Full name: Professor Sir Alimuddin Zumla
Date of Birth: 15 May 1955
Affiliations (at the time of the award): Professor of Infectious Diseases and International Health at the University College London, Consultant of Infectious Diseases Physician at the University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and Co-Director of the University of Zambia-University College London Medical School research and Training Project
Field: Infectious Diseases

Summary of body of work recognised by MSA:

Sir Alimuddin is being awarded the 2020 Mahathir Science Award in recognition of his exceptional, globally-acknowledged, health-policy relevant research, capacity development and advocacy contributions to the understanding of the epidemiology, pathogenesis, diagnosis, treatment, and control of Tuberculosis, other respiratory tract infections and emerging pathogens with epidemic potential.

Latest Biography/Profile of Organisation:

Sir Alimuddin is well known for his exceptional, globally-acknowledged, health-policy relevant research, capacity building development and advocacy contributions to the understanding of epidemiology, pathogenesis, diagnosis, treatment and control of tuberculosis, other respiratory tract infections and emerging pathogens with epidemic potential as shown by the numerous recognitions, awards, medals and prizes that he received throughout his career in research. This is further exemplified by the impact of his research with a h-index of 111, 564 published articles and more than 67,000 citations. Sir Zumla ranked top in the 2018 Clarivate list of the world’s most influential and highly cited authors.

Sir Alimuddin has a systematic approach and has led as PI and co-PI multi-country clinical trials for new TB drugs, drug regimens, new diagnostics, biomarkers, antibiotic prophylaxis regimens, adjunct immunotherapies and even educational interventions which has led to changes in global clinical practices.

Currently, Sir Alimuddin leads the ‘one-animal-environmental-human’ (one-health) consortium of 67 institutions across 35 countries to tackle the issues of recurrent Zoonotic epidemics such as Lassa Fever, Monkeypox, Chikungunya, Anthrax and Viral Hemorrhagic Fevers.

As of 19.07.2020, Sir Alimuddin has been ranked by several analyses as UK’s top communicable diseases expert. He is also listed top of the UK Coronaviruses expert list and ranked 3rd in the Global list of Coronavirus experts.

Sir Alimuddin also featured in the Clarivate 2019 list of the world’s most influential and highly cited authors.

As soon as the first cases of COVID-19 were announced in early January 2020 from Wuhan, China, Sir Alimuddin, utilizing his extensive experience of leading R&D networks on coronaviruses ‘jump started’ several international multidisciplinary collaborative research, capacity building, training and advocacy projects on COVID-19, with all partners using their own resources and in kind funding. This rapid approach to COVID-19 R&D activities, (rather than apply for COVID-19 specific grant funding which wastes valuable time and effort) was based on previous experiences with Ebola where and he and his collaborators highlighted the recurrent issue of ‘missed opportunities’ to conduct R&D in emergency outbreak situations.

With collaborators from China, Portugal, Italy, France, Ireland, Africa and the Middle East, Sir Alimuddin ideated, coordinated and orchestrated research, capacity development, training, advocacy, and grant writing activities with scientists, HCWs, policy makers and community charities. In Africa and Europe he worked with his ONE-HUMAN-ANIMAL-HEALTH consortium network which includes Africa CDC and Chatham House, with significant effect.