Azra Ghani

Ghani was born to Feroz and Hilary Ghani.{{citation needed|date=March 2020}}} She studied mathematics at Newnham College, Cambridge, at the University of Cambridge, matriculating in 1989.{{cite book |title=Matriculation records of Newnham College, Cambridge |publisher=Newnham College, Cambridge |location=archives of Newnham College, Cambridge}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.elsevier.com/events/conferences/international-conference-on-infectious-disease-dynamics/about/previous-epidemics-conferences/bio-ghani|title=Bio Ghani - International Conference on Infectious Disease Dynamic - Elsevier|website=www.elsevier.com|access-date=2020-03-18}} After graduating, she moved to the University of Southampton to complete a master's degree in operations research. She joined Imperial College London in 1993, where she researched the epidemiology of gonorrhea and sexual partner networks.{{Cite thesis|title=Sexual partner networks and the epidemiology of gonorrhea.|date=1997|language=en|first=Azra Catherine Hilary|last=Ghani|oclc=1006193417}} After earning her doctorate Ghani moved to the University of Oxford, where she was supported by a Wellcome Trust fellowship. She moved to Imperial College London as a Royal Society Dorothy Hodgkin Research Fellow.{{Cite web|url=https://www.who.int/malaria/mpac/interview-azra-ghani/en/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180614150218/http://www.who.int/malaria/mpac/interview-azra-ghani/en/|url-status=dead|archive-date=June 14, 2018|title=WHO {{!}} Modelling: from runways to bednets|website=WHO|access-date=2020-03-18}}

In 2005 Ghani was appointed to the faculty at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine. Here she became interested in malaria, particularly the disease's complexity, and the need to understand many aspects of science and society to better control it. She returned to Imperial College London in 2007, where she serves as Professor of Infectious Disease Epidemiology and Head of the Malaria Modelling Research Group. Her research considers the epidemiology of infectious disease, including malaria, bovine spongiform encephalopathy, HIV, SARS and coronavirus.{{Cite web|url=https://www.who.int/malaria/mpac/mpacmembers/en/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140401213958/http://www.who.int/malaria/mpac/mpacmembers/en/|url-status=dead|archive-date=April 1, 2014|title=WHO {{!}} Current MPAC members|website=WHO|access-date=2020-03-18}} She develops mathematical models that can better describe the transmission dynamics of malaria, to visualise how it impacts both humans and mosquitoes, and use this insight to fight the disease.{{Cite web|url=https://www.malarianomore.org.uk/what-we-do/partnerships/faces-behind-mnmuk|title=Faces behind MNMUK|website=Malaria No More UK|language=en|access-date=2020-03-18|archive-date=2020-03-18|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200318214711/https://www.malarianomore.org.uk/what-we-do/partnerships/faces-behind-mnmuk|url-status=dead}} Ghani serves on the malaria policy advisory committee of the World Health Organization. She was elected to the spongiform encephalopathy advisory committee.{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=hn1HDGfruWMC&q=azra+ghani+royal+statistical+society&pg=PA26|title=The Government's Review of the Principles Applying to the Treatment of Independent Scientific Advice Provided to Government: Third Report of Session 2009-10, Vol. 2: Written Evidence|date=2009|publisher=The Stationery Office|isbn=978-0-215-54281-6|language=en}}

