Professor Anna Roca

Anna Roca is a well known global health scientist. Her expertise combines epidemiological research and research management. Prof Roca is a Professor of Epidemiology at LSHTM and Theme Leader at MRCG participating in the design and implementation of major strategic decisions at MRCG. Prof Roca leads multi-disciplinary research groups in Europe and Africa and serves in several international experts groups. Her work includes studies to understand transmission dynamics of bacterial and viral infections and the design of novel interventions to control disease. Prof. Roca is a dedicated mentor, nurturing the next generation of global health leaders.

- Leadership Skills. Two-weeks training course. Held in The Gambia, Nov 2016.

- Supervision and Mentorship. One-week training courses held in The Gambia. 2015 and 2020.

- Unconscious Bias. One-week training organized by LSHTM. On-line. July 2021.

- Ethics committees. One-week training conducted in The Gambia. 2018.

- CGP training. One week training conducted in The Gambia. 2015, 2018, 2021, 2023

- GCLP training. One week training conducted in The Gambia. 2015 and 2020.

MAIN COMMITTEES

1) MRCG

· Leadership Board. Since May 2014.

· Scientific Coordinating Committee. Member since 2011 & Co-Chair since 2017.

· 75th anniversary Scientific Organizing Committee. 2023.

· EDI committee at the LSHTM (Chair), since 2019.

· Women in Science Committee at the MRCG at the LSHTM (Chair), since 2017.

· Higher Degrees Committee and the Training Committee, since 2015.

· Quality Steering Group. 2013 – 2014.

· Data Management Development Working Group (Chair). 2012.

2) LSHTM

· Staff Review Committee. Since 2022.

· Scientific Review Committee. Since 2021.

· Strategic Review of Demography. 2021.

· Strategic Leadership Network. Since 2020.

3) External

· Organizing committee ISPPD-13, Cape Town, South Africa (March 2024)

· Technical Advisory Group Member – SANTE Azithromycin Study in Mali. Since 2020.

· DSMB member IMPRESS in Malawi. Since 2023.

· Maternal Azithromycin Research Consortium – Chair, Organizing committee. Since 2017.

· PRECISE Network Leadership Scientific Committee – Since 2018

· Gambian Government committee meetings for vaccines, meningitis surveillance and other related infectious diseases. Since 2015.

· Global Burden of Disease committee member as an African specialist for infectious diseases and child mortality between 2015 and 2017.

· Global Burden of Disease and Mortality working group. Since 2014.

· Decade of Vaccines Case studies: RSV. Since July 2011

· WHO-Pneumonia Research Priorities exercise. 2009

· Edinburgh Global Burden of disease. 2008-2010.

  1) Research Projects -  Principal Investigator 

During the last 10 years attracted >£10Million in competitive funding as Principal investigator and budget holder. Some examples follow:

· Excess mortality during the COVID-19 pandemic in The Gambia: a denominator-based analysis within the HDSSs. £300,000. Funded by MRC-UK (2020-2024)

· Prevention and Treatment for COVID19 associated severe pneumonia in The Gambia: A Single-blind Randomised Trial. £3 Million. Funded by MRC-UK (2020-2023)

· PRECISE-DYAD: linking maternal and infant health trajectories in sub-Saharan Africa. Site (The Gambia) PI. £2 Million for MRCG at LSHTM. Funded by MRC-UK (2020-2024)

· Ancillary studies to the PregnAnZI trials. $1.4 Million. Funded by Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (2018-2023). 

· Pre-delivery administration of azithromycin to prevent neonatal sepsis and death: a phase III double-blind randomized clinical trial. Trial Director and PI. £ 2.2 Million (2017-2022). Funded by MRC/WellcomeTrust/DfID/EDCTP.

· PREgnancy Care Integrating Translational Science Everywhere (PRECISE). Site (The Gambia) co-PI. £ 1.5 Million for MRCG at LSHTM. Funded by Wellcome Trust. 

· Prevention of bacterial infections in the newborn by pre-delivery administration of azithromycin: a placebo-controlled randomized trial.  671.000 £ (2012-2015). MRC (UK) funded project.

· A phase 3, randomized open-label trial to evaluate the safety, tolerability and immunogenicity of PCV-13 formulated in multi-dose vials given with routine pediatric vaccinations in healthy infants. 881,000 € (2013-2014). Pfizer funded project. 

· Non-specific effect of live-vaccines on bacterial infections. 130,000 CHF (2012-2013). USB foundation.

· The effect of replacing the PCV-7 with the PCV-13 Vaccine in the Expanded Program of Immunization in The Gambia. Co-PI. 220,000 € (2012-2013). Pfizer funded project. Investigator initiated proposal.

2) Research Projects - Others

· Participation as co-investigator and advisor in more than 15 Research Projects during the last 10 years.

 PhD STUDENTS 

Ongoing: 

- 5 ongoing PhD students based in The Gambia and in London (UK). Students are enrolled to do their PhD at the LSHTM (3) and the Open University in UK (2).

