Clinical Sciences
The Department of Clinical Sciences is at the heart of LSTM’s mission to improve health outcomes for the world’s most vulnerable populations.
Bringing together world-leading expertise across clinical research, education and practice, we transform scientific discovery into practical solutions – from laboratory insight and experimental medicine through clinical trials and evidence synthesis, to teaching, policy change, and real-world health impact.
Our approach
Delivered through regional and global collaborations and research groups worldwide, our approach is built to generate actionable evidence that informs health policy and improves clinical practice in low- and middle-income countries and the UK.
Our work focuses on six key areas of research:
- Tuberculosis
- Malaria
- Antimicrobial resistance
- Emerging infections and sepsis
- Global child health
- Girls’ and women’s health
These programmes are underpinned by strengths in implementation research, health systems strengthening, evidence-to-policy translation, and health economics and financing. A defining feature of the department is our focus on driving innovation that builds sustainable research and clinical capacity in low- and middle-income countries. We work in partnership with local institutions so the knowledge, tools and leadership needed to improve health outcomes are embedded with those who deliver and use them.
Our work is defined by equitable partnership, co-creation of research, and a commitment to ensuring that innovation translates into sustainable capability where it is needed most.
Specialist skills units
We are also home to a number of specialist skills units:
- Global Health Trials Unit – designs, conducts, analyses, and publishes large multi-country global health studies that generate the evidence base for global health policy
- Global Health Economics and Financing Unit – develops advanced translational health economics methods and health financing analyses, that enable and facilitate the rapid translation of effective health interventions into policy, practice and scale-up
- Human Challenge Facility – our state-of-the-art clinical testing facility provides a fast, precise and cost-effective way of testing vaccines and treatments for infectious diseases quickly and safely.
- Clinical Diagnostic Parasitology Laboratory – offers specialist diagnostic services to hospitals, clinics and health professionals across the UK and internationally, with testing capability for a wide range of human parasitic infections
- Well Travelled Clinic – a one-stop-shop service for specialist pre and post-travel and occupational health services delivered by a specialist team of nurses and clinicians
The department is also home to LSTM’s Institute for Resilient Health Systems.
Informing policy and improving care
Through these platforms and in partnership with our clinical services, including the national tropical infection on-call and specialist diagnostic and advisory services, we generate actionable evidence that informs policy, strengthens health systems and improves patient care in low- and middle-income countries and the UK.
Our clinical academics are embedded in health systems. This means they can stay at the frontline while leading globally influential research and ensuring our work is shaped by real patient need and reaches end users, from communities and healthcare workers to national policy makers.
Our clinicians play a central role in research ethics, experimental medicine and human infection challenge studies and provide specialist expertise across parasitology, neglected tropical diseases, snakebite, vector-borne diseases and post-travel care.
We are committed to developing the next generation of clinical academics through clear training and career pathways that integrate clinical service, research leadership and global health impact. Our researchers also support a vibrant community of students across both taught master’s and PhD programmes, with many teaching and supervising students alongside their research.