UCL Centre for Sexual Health & HIV Research

The Centre’s goal is equity in sexual health – in its distribution and in access to the prevention and treatment of sexually transmitted infections (STIs), including HIV infection, nationally and internationally.

We aim to achieve this through:

Clinical, epidemiological and health sciences research to determine the causes and consequences of unwanted sexual outcomes

Improved clinical, health service and community-based interventions to reduce levels of poor sexual health in populations at greatest need

Rigorous evaluations of these interventions

Capacity building in sexual health through: undergraduate and postgraduate teaching; doctoral and fellowship training; national and international collaboration.

Methodological and technological innovation in sexual health research

Research

The research interests of the Centre are varied and include the epidemiological, statistical, clinical, laboratory and social science aspects of sexually transmitted diseases, including hepatitis, genital herpes, human papilloma virus, Chlamydia trachomatis and HIV infection.

The Centre is directed by Professor Graham J. Hart, and is currently organised into an Epidemiology and Social Science Research Group (Lead: Dr Pam Sonnenberg); a Clinical Research Group (Lead: Dr Richard Gilson); and a Sexual & Reproductive Health Group (Lead: Professor Judith Stephenson), the latter in collaboration with the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology and the Margaret Pyke Memorial Trust.

The Epidemiology and Social Science Research Group consists of 20 staff who conduct research into the epidemiological, social and behavioural aspects of HIV infection and other STIs. The group has an established track record of research involving randomised controlled trials of complex interventions in both UK and developing country settings, and of evaluations of local and National Health Service interventions and strategies. International work has included large projects in Zimbabwe on peer-led sex education, and clinical trials of acyclovir prophylaxis to reduce HIV incidence.

The Clinical Research Group has largely focussed on HIV clinical trials, and studies of the natural history of HIV disease, its various manifestations, treatments (including complications such as lipodystrophy) and co-infections (such as hepatitis B and C). There is a strong theme of collaboration with basic scientists in other departments in UCL (in virology, immunology, and microbiology in particular) as well as external collaborations such as those with the Jenner Vaccine Institute and the Health Protection Agency. The group is an important contributor to the major collaborative cohort studies including the UK CHIC study, the Seroconverters Register, both funded by the MRC, the UK National HIV Resistance Database, EUROSIDA and the DAD study. Research on other STIs includes work on HPV infection such as the natural history of dysplastic lesions in the anal canal, and a recent randomised controlled trial of combination therapy.

The Sexual & Reproductive Health group is a more recent development, but builds upon Centre research such as the RIPPLE randomised controlled trial of peer-led sex education in schools (in collaboration with the Social Science Research Unit at the Institute of Education), the evaluation of the Teenage Pregnancy Strategy (in collaboration with the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine) and the evaluation of One-Stop Shops for improved sexual and reproductive health in young people.

All three research groups work closely with colleagues in our host Department of Infection & Population Health on the Royal Free Campus. This includes the Centre for Infectious Disease Epidemiology, and the HIV Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics Group. Centre staff work on the National survey of sexual attitudes and lifestyles (Natsal) and studies involving large cohorts of patients living with HIV.

Education and Teaching at the Centre

The Centre offers a MSc in Sexually Transmitted Diseases, run jointly with the Department of Infectious and Tropical Diseases at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. In addition this, the Centre provides extensive tuition for undergraduates of Royal Free & University College London Medical School in clinical, laboratory and public health aspects of sexually transmitted diseases. A short Research Methods Course is also offered by the Centre to GU Physicians wishing to improve their research skills.

Funding

The Centre has a diverse and strong funding base, with sources including HEFCE, other government bodies, the pharmaceutical industry and charities. Currently our main research funding comes from the Medical Research Council, The Wellcome Trust, Camden Primary Care Trust, Department of Health and the North Central London Research Consortium. Other income is generated from national and international consultancies.

This page last modified 10 July, 2009 by IPH Webmaster