Sarah completed her MSc in Molecular Biology of Parasites and Disease Vectors at the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine in 2013 where, as part of her research project, she investigated the physical, social and economic impact of lymphatic filariasis on communities in Malawi.
In 2014, Sarah joined the Centre for Neglected Tropical Diseases (CNTD), supporting the implementation of in-country lymphatic filariasis programmes. FPSU is a DFID funded programme and supports NTD activities in 12 countries assisting their progress towards successful elimination of LF as a public health problem. This is done through mass drug administration, morbidity management & disability prevention and best practice research.
As part of the DFID-funded programme for the elimination of LF as a public health problem, Sarah is responsible for the programme management of Malawi and Ethiopia, working in collaboration with the national NTD programmes to effectively implement LF Mass Drug Administration (MDA) and Morbidity Management activities in line with WHO guidelines and the Global Programme for the Elimination of Lymphatic Filariasis (GPELF) goal of 2020. Sarah has also supported the implementation of MDA for schistosomiasis and soil-transmitted helminths in Zambia.
Sarah is the country programme manager for Malawi and Ethiopia and is the primary contact for all CNTD activities in these countries. This involves the oversight of implementation, M&E (impact assessment surveys, coverage surveys and xenomonitoring activities, etc.) and morbidity activities while providing technical assistance with these activities (training, planning, etc.) when needed, as well as participating in key planning and document writing sessions with the Ministries and other partners
In addition, together with the CNTD team, Sarah has supported the design and implementation of best practise tools to monitor and evaluate morbidity management control activities in Malawi. This has included pre- and post-surgery assessments to explore the improvements in quality of life of hydrocele patients who have undergone CNTD-supported hydrocele surgery. Also, impact assessments to determine the effect of home-based care training on lymphoedema patients; and studies to determine the burden of hydrocele and lymphoedema conditions on caregivers.
Sarah has also supported the implementation of the CNTD mHealth tool – ‘Measure SMS’ - to rapidly and cost-effectively map the burden of LF morbidity conditions in Ethiopia, Malawi and Liberia by training community health workers to send data through SMS messaging. In Ethiopia specifically, she has helped support the scale-up of integrated morbidity management for lymphatic filariasis and podoconiosis patients. This has included supporting the country with its first integrated burden assessment in 20 co-endemic districts to identify over 26,000 cases of clinical morbidity.