Lian Thomas (MRCVS)
Lecturer in One Health and Food Systems
Contact details
- Tel: +254(0) 71103-3280
- Email: lthomas8@ed.ac.uk
Address
- Street
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International Livestock Research Institute, PO Box 30709, Nairobi 00100, Kenya
- City
- Post code
Availability
Monday-Friday 07.30-3.30pm East African Time
Background
I am a lecturer in One Health and Food Systems at the University of Edinburgh and also hold a joint appointment as a scientist at the International Livestock Research Institute in Nairobi, Kenya.
I am originally from the north coast of Cornwall, but studied veterinary medicine at St. Georges University in Grenada, West Indies and undertook research for my MSc in Uganda in conjunction with Makerere University. I completed my clinical veterinary training at the University of Edinburgh and subsequently obtained MRCVS by examination before rejoining the University of Edinburgh to undertake my PhD in in veterinary epidemiology.
I moved to Kenya in 2010 to undertake my PhD research and have remained in the region ever since, living in Kenya, Zimbabwe and Zambia but also collaborating on projects in Ethiopia, Malawi, Uganda and Nigeria. My research focusses on the sustainable control of neglected zoonoses and spans field epidemiology, economic analysis and qualitative research on the context, barriers and drivers for disease transmission, surveillance & control. I am passionate about the application of One Health principles to complex challenges and supporting early career professionals to embrace these principles. I am a previous fellow and current trustee of the Soulsby Foundation for One Health which supports early career researchers with grant funding for One Health projects.
Qualifications
PhD "Epidemiology of Taenia solium in western Kenya"; University of Edinburgh
Doctor of Veterinary Medicine; St. Georges University, West Indies
MSc Animal Production; St. Georges University- West Indies
BSc (Hons) in Equine Science; Imperial College, London
Responsibilities & affiliations
Deputy Programme Director MSc One Health
Member of the R(D)SVS Human Ethical Review Committee
Open to PhD supervision enquiries?
Yes
Current PhD students supervised
Rosie Herrington, University of Edinburgh. “Refugee camps and livestock: child malnutrition and health implications in Dadaab Refugee Camp, Kenya” (primary supervisor)
Maurice Karani, University of Liverpool. ‘Quantifying the cost-effectiveness of rabies control in a highly populated wildlife interface ecosystem in East Africa’ (co-supervisor)
Shahadat Hossain, University of Gieβen. ‘Development of a fluorescent RBL reporter system for diagnosis of porcine cysticercosis’ (co-supervisor)
Samuel Kahariri, University of Nairobi. ‘Development of data management & analysis pipeline for integrated surveillance of zoonoses in Kenya’ (co-supervisor)
Past PhD students supervised
Cianjoka Gichuyia, University of Nairobi. 'Value Chain Analysis and Food-borne Bacterial Disease Risk Assessment for Pork Consumed in Busia County, Western Kenya' (co-supervisor), Graduated 20th September 2024
Nicholas Ngwili, University of Nairobi. 'Developing a Theory of Change for Control of Taenia solium in Uganda' (co-supervisor), Graduated 23rd September 2022
Research summary
I have a strong interest in the sustainable control of neglected zoonoses in low and middle income countries and the application of One Health principles to complex health and food system challenges.
Current research interests
I am the theme lead for neglected zoonoses within the BMZ funded One Health Research Education & Outreach Centre in Africa where we focus on understanding the context of zoonotic disease transmission and the acceptability and feasibility of control strategies using Taenia solium and Rabies as exemplar pathogens. I am Principal Investigator on a £2.3 million grant from the UK Medical Research Council (MRC) Applied Global Health Board to develop sustainable strategies for controlling Taenia solium, a zoonotic tapeworm that poses a significant health and economic burden in sub-Saharan Africa. The SUSTAIN-Uganda (SUstainable STrategies for TAenia solium INterventions) project is a collaboration with Makerere and Gulu Universities, Imperial College London and Unlimit Health and will focus on Northern Uganda, a region where free-roaming pig farming, poor sanitation, and limited healthcare access create conditions for high transmission of the parasite.Past research interests
Previous projects have focused on food safety issues within animal source food value chains in LMICs. My University of Liverpool- Wellcome Trust post doctoral fellowship focused on pork value chains in Nairobi, Kenya, the USAID Feed-the-Future 'EatSafe' project focused on informal markets in Nigeria while a collaborative project with Wageningen University, University of Nairobi, Redeemers University and the Kenyan Wildlife Research & Training Institute, funded by GIZ focused on wild meat value chains feeding into Urban Nairobi and Lagos.Knowledge exchange
I undertake knowledge exchange activities with a variety of audiences including invited presentations at international conferences, engagement with the media and production of community facing educational material.
