Andrew Abaasa

Dr. Andrew Abaasa is an Associate Professor at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) and Head of Statistics and Data Science at the MRC/UVRI & LSHTM Uganda Research Unit. He joined LSHTM in 2022, with over 15 years of prior experience at the MRC Unit in Uganda.

• PhD in Epidemiology and Population Health (LSHTM)
• MSc in Epidemiology and Medical Statistics (Makerere University)
• BSc in Statistics (Makerere University)

His research focuses on the design, conduct, and analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) in HIV prevention (vaccines, PrEP, vaginal microbicides) and SARS-CoV-2 vaccines. He collaborates with European and American partners on intervention trials and observational studies in Africa, with recent emphasis on adolescent health and biometric technology for trial retention.

His 15 most recent publications (2023–2025) span HIV diagnostics, SARS-CoV-2 vaccine immunogenicity, adherence to prevention trials, and public health interventions in Uganda. These works intersect with epidemiology, medical statistics, and infectious disease modeling.

• World Health Organization (COVVAR): Evaluating SARS-CoV-2 vaccine effectiveness
• International AIDS Vaccine Initiative (COVAC Uganda): saRNA vaccine trials
• UKRI-MRC: 5-year statistics and data management funding

Andrew teaches epidemiology and medical statistics, organizing beginner to advanced courses at MRC/UVRI and LSHTM. He mentors early-career researchers and supervises LSHTM PhD students. Professional activities include editorial roles at PLOS One and peer reviewing for journals like Lancet Infectious Diseases.