Alimuddin Zumla
Encyclopedia
Alimuddin Zumla is a Zambia
n professor of infectious disease
s and international health
at University College London Medical School. He specialises in infectious and tropical diseases, clinical immunology, and internal medicine
, with a special interest in HIV
/AIDS
, respiratory infections, and diseases of poverty
. He is the first doctor from his country to be shortlisted as one of ten candidates for the BMJ Group's (formerly British Medical Journal's) lifetime achievement prize in 2010.
(now Chipata
, Eastern Province
, Zambia
). He is of South Asian (Indian/Gujarati) descent
. He did his early education at the Lotus Primary School and Prince Philip Secondary School (now Kamwala Secondary School
) in Lusaka
, and his medical training at the University of Zambia
's School of Medicine. He turned down a Rhodes Scholarship
to remain in Zambia for his first degree. In 1980, he moved to London to pursue an M.Sc. in tropical medicine
at the University of London
. In 1982, he contracted life-threatening tuberculous meningitis
, and was told that he would never walk again, but went on to make a remarkable recovery and return to work a year-and-a-half later. He went on to pursue doctoral studies on leprosy human monoclonal antibodies
at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine
, where his 1987 dissertation (advised by Keith McAdam
) merited him the Alan Woodruff Medal.
, Royal Postgraduate Medical School
in London under Robert Lechler, and then two years at the University of Texas
Center for Infectious Diseases working with Herbert DuPont. He then returned to his native Zambia for several years to work on AIDS-related opportunistic infection
s at the University Teaching Hospital
in Lusaka before moving to University College London
in 1995.
In 2003, there were numerous media reports about a paper of Zumla's in The Lancet
discussing a test developed by a team he led for monitoring CD4
immune cell counts based on dried blood samples. Such counts are used in monitoring AIDS patients taking antiretroviral drug
treatments; Zumla's method was expected to significantly reduce the cost of such monitoring by eliminating the need for refrigeration of fresh blood samples from patients, thus making it more accessible to patients in developing countries.
Professor Alimuddin Zumla is the lead guru of the Lancet TB Series linked to the Lancet TB Observatory, a new global initiative to address key issues around TB treatment and diagnosis.The launch was held at the World Health Organisation (WHO) in Geneva on 18 May 2010. http://www.ucl.ac.uk/news/news-articles/1005/10051901
, Zumla is the director of the Centre for Infectious Diseases and International Health at University College London Medical School, as well as a consultant in infectious diseases at University College Hospital
. His current research interests include tuberculosis (particularly drug clinical trials and prevalence in London), HIV/AIDS, tropical diseases, respiratory infections (and rapid diagnostics thereof), endocarditis, biomarkers, and transrenal DNA.
and the Windrush Award for Academic Achievement in 2003, and was also shortlisted for The Muslim News
2005 Awards for Excellence.
Professor Alimuddin Zumla (UCL Infection & Immunity) has recently (November 2011) received three international prizes for his work combating tuberculosis (TB), a disease that still causes three deaths every minute
The recent spate of awards includes the India International Foundation Science Award, the University of Amsterdam Spinoza Leerstoel award, and the World Health Organisation (WHO) STOP TB Kochon Prize. They recognise Professor Zumla’s outstanding achievements in tuberculosis research, significant contribution to combating TB and excellence in infectious diseases research.http://www.ucl.ac.uk/news/news-articles/1111/11110102-zumla-TB-prizes
Zambia
Zambia , officially the Republic of Zambia, is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. The neighbouring countries are the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the north, Tanzania to the north-east, Malawi to the east, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Botswana and Namibia to the south, and Angola to the west....
n professor of infectious disease
Infectious disease
Infectious diseases, also known as communicable diseases, contagious diseases or transmissible diseases comprise clinically evident illness resulting from the infection, presence and growth of pathogenic biological agents in an individual host organism...
s and international health
International Health
International health, also called geographic medicine or global health, is a field of health care, usually with a public health emphasis, dealing with health across regional or national boundaries...
at University College London Medical School. He specialises in infectious and tropical diseases, clinical immunology, and internal medicine
Internal medicine
Internal medicine is the medical specialty dealing with the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of adult diseases. Physicians specializing in internal medicine are called internists. They are especially skilled in the management of patients who have undifferentiated or multi-system disease processes...
, with a special interest in HIV
HIV
Human immunodeficiency virus is a lentivirus that causes acquired immunodeficiency syndrome , a condition in humans in which progressive failure of the immune system allows life-threatening opportunistic infections and cancers to thrive...
/AIDS
AIDS
Acquired immune deficiency syndrome or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome is a disease of the human immune system caused by the human immunodeficiency virus...