In 2017 Ghani was elected to the Academy of Medical Sciences.{{Cite web|url=https://acmedsci.ac.uk/fellows/fellows-directory/ordinary-fellows/fellow/Professor-Azra-Ghani-0022172|title=Professor Azra Ghani {{!}} The Academy of Medical Sciences|website=acmedsci.ac.uk|access-date=2020-03-18}} Through her understanding of infectious diseases, Ghani looks to better inform public health interventions.{{Cite web|url=https://royalsociety.org/science-events-and-lectures/2012/travel-illness/|title=Does travel make you ill? {{!}} Royal Society|website=royalsociety.org|language=en-gb|access-date=2020-03-18}} In 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, Ghani reported self-isolation, home quarantine and social distancing could limit the number of UK deaths caused by the coronavirus to 20,000.{{Cite news |date=16 March 2020 |title=UK's original coronavirus plan risked 'hundreds of thousands' dead |newspaper=Financial Times |url=https://www.ft.com/content/249daf9a-67c3-11ea-800d-da70cff6e4d3 |access-date=2020-03-18}}{{Cite news|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-britain-research-idUSKBN2141EP|title=Sobering coronavirus study prompted Britain to toughen its approach|date=2020-03-17|work=Reuters|access-date=2020-03-18|language=en}} She worked with Neil Ferguson to show that during the course of the pandemic, the National Health Service would become overwhelmed by the number of cases.{{Cite web|url=http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/926827|title=COVID-19: Scientists Question UK Government Plans|website=Medscape|access-date=2020-03-18}}

• 2017 Elected to the Academy of Medical Sciences
• 2017 Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene Chalmers medal{{Cite web|url=https://rstmh.org/blog/2017/dec/14/11-reasons-2017-was-success-rstmh|title=11 reasons 2017 was a success for RSTMH|date=2017-12-14|website=Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene|language=en|access-date=2020-03-18|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200318214712/https://rstmh.org/blog/2017/dec/14/11-reasons-2017-was-success-rstmh|archive-date=2020-03-18|url-status=dead}}

Ghani is a Fellow of the Royal Statistical Society.{{Cite web|url=http://www.imperial.ac.uk/people/a.ghani/honours-and-memberships.html|title=Honours and Memberships - Professor Azra Ghani|website=www.imperial.ac.uk|access-date=2020-03-18}}

She was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2021 Birthday Honours for services to infectious disease control and epidemiological research.{{London Gazette|issue=63377|supp=y|page=B18|date=12 June 2021}}

{{Scholia}}

• {{Cite journal|title=Faculty of 1000 evaluation for Pandemic potential of a strain of influenza A (H1N1): early findings.|last=Cheng|first=Allen|date=2009-05-13|doi=10.3410/f.1159624.619929|doi-access=free}}
• {{Cite journal|title=Global & Temporal Patterns of Submicroscopic Plasmodium falciparum Malaria Infection|last1=Whittaker|first1=Charles|last2=Slater|first2=Hannah|last3=Bousema|first3=Teun|last4=Drakeley|first4=Chris|last5=Ghani|first5=Azra|last6=Okell|first6=Lucy|year=2020|doi=10.1101/554311|s2cid=214722456 |url=https://www.biorxiv.org/content/biorxiv/early/2020/03/09/554311.full.pdf}}
• {{Cite journal|last1=Donnelly|first1=Christl A|last2=Ghani|first2=Azra C|last3=Leung|first3=Gabriel M|last4=Hedley|first4=Anthony J|last5=Fraser|first5=Christophe|last6=Riley|first6=Steven|last7=Abu-Raddad|first7=Laith J|last8=Ho|first8=Lai-Ming|last9=Thach|first9=Thuan-Quoc|last10=Chau|first10=Patsy|last11=Chan|first11=King-Pan|date=May 2003|title=Epidemiological determinants of spread of causal agent of severe acute respiratory syndrome in Hong Kong|journal=The Lancet|volume=361|issue=9371|pages=1761–1766|doi=10.1016/s0140-6736(03)13410-1|pmid=12781533|pmc=7112380|issn=0140-6736|doi-access=free}}
• {{cite web|url=https://www.imperial.ac.uk/media/imperial-college/medicine/sph/ide/gida-fellowships/Imperial-College-COVID19-NPI-modelling-16-03-2020.pdf|title=Impact of non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) to reduce COVID19 mortality and healthcare demand|last=Imperial College COVID-19 Response Team|date=2020-03-16}} (Joint author)

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Category:Living people

Category:Year of birth missing (living people)

Category:Academics of Imperial College London

Category:Alumni of Newnham College, Cambridge

Category:Academics of the University of Oxford

Category:Members of the Order of the British Empire

Category:British women epidemiologists

Category:British epidemiologists