Michael is a Wellcome Trust academic clinical fellow currently based at the KEMRI-Wellcome Trust Research Programme in Kilifi, Kenya. His PhD is focussed on understanding the epidemiology and pathophysiology of snakebite, and is also preparing for an early phase clinical trial.
Michael studied medicine at the University of Birmingham before being appointed as an Infectious Diseases Academic Foundation Trainee in Liverpool in 2010. After studying for a Diploma in Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, he worked as a medical officer in emergency medicine and obstetrics in KwaZulu-Natal. He then worked as a field doctor for Médecins Sans Frontières in a refugee camp on the Uganda-Sudan border. In 2016, Michael returned to Liverpool and was appointed as a specialist registrar in Infectious Diseases, Tropical Diseases and General Medicine. Previous academic experience includes HIV research at the Infectious Diseases Institute in Kampala, as well as TB and sepsis research in Malawi.
Michael will be based in Kenya until September 2021, before returning to Liverpool to complete his PhD and registrar training.
Research
Through household survey and hospital surveillance the epidemiology of snakebite in Kilifi, Kenya is being assessed.
Detailed analysis of the immune response to envenoming is being conducted in order to identify components of the response which are either protective or harmful.
Preparedness is underway for an early phase clinical in Kilifi, Kenya.