John Cleland

Professor John Cleland of the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine talks about the central role of family planning for tackling the linked challenge of rising global populations and climate change. He tells why a reduction of unwanted pregnancies is needed – especially in sub-Saharan Africa – as the means of relieving poverty and improving health for all. Dr Alex Ezeh, Executive Director of the African Population and Health Research Centre in Nairobi discusses the central role of Africa in population strategies for the planet. Professor Paul Wilkinson of the London School examines the real hope that rising populations – which limit progress in cutting carbon emissions and which threaten basic health – can be contained to offer a better future for everybody.

Paul Wilkinson

Tim Nicholson of the Campaign for Greener Healthcare talks about the aims of the 10:10 Campaign conducted by organisations volunteering to reduce carbon emissions by at least 10 per cent in a 12 month period; Fiona Godlee Editor in Chief of the British Medical Journal discusses her publication’s involvement with raising awareness of climate change issues over the years and how they’ve achieved success so far as a 10:10 Campaign member; Paul Wilkinson of the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine discusses the practical ways in which the School is rising to the challenge of meeting the first 12-month target and then going on to cut emissions in half by the year 2020 and 90% by 2040.

Hazell Dockrell

The “London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine’s Got Talent” competition has generated a glittering array of ideas for promoting public health. It’s been funded from the Gates Award made to the School in 2009. The organiser, Professor Hazel Dockrell discusses some of the winning entries and explains how the School’s global network of students and alumni have been able to work together to create the original projects submitted to the competition.

Diana Lockwood

Scientists in London have made important progress in the global battle against leprosy. This ancient disease – still a scourge today – can be avoided, treated, or cured if psychological and educational barriers can be overcome. That’s according Diana Lockwood who recently gave her inaugural lecture as Professor of Tropical Medicine at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. The lecture was entitled: “Leprosy: Puzzles, Perils and Prejudices in the 21st Century”. Diana Lockwood talks with Anna Lacey.

Carine Ronsmans

When young mothers die, their children up to the age of ten have a very high risk of dying too. This has been found from research in an area of Bangladesh where around 150,000 births were monitored and followed up between 1982 and 2005. Three out of four children died before reaching 10 years of age among those whose mothers had died, compared with one in ten dying by age ten with a mother still living. Professor Carine Ronsmans discusses her study – published in The Lancet medical journal – which also found that losing a father made no difference to the child’s chances of survival. Carine Ronsmans talks with Peter Goodwin.

Ian Roberts

Tens of thousands of injury victims could be saved each year from bleeding to death, according to research just released in the medical journal: The Lancet. Scientist studying 20 000 patients taking part in the CRASH-2 trial in 274 hospitals in 40 countries have found that a simple, cheap, drug – normally used to stem the flow of blood during surgery – could save as many as 100 000 lives each year among the more than half a million victims of injury around the world. Scientists Ian Roberts from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, and Tim Coats from Leicester University, gave a press briefing in London – together with anaesthetist Jorge Mejia from Colombia and the Director of the World Health Organisation’s Department for Violence and Injury Prevention and Disability, Etienne Krug – to discuss the importance of the CRASH-2 findings in terms of saving lives at low cost around the world. Ian Roberts tells Peter Goodwin more about why these findings are important for emergency medicine around the world.

Anna Goodman

British children of Indian ethnic origin have fewer mental health problems than the white children they grow up with, according to new research from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. Anna Goodman tells Peter Goodwin more about why these findings might be important for increasing well-being among children of all ethnic groups.

Betty Kirkwood

Vitamin A supplements given to women who are likely to get pregnant does not reduce their risk of maternal mortality, according to a multi-centre study conducted in Ghana over a period of 10 years with more than 200 000 women, half of whom received a low regular dose of vitamin A, the other half taking an identical-looking placebo containing no vitamin A. Professor Betty Kirkwood of the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine talks about her research findings with Peter Goodwin and explains how these can help guide health system planners to decide how best to use their resources by considering alternative ways of protecting mothers.Betty Kirkwood from the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine tells Peter Goodwin about their findings.

Dorothea Nitsch

A simple, affordable, test for kidney disease could save lives according to a massive study combining research from among more than a million people in Europe, Asia, North America and Australia. Dorothea Nitsch from the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine tells Peter Goodwin about their findings.

Shunmay Yeung

The meeting of world experts on malaria — held at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine — heard about fighting the global battle against malaria with well-organised health systems to deliver drug cures to those who need them and about the importance of communicating knowledge to the public. Sarah Maxwell hears a world-wide perspective from David Bell, Medical Officer of the WHO Global Malaria Programme; from Shunmay Yeung of the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine on techniques being developed to help cope with the threat of drug resistance; and from Sarah Kline about:”Malaria No More UK” an organisation tackling malaria in Africa by raising funds and awareness in the United Kingdom and beyond.