Heinke Kunst

Dr Heinke Kunst is a Reader in Respiratory Medicine at Queen Mary University of London (QMUL) and an honorary consultant in Respiratory Medicine at Barts Health NHS Trust. She also serves as joint research lead for Respiratory Medicine at Barts Health and leads its non-tuberculous mycobacterial service. Previously, she was a consultant and TB lead at Heart of England NHS Foundation Trust and Honorary Senior Lecturer at the University of Birmingham.

Education & Training

• MD, University of Göttingen, Germany (completed in collaboration with University of Göttingen while based in Pakistan)
• MSc & Diploma in Tropical Medicine, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine
• Junior doctor training in London hospitals
• Specialist registrar rotation in Respiratory Medicine, London Northwest Thames

Research Interests

Dr Kunst’s work focuses on translational research in tuberculosis (TB) and latent TB infection (LTBI). Key themes include:

• Screening and treatment of LTBI in migrants and primary-care settings
• Multidrug-resistant TB (MDR-TB) and extrapulmonary TB, especially spinal disease
• Non-tuberculous mycobacterial (NTM) pulmonary disease
• Maternal and migrant health outcomes in TB

She leads the CATAPuLT trial (Barts Charity) evaluating LTBI treatment in primary care and the STOP study (NIHR RfPB) on antenatal LTBI screening in pregnant migrants. Dr Kunst chairs or sits on national steering committees for MDR-TB management and LTBI community programmes.

Scientific Awards

• HSJ Award 2018 – “Best Community Redesign” for the Newham LTBI Screening & Treatment programme (secondary-care lead role)

Supervision & Mentoring

• MD supervisee: Dr Matt Burman – “Latent tuberculosis infection screening and treatment in recent migrants”
• PhD supervisee: Dr Ananna Rahman – “Examining uptake and acceptability of routine opt-out LTBI screening in migrant women”
• Supervises academic fellows on systematic reviews and research projects
• Teaches QMUL medical students (PBL, OSCEs, SSC projects)
• External examiner, University of Birmingham PG Certificate and MSc in Respiratory Medicine
• Steering committee member, QMUL Tuberculosis Postgraduate Certificate (with WHO)

Laboratory & Clinical Teams

Dr Kunst heads a multidisciplinary clinical-research group embedded within Barts Health NHS Trust and QMUL’s Blizard Institute. The team integrates bench-to-bedside research with service delivery for TB and NTM disease, coordinating regional screening programmes and national MDR-TB advisory services.