Max joined the school in 2014 after 11 years at the Oxford University Clinical Research Unit in Vietnam where she was Head of the TB Group with research spanning diverse aspects of tuberculosis including extrapulmonary tuberculosis, novel diagnostics, drug resistance, and host:pathogen interaction.
Max undertook her PhD studying immunopathogenesis of tuberculous meningitis at the UK Mycobacterium Reference Unit with Kings College, London (awarded 2002) after a BSc in biochemistry from the University of St Andrews. She also has an MSc in epidemiology from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine completed as a component of a Wellcome Trust training fellowship (2007-2011).
Research interests
- Research on diagnosis, epidemiology and treatment of tuberculous meningitis.
- M.tuberculosis phylogeny, virulence factors and drug resistance.
- Phenotypic and clinical manifestations of pathogen genotype.
- Host:pathogen genotype interactions.
- The development of low-cost, rapid diagnostics.
- Epidemiology and diagnosis of drug resistant tuberculosis.
- Diagnosis of HIV-associated, pediatric and extrapulmonary tuberculosis.
Teaching
Current and recent supervision
- Dr Thuong Nguyen: Wellcome Trust Training Fellow in Public Health and Tropical Medicine. Supervisor. June 2012-2015.
- Dr Dang Thi Minh Ha. PhD: HIV-associated tuberculosis. Open University, UK, 2011.
- Dau Quang Tho. PhD: Drug resistant tuberculosis. Dau Quang Tho. Open University, 2012.
- Nguyen Duc Bang. PhD: Tuberculous meningitis. Nguyen Duc Bang. Open University, UK, 2013.
- Dr Phan Vuong Kach Thai. PhD: Isoniazid resistant tuberculosis. Phan Vuong Kach Thai. Open University, UK, Current
- Dr Do Chau Giang. PhD: Pediatric tuberculosis. Open University, UK, current
- Dr Tran Thi Sinh. PhD: Pediatric Tuberculosis in Vietnam; Diagnosis and Epidemiology. Open University, UK, current.
- Dr Doortje Heemskerk. PhD: Intensified Treatment of tuberculous meningitis. Oxford University, UK, current.