Affiliated research centres
Current project grants
Control of Taenia solium in a hyper-endemic region of Uganda: Assessing Mass Drug Administration strategies in the human and porcine hosts - Medical Research Council £2,374,912.29 - Working title SUSTAIN Uganda (SUstainable STrategies for TAenia solium INterventions)
Past project grants
2023, University of Liverpool Participatory Research Fund (£10,000) ‘Co-creation of rabies sensitisation materials in Machakos County, Kenya’ (PI)
2023, University of Liverpool Impact Pump Priming Grant (£3,000) ‘Integrated Bite Case Management and Enhanced Community Surveillance for Rabies Control in Machakos County, Kenya’ (PI)
2021, GIZ International Alliance against Health Risks in Wildlife Trade (€311,990) ‘Health risks associated with urban wild meat in Nairobi, Kenya and Lagos, Nigeria’ (Co-I)
2019, Wellcome Trust- University of Liverpool Institutional Strategic Support Fund Post-Doctoral Fellowship (£86,000) ‘Food Safety & Antimicrobial Resistance in Rapidly Developing Pork Value Chains’ (PI)
2019, Soulsby Foundation One Health Travelling Fellowship (£13,235) (PI)
2019, World Animal Protection ($5,000) (PI)
Conference details
21st & 22nd September 2024, World One Health Congress, Cape Town, South Africa: Selected oral presentations ‘Demonstrating Impact and Lessons Learnt through a large One Health Research for Development Project’ & ‘Gender considerations in One Health’
14th - 18th May 2018, ISESSAH, Montpellier, France, selected oral presentation: ‘Modeling the cost-effectiveness of a novel Taenia solium control strategy in western Kenya’
20th -24th August 2012, 13th conference of the International Society for Veterinary Epidemiology and Economics (ISVEE), Maastricht, Selected oral presentation: “Epidemiology of Taenia solium in pigs and humans in Western Kenya”
19th -22nd June 2011, 9th international conference on the epidemiology and control of biological, chemical and physical hazards in pigs and pork (Safe Pork), Maastricht, Selected oral presentation: “A food chain risk assessment for Taenia solium infection in Western Kenya”. Awarded the prize for best presentation by a PhD student
Invited speaker
4th December 2024, RIBMINS/UEVH workshop on Ecnomics in Veterinary Public Health
7th November 2024, African Youth Dialogue on One Health & Sustainable Livelihoods. Invited Keynote: “Economics of Antimicrobial Resistance: A One Health perspective”
2nd November 2023, Global One Health Symposium Nairobi, Kenya hosted by Ohio State University and Kenya Medical Research Institute, invited presentation: ‘Taenia Solium: A neglected zoonotic parasite of societal importance’.
10th-12th October 2023, WOAH 2nd meeting of the sub-regional network for Rabies Control, Addis Ababa; Invited presentation ‘High-level overview of research for rabies elimination in East Africa’
26th September 2023, FAO Webinar Series for World Rabies Day; Invited presentation: Success in Rabies Control: Lessons from Makueni & Machakos
31st October – 2nd November 2022, ‘One Food’ Workshop; Kwalata Game Lodge South Africa. Invited presentation: ‘Applying a One Health Economic Lens to Hazard Identification & Control’
31st March & 1st April 2022, “One Health Tools for Preparedness & Response to Zoonotic Disease Outbreaks’ workshop. Invited presentation: Economics of One Health Surveillance
18th-19th October 2021, World Bioeconomy forum; Invited panellist ‘Health & the Bioeconomy’
12th July 2021, invited online seminar for World Food Prize winners, “How controlling neglected zoonoses supports our progress to the Sustainable Development Goals”
18th June 2021, OH 4 HEAL Community of Practice, invited presentation: “The Economics of One Health”, https://www.oh4heal.org/community-of-practice/
2nd June 2021, International virtual conference on One Health at the Universidade de Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro (UTAD): new insights and challenges of zoonotic diseases, Invited Keynote: "Breaking down the barriers to Integrated Surveillance; manpower, money and mandates",
28th May 2021, Cystinet Europe Virtual Conference, Invited Keynote: ‘One Health Research Education & Outreach Centre in Africa – a new platform to enhance One Health networks and capacity building in the region’, https://youtu.be/Ba9_uhbVnTg
22nd June 2020, African Development Institute (African Development Bank Group) Policy Seminar. Invited Panellist on: “Building resilience in food systems & agricultural value chains: Agricultural policy responses to Covid-19 in Africa”
September 16th -20th 2019, 11th European Congress on Tropical Medicine and International Health (ECTMIH) in Liverpool, UK, Royal Society of Tropical Medicine & Hygiene Annual Meeting, Invited Panellist ‘Economics of One Health Surveillance’
24th-26th April 2019, 53rd Kenya Veterinary Association Annual Congress, Kisumu, Kenya. Invited Keynote: ‘Show us the money! How can we drive improvements in resource allocation to animal health through data?’’
