Dr Lauren Cohee

Reader in Paediatrics and Child Health

Dr. Cohee is a pediatric infectious disease specialist, with a primary research interest in malaria and global child health. After completing her Bachelor's degree in Biology with a minor in African and Middle Eastern Studies, she spent three years in the Malaria Branch of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention first as an Emerging Infectious Disease Laboratory Fellow and then as a CDC Fellow. Dr. Cohee subsequently obtained her medical degree from The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine where she also completed residency training and was a chief resident in Pediatrics. Dr. Cohee then completed sub-specialty fellowship training in Infectious Diseases and Tropical Pediatrics as well as a Master’s degree in Clinical Research with a focus on Epidemiology at the University of Maryland School of Medicine. She was faculty in the Malaria Research Program at the Center for Vaccine Development and Global Health at the University of Maryland School of Medicine prior to joining LSTM.

Research

Dr. Cohee's current research focuses on malaria epidemiology specifically related to P. falciparum transmission as well as school-based health interventions. Over the last decade she has led community- and facility-based cross-sectional and cohort studies that identified school-age children as key drivers of P. falciparum transmission. Currently, she leads clinical trials of malaria chemoprevention in school-age children to evaluate the optimal approaches and drugs to not only improve the health of school-age children but also to decrease community transmission and improve learning. Dr. Cohee’s evidence synthesis and advocacy around chemoprevention for school-age children contributed to WHO policy development. She aims to build partnerships between the health and education sectors to decrease the burden of malaria in school-age children and develop integrated school health packages to support children to achieve their full potential.

Professional memberships and awards

Thrasher Research Fund Early Career Award
Pediatric Infectious Diseases Society Fellowship Award
Burroughs Wellcome Fund/American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene Postdoctoral Fellowship in Tropical Infectious Diseases
Doris Duke Clinician Scientist Development Award (one of 17 awarded nationally in the USA in 2021)
Malaria Focal Point, Research Consortium for School Health and Nutrition, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine

Selected publications

  • Cohee LM, Opondo C, Clarke SE, Halliday KE, Cano J, Shipper AG, Barger-Kamate B, Djimde A, Diarra S, Dokras A, Kamya MR, Lutumba P, Ly AB, Nankabirwa JI, Njagi JK, Maiga H, Maiteki-Sebuguzi C, Matangila J, Okello G, Rohner F, Roschnik N, Rouhani S, Sissoko MS, Staedke SG, Thera MA, Turner EL, Van Geertruyden JP, Zimmerman MB, Jukes MCH, Brooker SJ, Allen E, Laufer MK, Chico RM. Preventive malaria treatment among school-aged children in sub-Saharan Africa: a systematic review and meta-analyses. Lancet Glob Health. 2020 Dec;8(12):e1499-e1511. PubMed Central PMCID: PMC7721819

    Cohee LM, Peterson I, Buchwald AG, Coalson JE, Valim C, Chilombe M, Ngwira A, Bauleni A, Schaffer-DeRoo S, Seydel KB, Wilson ML, Taylor TE, Mathanga DP, Laufer MK. School-based malaria screening and treatment reduces Plasmodium falciparum infection and anemia prevalence in two transmission settings in Malawi. J Infect Dis. 2022 Mar 15:jiac097. PMID: 35290461

    Cohee LM, Valim C, Coalson JE, Nyambalo A, Chilombe M, Ngwira A, Bauleni A, Seydel KB, Wilson ML, Taylor TE, Mathanga DP, Laufer MK. School-based screening and treatment may reduce P. falciparum transmission. Sci Rep. 2021 Mar 25;11(1):6905. PubMed Central PMCID: PMC7994823

    Cohee LM, Nankabirwa JI, Greenwood B, Djimde A, Mathanga DP. Time for malaria control in school-age children. Lancet Child and Adolescent Health. 2021 May 26; PMID: 34051141.

    Cohee LM, Halliday KE, Gelli A, Mwenyango I, Lavadenz F, Burbano C, Drake L, Bundy DAP. The Role of Health in Education and Human Capital: Why an Integrated Approach to School Health Could Make a Difference in the Futures of Schoolchildren in Low-Income Countries. Am J Trop Med Hyg. 2020 Nov 23; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC7866354.