Sarah holds a BSc in Microbiology from the University of British Columbia, Canada (1996), an MSc from the University of Victoria, Canada (2001), and PhD from the Universität Bern, Switzerland (2004). As a graduate student, Sarah investigated the movement of toxins across the envelope of gram negative bacteria. She went on to complete 4 years’ post-doctoral training at the Institute of Veterinary Bacteriology in Bern, Switzerland, investigating virulence factors of Aeromonas species before joining the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine’s (LSHTM) trachoma research group in 2009.
Research
Trachoma, caused by infection with the bacterium Chlamydia trachomatis, is the leading cause of infectious blindness worldwide. The LSHTM has a long history of trachoma research at the MRC unit in The Gambia and works in close association with The Gambia’s National Eye Care Programme. With her background in molecular microbiology, Sarah initially joined the trachoma research group as manager of the diagnostic lab. She has since become head of the group and works to co-ordinate trachoma research activities in The Gambia on behalf of the LSHTM. Her current activities include:
- Cost-effectiveness of mass azithromycin distribution for trachoma control
- Affect of mass azithromycin treatment on nasopharyngeal carriage of respiratory pathogens
- Characterisation of the bacterial flora of the conjunctival using metagenomics
- Development and validation of molecular tools to diagnose ocular bacterial infections
- Mapping the molecular epidemiology of trachoma in the Bijagos islands, Guinea Bissau