27th – 29th March 2019, Regional Symposium on Research into Smallholder Pig Production, Health & Pork Safety, Hanoi, Vietnam, invited presentation: ‘Safe pork in Kenya: Exploring risks and the regulatory environment of the pork value chain’
6th - 8th September 2012, Zimbabwe Veterinary Association Congress, Harare, Invited presentation: “Epidemiology of Taenia solium in pigs and humans in Western Kenya”
25th -28th September 2012, World Veterinary Congress, Cape Town, Invited presentation: “Epidemiology of Taenia solium in Western Kenya”
Organiser
Kenya One Health Conference 6th-8th December 2021, This was a virtual 3 day conference attracting over 1000 unique log-ons. Recordings of the full conference can be found here and my summary address can be viewed here
Miriam Kasamu, University of Edinburgh, “Environmental burden of domestic animal disease in Africa: A Scoping Review” (Primary supervisor)
Rebecca Lang, University of Edinburgh “A deep dive into the culture of wildlife medicine by veterinary professionals in the UK. A focus on culture, education, obligations and collaborations.” (Primary supervisor)
Agathe Verhulst, University of Edinburgh, “Applying Systems Thinking in One Health: Mapping Community Engagement within the HEAL Socio Ecological System” (Primary supervisor)
Ines Stegmaier, University of Edinburgh, “The characteristics and significance of dental and periododontal disease in European hedgehogs (Erinaceus europaeus) admitted into an animal shelter in northwestern Germany” (Primary supervisor)
Azureen Erdman, University of Edinburgh (Primary supervisor) “Investigating the period prevalence of poor bone density in raptors entering an Arizona based rehabilitation facility over a 2 and ½ year period” (Primary supervisor)
Abigael Pertet, University of Edinburgh, “Social reaction as a determinant of choice to crop selection Preferences, Levels of damage and agricultural crop damage due to wildlife in the Transmara region in Kenya” (co-supervisor)
2024
Mercy Ngetich, University of Nairobi, “Pastoralists perceptions and socio-economic impact of abortions in flocks of goats and sheet in Isiolo, Kenya”
Mary Mwaniki, University of Edinburgh, ‘Assessing the impact of environmental and climatic factors on Snakebite Incidence in Kenya.’
Stephen Bole, Makerere University, ‘Determining the prevalence and risk factors of porcine cysticercosis in Kitgum District, Northern Uganda’
2023
Gerald Munai, Moi University, 'Economic burden of acute gastroenteritis and associated cost variability in patients attending health facilities in Busia County, Kenya’
2022
Dorcas Chepyatich, University of Nairobi. ‘A mixed-methods study of Toxoplasma gondii in Nairobi, Kenya: understanding risks in the pork value chain & the knowledge, attitudes & practises of health practitioners’,
Christine Makena Mbabu, University of Nairobi. 'Prevalence & Characterisation of Salmonella spp. in Retail Pork & Raw Vegetables in Busia County, western Kenya’
2021
Nicholas Bor, University of Edinburgh, ‘Gross lesions in pigs as predictors of antimicrobial residues in pork carcasses slaughtered in Nairobi, Kenya’
Derrick Sentamu, University of Nairobi. ‘Prevalence and economic losses of welfare related lesions in the pork value chain of Nairobi’,
2020
Taishi Kayano, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, UK. MSc International Public Health. ‘Zoonotic & foodborne hazards associated with pigs & pork in East Africa; A systemized review’
2012
Elijah Omondi Juma, University of Nairobi, 'A case-control study of environmental risk factors associated with multiple parasitic infections in western Kenya’
MRes 2022
Camille Glazer, University of Liverpool ‘Prevalence of zoonotic helminths in the canine population of Machakos County, Kenya’