Joy Lawn

Professor Joy Lawn is a Ugandan-born, British-trained paediatrician/neonatal clinician and perinatal epidemiologist at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) since 2012. She previously served as Director of the MARCH Centre (2013-2023), scaling its academic team from 200 to 500 members. Her work spans clinical care, epidemiological burden estimation, and implementation research in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia.

Education:

• PhD in Child Health (University College London, 2005-2009)
• MPH (Emory University, 1998-2000)
• Medical Degree (University of Nottingham, 1985-1990)
• FRCPCH (Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health)

Research Interests:

• Global burden reduction of 2.3 million neonatal deaths, 2 million stillbirths, and 13.4 million preterm births
• Implementation science for small and sick newborn care via the NEST360 Alliance and WHO collaborations
• Group B Streptococcus vaccine development and big data analysis for maternal/newborn health
• Health systems strengthening and equity in research leadership

Scientific Awards:

• Elected to USA National Academy of Medicine and UK Academy of Medical Sciences
• Recipient of Royal Society Wolfson Merit Award (2013-2016)
• Nils Rosen von Rosenstein Medal (2014) for paediatrics

Grants & Professional Activities:

• Principal Investigator for grants from UK-MRC, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and Wellcome Trust
• Co-Chair of Lancet Commission on Implementation and Evidence in Global Health (2023-2025)
• Contributor to WHO committees (STAGE, Global Statistics, Group B Strep) and UNICEF projects