Lilian Njagi

CURRENT JOB POSITION: Clinical Research Scientist, Kenya Medical Research Institute Centre for Respiratory Disease Research (KEMRI CRDR) EDUCATION 1. University of Nairobi, Kenya. PhD in Tropical and Infectious Diseases. September 2025. 2. University of Nairobi, Kenya. Scholarship in Epidemiology. December 2024. 3. University of Manitoba, International Infectious Disease and Global Health Training Program. Scholarship Global Health and Infectious Diseases. June 2020 4. London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. Diploma in Tropical Medicine and Hygiene (DTM&H). November 2015. 5. University of Nairobi, Kenya. MSc Tropical and Infectious Diseases. December 2012. 6. University of Nairobi, Kenya. Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery (MBChB). December 2004. PERSONAL STATEMENT Dr. Lilian Njagi, MBChB, MSc, Epi Person, PhD, is a physician-scientist whose work focuses on translational research to improve the diagnosis, prevention, and clinical management of tuberculosis (TB) and TB/HIV co-infection. She has extensive clinical, programmatic, and research experience in TB and TB/HIV. She has led TB/HIV/PMTCT service integration and the implementation of TB preventive therapy among authors living with HIV (PLHIV) at two major national teaching and referral hospitals in Kenya, achieving 90% uptake at program inception. During her doctoral training supported by CARTA, she conducted translational and clinical research on latent TB treatment in PLHIV, evaluating latent TB prevalence among individuals with and without HIV and investigating objective, innovative approaches to monitoring isoniazid therapy. This work included pharmacogenomic testing and assessment of interferon-gamma (IFN-γ) responses to Mycobacterium tuberculosis–specific latency antigens. She has emerging expertise in TB immunopathogenesis and is currently a Clinical Research Scientist at the Centre for Respiratory Disease Research, Kenya Medical Research Institute, Nairobi, where she focuses on TB vaccine trials, observational studies, and translational science research. Her long-term goal is to become an independently funded physician-scientist specializing in TB immunopathogenesis, with a focus on TB biomarker discovery and translational diagnostics to advance targeted TB prevention approaches and objective treatment monitoring in populations with and without HIV. HONORS AND AWARDS 2022 – 2024: Awarded a two-year scholarship to undertake a scholarship in Epidemiology under the NIH/Fogarty HIV Research Training Program (D43 TW011817 Tuberculosis & HIV Co-Infection Training Program in Kenya). 2019 – 2024: Awarded a USD 100,000 value scholarship to undertake PhD under the Consortium for Advanced Research Training in Africa (CARTA) PhD Scholarship 2019 – 2021: Awarded a two-year scholarship to undertake a scholarship in Infectious Diseases and Global Health under a collaboration between the University of Manitoba, Canada and the University of Nairobi. 2019: Awarded the ARUA scholarship as part of the Carnegie Corporation of New York Grant to the African Doctoral Academy, Stellenbosch University. 2018: Awarded the Higher Education’s loans board Master’s and PhD scholarship worth $4500 2017: Awarded a $6000 worth scholarship by the University of Nairobi to pursue a 6-month professional development training “Leading High-Performance Healthcare Organizations” at Strathmore Business School. 2015. Awarded a full scholarship on merit by the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine to pursue a three-month residential post-graduate diploma in Tropical Medicine and Hygiene 2015. Awarded a $10000 Scholarship by the University of Nairobi to pursue a residential Advanced HIV clinical course with Witwatersrand University, South Africa. 2000 – 2004. Awarded a Training Scholarship by the University of Nairobi student support body for undergraduate medical training FUNDING AND GRANTS University of Washington Center for AIDS Research (UW CFAR) International Infrastructure Award.11/01/2025- 06/30/2026 Title: Renovation of TB/HIV clinics at the Kenya Medical Research, Center for Respiratory Disease Research UW CFAR New Investigator Award. 11/01/2025- 10/30/2027 Title: Immunopathogenesis of TB aerobiology and infectiousness in HIV Co-infection African Population and Health Research Center (APHRC) through the Afrique Research Support Hub (ARSH). 06/01/2025- 01/31/2026 Title: Seed grant to strengthen the Awardee’s capacity to conceptualize, pilot, and scale fundable research ideas PhD scholarship research funds. Consortium for Advanced Research Training in Africa. 2019 – 2024 Title: Latent Tuberculosis Infection among Authors Living with HIV in a Kenyan Population: Prevalence, Determinants, and Objective Treatment Monitoring Methods during Isoniazid Use PhD research funds. World Bank Materials, Products and Nanotechnology. 2019-2024. Title: Latent Tuberculosis Infection among Authors Living with HIV in a Kenyan Population: Prevalence, Determinants, and Objective Treatment Monitoring Methods during Isoniazid Use Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene (RSTMH): Early Career Grants Programme. 2018 Title: Latent Tuberculosis Infection among Authors Living with HIV in a Kenyan Population: Prevalence, Determinants, and Objective Treatment Monitoring Methods during Isoniazid Use