, respiratory infections, and diseases of poverty
Diseases of poverty
Diseases of poverty is a term sometimes used to collectively describe diseases and health conditions that are more prevalent among the poor than among wealthier people. In many cases poverty is considered the leading risk factor or determinant for such diseases, and in some cases the diseases...
. He is the first doctor from his country to be shortlisted as one of ten candidates for the BMJ Group's (formerly British Medical Journal's) lifetime achievement prize in 2010.
Early life
Zumla was born in Fort Jameson, Northern RhodesiaNorthern Rhodesia
Northern Rhodesia was a territory in south central Africa, formed in 1911. It became independent in 1964 as Zambia.It was initially administered under charter by the British South Africa Company and formed by it in 1911 by amalgamating North-Western Rhodesia and North-Eastern Rhodesia...
(now Chipata
Chipata
Chipata, population 98,416, is the capital of the Eastern Province of Zambia. The two languages spoken are Nyanja and English, though you might find some Indian languages, as there is a large number of Zambian Indians located in the town...
, Eastern Province
Eastern Province, Zambia
Eastern Province is one of Zambia's nine provinces. The province lies between the Luangwa River and the border with Malawi, from Isoka in the northeast to just north of Luangwa in the south.The provincial capital is Chipata...
, Zambia
Zambia
Zambia , officially the Republic of Zambia, is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. The neighbouring countries are the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the north, Tanzania to the north-east, Malawi to the east, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Botswana and Namibia to the south, and Angola to the west....
). He is of South Asian (Indian/Gujarati) descent
Indians in Zambia
There is a small community of Indians in Zambia. Unlike the better-known Indian communities of East Africa, they were little-studied by historians until the 2000s.-Migration history:...
. He did his early education at the Lotus Primary School and Prince Philip Secondary School (now Kamwala Secondary School
Kamwala Secondary School
Kamwala Secondary School, also known as Kamwala High School, is a high school located in Lusaka, Zambia.-History:During Northern Rhodesian times, it was formerly known as Prince Phillip Secondary School, and was a segregated school for Asian students. At the time, its hostels were some of the...
) in Lusaka
Lusaka
Lusaka is the capital and largest city of Zambia. It is located in the southern part of the central plateau, at an elevation of about 1,300 metres . It has a population of about 1.7 million . It is a commercial centre as well as the centre of government, and the four main highways of Zambia head...
, and his medical training at the University of Zambia
University of Zambia
The University of Zambia is Zambia's largest university, founded in 1966. It has a student population of about 10,000.-Academics:The University of Zambia is divided into the following faculties:*School of Agricultural Sciences *School of Engineering...
's School of Medicine. He turned down a Rhodes Scholarship
Rhodes Scholarship
The Rhodes Scholarship, named after Cecil Rhodes, is an international postgraduate award for study at the University of Oxford. It was the first large-scale programme of international scholarships, and is widely considered the "world's most prestigious scholarship" by many public sources such as...
to remain in Zambia for his first degree. In 1980, he moved to London to pursue an M.Sc. in tropical medicine
Tropical medicine
Tropical medicine is the branch of medicine that deals with health problems that occur uniquely, are more widespread, or prove more difficult to control in tropical and subtropical regions....
at the University of London
University of London
-20th century:Shortly after 6 Burlington Gardens was vacated, the University went through a period of rapid expansion. Bedford College, Royal Holloway and the London School of Economics all joined in 1900, Regent's Park College, which had affiliated in 1841 became an official divinity school of the...
. In 1982, he contracted life-threatening tuberculous meningitis
Tuberculous meningitis
Tuberculous meningitis is also known as TB meningitis or tubercular meningitis.Tuberculous meningitis is Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection of the meninges—the system of membranes which envelops the central nervous system. It is the most common form of CNS tuberculosis.-Clinical features:Fever...
, and was told that he would never walk again, but went on to make a remarkable recovery and return to work a year-and-a-half later. He went on to pursue doctoral studies on leprosy human monoclonal antibodies
Monoclonal antibodies
Monoclonal antibodies are monospecific antibodies that are the same because they are made by identical immune cells that are all clones of a unique parent cell....
at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine
London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine
The London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine is a constituent college of the federal University of London, specialising in public health and tropical medicine...
, where his 1987 dissertation (advised by Keith McAdam
Keith McAdam
Keith Paul William James McAdam is a former Scottish cricketer. McAdam was a left-handed batsman and right-arm bowler, although his bowling style is unknown. He was born in Edinburgh, Midlothian....
) merited him the Alan Woodruff Medal.
Career
Following his graduation, Zumla spent four years in a post-doctoral position at the Hammersmith HospitalHammersmith Hospital
Hammersmith Hospital is a major teaching hospital in West London. It is part of Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, and is associated with the Imperial College Faculty of Medicine...
