched health systems in low- and middle income countries. Sustainable, cost-effective approaches to providing high-quality prevention and care are thus urgently needed. Clinical Research Global Health (CRGH) contributes evidence towards better understanding and addressing public health challenges through clinical, epidemiological, and implementation research, including individual- and cluster-randomised controlled trials, cohorts, and scoping or systematic reviews. We focus primarily on communicable and non-communicable chronic conditions in Southern and East Africa; building on our experience and ongoing work in strengthening the HIV care cascade from diagnosis to viral suppression, we are transferring learnings to health service provision for cardiovascular diseases. We partner with non-governmental organisations, healthcare facilities, and Ministries of Health for the implementation and to promote sustainability of our projects.

Team

Prof. Dr. Niklaus Labhardt  - Group Co-lead

Dr. Jennifer Brown  - Group Co-lead

Dr. Lisa Brockhaus - Post-doc

Dr. Anne-Valérie Burgener-Gasser  - Post-doc

Dr. Anna Klicpera  - Post-doc

Dr. Nadine Tschumi  - Post-doc

Dr. Frederique Chammartin  - Statistician and project leader

Dr. Irene Falgas Bague  - Senior scientific collaborator

Dr. Giuliana Sanchez  - Data manager

Steve McCrosky  - Project manager

Joana Falcao  - PhD student

Felix Gerber  - PhD student

Natalie Johnson  - PhD student

Tristan Lee  - PhD student

Thabo Lejone  - PhD student

Malebanye Lerotholi  - PhD student

Dr. Moshao Makhele  - PhD student

Fabian Räber - PhD student

Nikita Sass  - PhD student

Andréa Williams  - PhD student

Seraina Bally  - MD student

Kathrin Hänggi  -  Pharmacist & Master's Student

Thesar Tahirsylaj  - Master's student

Linda Wütrich  - Master's student

Jacob Blankenberger  - Scientific collaborator

Kevin Kindler  - Scientific collaborator 

Dave Basler  - IT developer

...more projects

Photo by William  Fortunato : https://www.pexels.com/photo/sleeping-newborn-black-baby-lying-on-bed-6392895/

Tolerability of Lopinavir vs Dolutegravir Antiretroviral Therapy for Children and Adolescents

LoDoCA

A prospective cohort study among children and adolescents in Lesotho changing antiretroviral therapy from lopinavir to dolutegravir. The study compares treatment satisfaction and tolerability focusing on sleep, gastrointestinal symptoms, and virological outcomes. more

Photo by cottonbro: https://www.pexels.com/photo/person-holding-x-ray-film-6202748/

Same-day vs Rapid ART Initiation in HIV-positive Individuals Presenting With Symptoms of TB

SaDAPT

A randomized controlled trial in Lesotho and Malawi investigating when to start antiretroviral therapy in persons testing positive for HIV and simultaneously showing symptoms of a possible TB infection. more

givemovelab

Viral Load Cohort North-East Lesotho

VICONEL

VICONEL is a prospective open cohort study encompassing all routine HIV viral load testing in two districts of Lesotho. It provides a basis for observational analyses on treatment outcomes as well as a platform to support other observational and intervention research. more

givemoveconsent

Genotype-Informed Versus Empiric Management of VirEmia

GIVE MOVE

GIVE MOVE is a multi-country (Lesotho, Tanzania) randomized clinical trial assessing if rapid resistance testing upon measurement of an unsuppressed viral load improves health outcomes for children and adolescents living with HIV. more

pebra

Peer-Educator-Based Refill of ART

PEBRA

A cluster-randomized trial at 20 health facilities in Lesotho evaluating a collaboratively designed eHealth application for adolescents with HIV and their peer-educators. more

geton

GETting tOwards Ninety

GET ON

Two large-scale interlinked cluster-randomized trials evaluating scalable community-based HIV services in rural Lesotho: HOSENG assessed secondary distribution of oral HIV self-tests during a door-to-door testing campaign while VIBRA investigated HIV medication pick-up in the village directly after treatment start at home. more

vital

Dolutegravir in Real Life in Lesotho

DO-REAL

The antiretroviral drug dolutegravir (DTG) has been shown to have low side-effects and superior treatment outcomes for people living with HIV, but certain concerns remain regarding the risk of patients transitioning to a DTG. DO-REAL study intends to address these concerns and provide data on health outcomes of HIV patients on DTG in a "real-life" high-prevalence setting. more