Helen Weiss
{{Short description|British epidemiologist}}
{{About|the epidemiologist|the composer|Helen L. Weiss}}
{{Use British English|date=March 2024}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2024}}
{{Infobox academic
| honorific_suffix = {{post-nominals|country=GBR|FMedSci|size=100%}}
| occupation = Epidemiologist
| discipline = Epidemiology
| sub_discipline = {{flatlist|
- HIV research
- sexual health
- mental health
}}
| alma_mater = University of Oxford
| thesis_year = 1994
| thesis_title = Cancer epidemiology: with special reference to the long-term effects of explosure to ionizing radiation
| doctoral_advisor = Sarah Darby
| workplaces = London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine
}}
Helen Anne Weiss {{post-nominals|country=GBR|FMedSci}} is a British epidemiologist who specialises in HIV research, sexual health and mental health. Her research on HIV risk in circumcised men inspired reforms to World Health Organisation (WHO) guidelines. After getting her PhD at the University of Oxford in 1994, she started working at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, where she became Professor of Epidemiology. She was elected Fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences in 2020.{{Cite web |title=50 leading biomedical and health scientists elected to the prestigious Academy Fellowship |url=https://acmedsci.ac.uk/more/news/50-leading-biomedical-and-health-scientists-elected-to-the-prestigious-academy-fellowship |access-date=2025-04-03 |website=acmedsci.ac.uk}}
Biography
Professor Helen Anne Weiss obtained her PhD from the Imperial Cancer Research Fund at the University of Oxford, for her 1994 doctoral dissertation, Cancer epidemiology: with special reference to the long-term effects of exposure to ionizing radiation, which was supervised by Sarah Darby.{{Cite web |title=Helen Weiss |url=https://www.lshtm.ac.uk/aboutus/people/weiss.helen |access-date=2024-03-30 |website=London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine |language=en}}{{Cite web |title=Cancer Epidemiology : With Special Reference to the Long-Term Effects of Explosure to Ionizing Radiation. |url=https://solo.bodleian.ox.ac.uk/permalink/44OXF_INST/35n82s/alma990157109360107026 |access-date=2024-03-30 |website=Bodleian Library}} Following a post-doctoral position at the National Cancer Institute in the United States, she joined the faculty at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine in 1997.{{Cite web |title=Professor Helen Weiss |url=https://www.centreforglobalmentalhealth.org/professor-helen-weiss |access-date=2024-03-30 |website=Centre for Global Mental Health |language=en}} She was a Reader in Epidemiology and International Health there before becoming Professor of Epidemiology.
As an academic, Weiss's research focus is on HIV transmission, sexual health and mental health in low- and middle- income countries.{{Cite web |title=Pontiano Kaleebu and Helen Weiss elected as Fellows of the Academy of Medical |url=https://www.lshtm.ac.uk/newsevents/news/2021/pontiano-kaleebu-and-helen-weiss-elected-fellows-academy-medical-sciences |access-date=2025-04-03 |website=www.lshtm.ac.uk |language=en}} Her research on decreased HIV risk for heterosexual circumcised men inspired WHO guideline reforms. She has also worked for the Medical Research Council's International Statistics & Epidemiology Group as a statistical epidemiologist and as their director. In 2019, she served as a member of the World Health Organization Technical Advisory Group on Innovations in Male Circumcision.{{Cite web |title=Annex 2. List of participants |url=https://www.who.int/docs/default-source/documents/who-vmmc-tag-consultation-final-annex2-participants.pdf?sfvrsn=f132de18_1 |access-date=2024-03-30 |website=WHO Technical Advisory Group on Innovations in Male Circumcision}}
Weiss was elected a Fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences in 2020.{{Cite web |title=Professor Helen Weiss |url=https://acmedsci.ac.uk/fellows/fellows-directory/ordinary-fellows/fellow/Helen%20Anne-Weiss-0033z00002qIKyyAAG |access-date=2024-03-30 |website=Academy of Medical Sciences}}
References
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Category:British epidemiologists
Category:British women epidemiologists
Category:Cancer epidemiologists
Category:Social epidemiologists
Category:English medical researchers
Category:British women medical researchers
Category:Alumni of the University of Oxford
Category:Academics of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine
Category:Fellows of the Academy of Medical Sciences (United Kingdom)