, Royal Postgraduate Medical School
Royal Postgraduate Medical School
The Royal Postgraduate Medical School was an independent medical school, based primarily at Hammersmith Hospital in west London. In 1988, the school merged with the Institute of Obstetrics & Gynaecology, and in 1997 became part of the Imperial College School of Medicine.-History:The medical school...
in London under Robert Lechler, and then two years at the University of Texas
University of Texas System
The University of Texas System encompasses 15 educational institutions in Texas, of which nine are academic universities and six are health institutions. The system is headquartered in Austin and has a total enrollment of over 190,000 students...
Center for Infectious Diseases working with Herbert DuPont. He then returned to his native Zambia for several years to work on AIDS-related opportunistic infection
Opportunistic infection
An opportunistic infection is an infection caused by pathogens, particularly opportunistic pathogens—those that take advantage of certain situations—such as bacterial, viral, fungal or protozoan infections that usually do not cause disease in a healthy host, one with a healthy immune system...
s at the University Teaching Hospital
University Teaching Hospital
The University Teaching Hospital is a hospital in Lusaka, Zambia. It is the largest hospital in Zambia, with 1655 beds. It is a teaching hospital and, as such, is used to train local medical students and nurses. UTH offers both inpatient and outpatient care and is a center for specialist referrals...
in Lusaka before moving to University College London
University College London
University College London is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom and the oldest and largest constituent college of the federal University of London...
in 1995.
In 2003, there were numerous media reports about a paper of Zumla's in The Lancet
The Lancet
The Lancet is a weekly peer-reviewed general medical journal. It is one of the world's best known, oldest, and most respected general medical journals...
discussing a test developed by a team he led for monitoring CD4
CD4
CD4 is a glycoprotein expressed on the surface of T helper cells, monocytes, macrophages, and dendritic cells. It was discovered in the late 1970s and was originally known as leu-3 and T4 before being named CD4 in 1984...
immune cell counts based on dried blood samples. Such counts are used in monitoring AIDS patients taking antiretroviral drug
Antiretroviral drug
Antiretroviral drugs are medications for the treatment of infection by retroviruses, primarily HIV. When several such drugs, typically three or four, are taken in combination, the approach is known as Highly Active Antiretroviral Therapy, or HAART...
treatments; Zumla's method was expected to significantly reduce the cost of such monitoring by eliminating the need for refrigeration of fresh blood samples from patients, thus making it more accessible to patients in developing countries.
Professor Alimuddin Zumla is the lead guru of the Lancet TB Series linked to the Lancet TB Observatory, a new global initiative to address key issues around TB treatment and diagnosis.The launch was held at the World Health Organisation (WHO) in Geneva on 18 May 2010. http://www.ucl.ac.uk/news/news-articles/1005/10051901
, Zumla is the director of the Centre for Infectious Diseases and International Health at University College London Medical School, as well as a consultant in infectious diseases at University College Hospital
University College Hospital
University College Hospital is a teaching hospital located in London, United Kingdom. It is part of the University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and is closely associated with University College London ....
. His current research interests include tuberculosis (particularly drug clinical trials and prevalence in London), HIV/AIDS, tropical diseases, respiratory infections (and rapid diagnostics thereof), endocarditis, biomarkers, and transrenal DNA.
Awards
Zumla received the Weber Parkes Trust Medal and Prize in 1999. He was further awarded the Albert Chalmers Medal by the Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and HygieneRoyal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene
The Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene was founded in 1907 by Sir James Cantlie and George Carmichael Low. Sir Patrick Manson, the Society's first President is generally acknowledged as the father of tropical medicine. He passed the presidency on to the Nobel laureate Sir Ronald Ross ,...
and the Windrush Award for Academic Achievement in 2003, and was also shortlisted for The Muslim News
The Muslim News
The Muslim News describes itself as, "The only independent monthly Muslim newspaper in the UK, is neither backed by any country nor by any organisation or party."...
2005 Awards for Excellence.
Professor Alimuddin Zumla (UCL Infection & Immunity) has recently (November 2011) received three international prizes for his work combating tuberculosis (TB), a disease that still causes three deaths every minute
The recent spate of awards includes the India International Foundation Science Award, the University of Amsterdam Spinoza Leerstoel award, and the World Health Organisation (WHO) STOP TB Kochon Prize. They recognise Professor Zumla’s outstanding achievements in tuberculosis research, significant contribution to combating TB and excellence in infectious diseases research.http://www.ucl.ac.uk/news/news-articles/1111/11110102-zumla-TB-prizes
Quotes
- "In a world where the western countries have dominated all fields of science for the past century, this now proves that everyone from the developing world are capable of achieving the best in the world without having education at private schools and at elitist universities in the UK or USA"