Clive

Julian

Shiff

,

PhD

My main research interests are in the study of tropical parasitic diseases particularly schisosomiasis and malaria under African conditions. With schistosomiasis, I am currently involved in assessing the importance of bladder cancer associated with infection of the urinary schistosome (S.haematobium). Bladder cancer associated with the parasite is different from bladder cancer seen in non endemic areas. It is squamous cell carcinoma and we hope to investigate the etiological processed involved and to see why there is this difference between parasite derived disease and the common form of bladder cancer. These studies are under way in Ghana and we hope to extend them to Zambia where a genetically different strain of the parasite occurs. It is important to see if there are differences in the pathogenicity of these two forms of S. haematobium. There is no animal model presently available, so the work must be done in endemic areas. I am interested in the effect of chronic infection among adults. It is important to show the epidemiological importance of this infection is in endemic areas. I have recently developed a novel means to dignose chronic schistosome infections accurately

Additionally, I have strong interests in malaria epidemiology and control and medical entomology . Currently I am the PI and lead scientist running the Malaria Institute at Macha, Zambia. This functions as a core facility for the Research community at Johns Hopkins University, with accent on field research. Use of sinple technologies to develop time senstiitive data sets describing malaria epidemilogy has enabled us talk about sustainable control of malaria based on data from rural health centres. We plan to train local university faculty in outbreak epidemiology so as to increase local expertise in data colection and analysis.  I have recently been invited to join the WHO Expert Committee on Integrated Vector Control, and the UNEP Committee on DDT and its use against malaria