Contact details

Professor Helen Ward

Professor of Public Health
Division of Epidemiology, Public Health and Primary Care

VC5
Norfolk Place
St Mary's Campus

Email:

Professor Helen Ward

Research interests

The principal area of my research is the epidemiology, prevention and control of sexually transmitted infections (STI) and HIV, including the role of commercial sex in STI/HIV transmission, and the health of sex workers, the re-emergence of syphilis and lymphogranuloma venereum (LGV) infections, development and evaluation of interventions to reduce sexual risk behaviour, the role of health services in the control of STI and HIV and the molecular epidemiology of bacterial STI.

This empirical research underpins a theoretical understanding of STI transmission that includes the relative importance of organism biology and immunity, individual behaviours, sexual and social networks, specific control programmes and underlying social determinants on patterns of emergence and persistence of different pathogens.

This broad area of sexual health provides a methodological platform for future work in other areas of health, in particular new work on preventive interventions in clinical care which i am developing as part of my role as Head of Research for Interventional Public Health in the Academic Health Sciences Centre at Imperial.

Key publications

• Ward H, Martin IMC, Macdonald N, et al. Lymphogranuloma venereum and HIV in the UK. Clinical Infectious Diseases 2007; 44(1):26-32

• Ward H. Prevention strategies for sexually transmitted infections: the importance of sexual network structure and epidemic phase Sex Transm Inf 2007;83: i43 - i49

• Ward H, Day S. What happens to women who sell sex? Report of a unique occupational cohort. Sex transm inf 2006;90:413-417

• Fox J, White PJ, Macdonald N, Weber JN, McClure M, Fidler S, Ward H. Reductions in HIV-transmission risk behavior in high-risk men who have sex with men following diagnosis of primary HIV infection. HIV Medicine 2009 Aug;10(7):432-8

For a full list of publications click on the tab at the top of the page

Clinical

Honorary Consultant in Public Health, Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust

Deputy Director and Head of Research, Clinical Programme in Interventional Public Health, Academic Health Sciences Centre

Imperial's new Professor of Public Health

Teaching

MBBS/BSc

• Year 1: Epidemiology in Practice course, lectures on HIV, clinical trials, screening
• BSc: Specialist Course in Gobal and Environmental Health, co-director
• BSc in Global Health: (commencing 2010/11), co-director
• Year 6: Practical medicine course, lectures and practical sessions on using evidence in the consultation, communicable disease control

BSc Biomedical science

• Year 2: Epidemiology course, lectures on clinical trials, screening
• Year 2: Global health of infectious disease topic, course organiser (to 2009)

MSc Modern Epidemiology, Masters in Public Health

• Lectures on infectious disease surveillance, screening, STI epidemiology.

Global Health Short Course

• Co-director, one week summer course in June. Details of next course to come soon.
  

University administration

Senate (member)

AHSC Strategic Research Committee (member)

Faculty of Medicine, Education Committee year 4, BSc sub committee (member)

Divisional Research Committee (co-chair)

Divisional Executive Committee  (member)

Divisional Lead for Academic Women

Editorial

Editorial Advisory Board of the British Medical Journal