Dr Pui-Ying Iroh Tam

Senior Paediatrician (MLW); Senior Clinical Lecturer (LSTM)

Pui-Ying Iroh Tam is a paediatric infectious diseases specialist and physician-scientist.

She was educated at Harvard University and Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, and was Assistant Professor at the University of Minnesota before she joined the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine as Senior Clinical Lecturer.

Since 2016, she has been based in Malawi full-time and heads the Paediatrics and Child Health Research Group at Malawi-Liverpool Wellcome Programme. There is a strong commitment to capacity-building of young African and western researchers developing an academic clinical research career, and trainees at masters, PhD and postdoc level have been supervised and supported. Young researchers with an interest in global child health are encouraged to reach out directly and enquire about opportunities.

Research

Infectious conditions relevant to children in Malawi, primarily pneumonia, diarrhoeal disease, and bacterial sepsis, including those resistant to commonly prescribed antibiotics

Her research focuses on clinical studies and trials on infectious morbidity and mortality in children relevant to the Malawi context.

I lead a paediatrics and child health research group in Malawi working to improve child health. Our research focus is:

  • Infectious conditions relevant to children in Malawi, primarily pneumonia, diarrhoeal disease, and bacterial sepsis, including those resistant to commonly prescribed antibiotics;
  • Nutrition, and impact of nutritional status on infectious morbidity, growth and neurodevelopment
  • Neurodevelopment in the critical first few years of life.

There is a strong commitment to capacity-building of young African and western researchers developing an academic clinical research career, and trainees at masters, PhD and postdoc level have been supervised and supported. Young researchers with an interest in global child health are encouraged to reach out directly and enquire about opportunities.

Teaching

LSTM: Global child health coordinator for DTMH; Diploma in Tropical Nursing; Tropical Paediatrics Malawi: MMed, MBBS, and BSc teaching.

Other relevant expertise, professional memberships, awards

Fellow, Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA)
Fellow, Pediatric Infectious Diseases Society (PIDS)
Member, American Society for Tropical Medicine and Hygiene (ASTMH)
Member, Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene (RSTMH)
Member, Society for Pediatric Research (SPR),
Peer-elected Member, Malawi Ministry of Health, Integrated Management of Childhood Illness Technical Working Group,
Core writing group member of the National Child Health Strategy

 

Recent publications: 

    Selected publications

    • W Nyangulu, H Thole, A Chikhoza, M Msakwiza, J Nyirenda, M Chisala, PY Iroh Tam. Performance and safety of induced sputum procedure in young children in Malawi: a prospective study. 2021 Aug 18. Trans R Soc Trop Med Hyg. 2021 Sep 29:trab151. doi: 10.1093/trstmh/trab151. Online ahead of print. PMID: 34590145 

      PY Iroh Tam, MN Chisala, W Nyangulu, H Thole, J Nyirenda. Respiratory cryptosporidiosis in Malawian children with diarrheal disease. PLoS Negl Trop Dis. 2021 Jul 30;15(7):e0009643. doi: 10.1371/journal.pntd. 0009643. Online ahead of print. PMID: 34329296. 

      PY Iroh Tam, SLM Arnold, L Barrett, C Chen, TM Conrad, E Douglas, MA Gordon, M Henrion, D Hebert, D Hermann, B Hollingsworth, E Houpt, K Jere, R Lindblad, MS Love, L Makhaza, CW McNamara, W Nedi, J Nyirenda, D Operario, J Phulusa, GV Quinnan Jr, LA Sawyer, H Thole, N Toto, A Winter, WC Van Voorhis. Clofazimine for treatment of cryptosporidiosis in HIV-infected adults: an experimental medicine, randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled phase 2a trial. Clin Infect Dis. 2021 Jul 15;73(2):183-191. doi: 10.1093/cid/ciaa421. PMID: 32277809.

      PY Iroh Tam, A Dramowski, AK Labi, HA Mujuru, BO Ogunbosi. Antimicrobial resistance among children in Africa: need for pediatric clinical trials. Expert Rev Anti Infect Ther.2020 Oct;18(10):955-956. doi: 10.1080/14787210.2020.1782741. Epub 2020 Sep 21. PMID: 32538200. 

      PY Iroh Tam, P Musicha, K Kawaza, J Cornick, B Denis, B Freyne, D Everett, Q Dube, N French, N Feasey, RS Heyderman. Emerging resistance to empiric antimicrobial regimens for pediatric bloodstream infections in Malawi (1998-2017). Clin Infect Dis. 2019 Jun 18;69(1):61-68. doi: 10.1093/cid/ciy834. PMID:30277505.

      Nutrition, and impact of nutritional status on infectious morbidity, growth and neurodevelopment;

      Recent publications:

      MN Chisala, W Nyangulu, H Thole, J Nyirenda, PY Iroh Tam. Respiratory and diarrheal pathogens in Malawian children hospitalized with diarrhea and association with short-term growth. Submitted, PLoS Negl Trop Dis. bioRvix. 2021 Oct 14. doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2021.10.13.464207 

      VT Mukhula, PP Harawa, C Phiri, S Khoswe, J Chaziya, E Mbale, C Tigoi, R Bandsma, W Voskuijl, PY Iroh Tam. Childhood malnutrition and bacteremia at a tertiary hospital in Malawi. medRvix. 2021 Aug 21. doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2021.08.19.21262269 

      Neurodevelopment in the critical first few years of life.

      Other publications:

      G Mzumara, M Chawani, M Sakala, L Mwandira, E Phiri, EB Milanzi, MD Phiri, I Kazanga, T O’Byrne, E Zulu, C Mitambo, T Divala, B Squire, PY Iroh Tam. The health policy response to COVID-19 in Malawi. BMJ Glob Health. 2021 May;6(5):e006035. doi: 10.1136/bmjgh-2021-006035. PMID: 34006521. 

      FRC Phoya, J Langton, Q Dube, PY Iroh Tam. Association of neonatal hypothermia with morbidity and mortality in a tertiary hospital in Malawi. J Trop Pediatr. 2020 Oct 1;66(5):470-478. doi: 10.1093/tropej/fmz086. PMID: 32176776. 

      M Kumwenda, PY Iroh Tam. An adolescent with multi-organ involvement from typhoid fever. Malawi Med J. 2019 Jun;31(2):159-160. doi: 10.4314/mmj.v31i2.10. PMID:31452851.