Helen Cox wins the 2015 Union Scientific Prize from the International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease.

Dr. Helen Cox, Wellcome Trust Intermediate Fellow in the Division of Medical Microbiology, Department of Pathology, and Associate Member of the IDM since 2013, has been awarded the 2015 Union Scientific Prize from the International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease.

The Union Scientific Prize acknowledges researchers at any stage of their career for work in lung health published in the past five years. This is a significant achievement for Dr. Cox. She will receive this prestigious award at the 46th World Conference on Lung Health, which will be held at the Cape Town International Convention Centre in December 2015.

Dr. Cox's main research interests revolve around the diagnosis, treatment and epidemiology of drug-resistant tuberculosis. "I have worked in the area of tuberculosis and drug-resistant tuberculosis (DR-TB) since 2001. Over several years, I was instrumental in the establishment of one of the first drug-resistant TB treatment programmes in Central Asia. The setting for this programme, in Karakalpakstan, Uzbekistan, was also where I conducted research towards my doctoral degree". Her thesis was submitted through the University of Melbourne, Australia, from where she originates, and was conferred in 2006.

Dr. Cox's research and contributions to the TB landscape were later acknowledged by Australia when she received the Premier's Award for Medical Research 2007 (Victoria, Australia). Since 2008, she has been involved in operational research in Khayelitsha, where a high burden of DR-TB exists. Among a number of current research interests is a study of the molecular epidemiology of DR-TB, particularly the potential impact of diagnosis and treatment interventions on changing DR-TB strain virulence and distribution.

"Throughout my career in TB research, I have endeavoured to combine public health practise with academic research, with a view to using relevant, field-based research to change policy and improve patient outcomes". Two recent outstanding publications with research led by Dr. Cox include:

Cox H, Mbhele S, Mohess N, Whitelaw A, Muller O, Zemanay W, Little F, Azevedo V, Simpson J, Boehme CC, Nicol MP. Impact of Xpert MTB/RIF implementation for TB diagnosis in a high TB and HIV prevalence primary care clinic in South Africa: a pragmatic randomised trial. PLoS Medicine (2014) 11(11):e1001760. 
(highlighted on the PLoS Medicine website)

Cox HS, Furin JJ, Mitnick CD, Daniels C, Cox V, Goemaere E. The need to accelerate access to new drugs for multidrug-resistant tuberculosis. Bull World Health Organ. 2015;93(7):491-7.

Further details of Dr. Cox's research interests and publications can be found here