Completed: 

- 6 completed PhD students: 1 at the LSHTM, 2 at the Open University in UK and 3 at the University of Barcelona. 

MENTORING ROLE 

· Mentoring of several MRCG at LSHTM PhD students and post-docs and senior scientist at MRCG through a established program of mentorship as well as informal mentor.

· Mentor of African Women STEM 

REVIEWER PEEER REVIEW JOURNALS 

Regular reviewer of JAMA, The Lancet, Lancet of Infectious Diseases, Lancet of Global Health, Clinical Infectious Diseases, Plos Medicine, Vaccine, Pediatric Infectious Diseases Journal, Tropical Medicine and International Health, Journal of Medical Virology and others. 

REVIEWER of RESEARCH GRANTS

Reviewer of Research Grants for the main international funders such as BMGF, WellcomeTrust (including Senior Fellowships), MRC/UK-RI (including senior fellowships and African Leader Fellowships). I am a regular reviewer for Research Grants within the Spanish Minister of Health (FIS) and AREF.

SCIENTIFIC PUBLICATIONS

140 peer reviewed publications with a H-factor of 45, including 25 publications as first author and 30 as last author; as well as commentaries in global health research. 

https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Anna-Roca-4 

https://scholar.google.co.uk/citations?hl=es&user=7bRjva4AAAAJ&view_op=list_works&sortby=pubdate

Some examples of recent publications:

1. Roca A, Camara B, … Tinto H & D’Alessandro U. Effect of intra-partum azithromycin versus placebo on neonatal sepsis and death. JAMA 2023. doi: 10.1001/jama.2022.24388.

2. McClure E, Roca A, et al. Azithromycin in labour to reduce maternal and newborn sepsis and associated deaths: the need for a harmonized approach. Gates Open Research 2023. doi: 10.12688/gatesopenres.14214.1

3. Kanteh A, Jallow HS, …de Silva TI, Roca A & Sesay AK. Genomic epidemiology of SARS-CoV-2 infections in The Gambia: routinely collected genomic surveillance data between March 2020 – January 2022. Lancet Glob Health 2023. In Press. doi: 10.1016/S2214-109X(22)00553-8.

4. Sanyang B, de Silva TI, …, Bogaert D, Sesay AK & Roca A. Effect of intra-partum azithromycin on the development of the infant nasopharyngeal microbiota: a post hoc analysis of a double-blind randomized trial. Ebiomedicine 2022. doi: 10.1016/j.ebiom.2022.104227

5. Mohammed NI, ...D’Alessandro U & Roca A. Quantifying Excess Mortality during the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020 in The Gambia: A time-series analysis of three Health and Demographic Surveillance Systems. Int J Infect Dis 2022.  doi: 10.1016/j.ijid.2022.12.017. 

6. Sanyang B, Kanteh A, … D’Alessandro U & Roca A. COVID-19 reinfections in The Gambia by phylogenetically distinct SARS-CoV-2 variants—first two confirmed events in West Africa. Lancet Glob Health 2021. DOI: 10.1016/S2214-109X(21)00213-8

7. COVID-19 working group (Roca A corresponding author). Intense and Mild First Epidemic Wave of Coronavirus Disease, The Gambia. Emerg Inf Dis 2021. doi:10.3201/eid2708.204954

8. Jagne I, Keeley A,… de Silva TI & Roca A. Impact of intra-partum azithromycin on carriage of group A streptococcus in the Gambia: a posthoc analysis of a double-blind randomized placebo-controlled trial. BMC Infect Dis 2021. DOI: 10.1186/s12879-022-07080-4

9. Bojang A, Baines SL,… Howden BP and Roca A. Impact of Intrapartum Oral Azithromycin on the Acquired Macrolide Resistome of Infants’ Nasopharynx: A Randomized Controlled Trial. Clin Infect Dis 2020. DOI: 10.1093/cid/ciaa609

10. Usuf E, Bottomley C, … Hill PC & Roca A. Persistent and Emerging Pneumococcal Carriage Serotypes in a Rural Gambian Community After 10 Years of Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine Pressure. Clin Infect Dis 2020. Doi: 10.1093/cid/ciaa856.

Few examples on commentaries: 

1. Time to establish an international vaccine candidate pool for potential highly infectious respiratory disease: a community’s view. eBiomedicine in press.

2. Dexamethasone for COVID-19: data needed from randomised clinical trials in Africa. Lancet Global Health 2021.

3.  African women working in global health: closing the gender gap in Africa? Lancet Global Health 2018.

• Maternal and Neonatal Health information - Community Engagement small grant. Graphical abstract and regular talks. 2019.
• Women in Science - Youth engagement activities in 2017, 2018, 2019 during the women in science week.
• Community Open Days for trial implementation and display of results. Regular activities across the Gambia.
• Xerrades de dones cientifiques at schools in Catalonia. February 2021.