معرفی
Professor Antonia Ho is a Professor of Infectious Diseases (Virology) at the MRC-University of Glasgow Centre for Virus Research and serves as an Honorary Consultant at NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde and NHS Lanarkshire. Her clinical work includes providing infectious disease consultation at Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in Glasgow and University Hospital Monklands in Airdrie.
Professor Ho obtained her medical degree from the University of Glasgow and completed specialized training in Infectious Diseases and Medicine in London and Glasgow. She earned an MSc in Epidemiology from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and completed a Wellcome Trust Clinical PhD Fellowship at the Malawi-Liverpool-Wellcome Trust Clinical Research Programme in Blantyre, Malawi.
Her research focuses on the clinical epidemiology of influenza, SARS-CoV-2, and other respiratory viral infections across the UK and sub-Saharan Africa. Professor Ho aims to characterize the burden, epidemiology, and transmission of respiratory viral infections; define risk factors for severe disease; evaluate viral-bacterial and viral-viral interactions; improve diagnostic methods using next-generation sequencing and low-cost point-of-care assays; and design optimal preventative strategies to reduce acute respiratory infections (ARI) burden. Her work emphasizes both clinical and population-level approaches to understanding respiratory virus dynamics.
Analysis of Professor Ho's recent publications (2023-2024) reveals a sustained focus on respiratory virus epidemiology with particular emphasis on SARS-CoV-2 variants, long COVID phenotyping, influenza surveillance, and viral interactions in diverse populations. Her research spans multiple continents with significant collaborations in Malawi, highlighting her commitment to global health research and health equity. Much of her work involves large-scale international consortia like ISARIC, contributing to pandemic preparedness and response frameworks.
- British Infection Association Scientific and Research Committee (Dec 2023-)
- WHO Global Influenza Programme – Clinical Consultant (Nov 2023-)
- European Scientific Working Group on Influenza (ESWI) Influenza Conference Scientific Committee (2020-present)
- Wellcome Trust Integrative Infection Biology PhD Programme Management Committee (June 2022 - present)
Professor Ho actively supervises Masters and PhD students while teaching across multiple academic programs. Her research is supported by major grants from the Medical Research Council, Wellcome Trust, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, and Public Health Scotland, with current projects investigating maternal immunity to SARS-CoV-2, factors determining COVID-19 outcomes in Malawi, and acute severe hepatitis in children. She maintains active public engagement through media contributions to The Guardian, BBC News, and The Herald on infectious disease topics.
