Introduction
The London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) was founded in 1899 and is Britain's national school of public health and a leading postgraduate institution worldwide for research and postgraduate education in global health. It is one of the highest-rated research institutions in the UK, with a mission ‘to contribute to the improvement of health worldwide through the pursuit of excellence in research, postgraduate teaching and advanced training in national and international public health and tropical medicine, and through informing policy and practice in these areas.’ Its diverse staff include natural and social scientists, economists and epidemiologists . LSHTM has three large academic departments - Epidemiology and Population Health, Infectious and Tropical Diseases and Public Health and Policy. Each department contains Units which cover a diversity of research and teaching activities, many (but not all) of which are relevant to international development and particularly global health. LSHTM also has 11 academic centres which cut across the departments.

LSHTM currently has partnerships in the form of research collaborations with institutions in over 100 countries worldwide. At any one time over 100 School staff are based overseas, particularly in Africa and Asia.

Research
All three departments contain groups of researchers whose work is related to international development:

In the Department of Epidemiology and Population Health (EPH), the Infectious Disease Epidemiology Unit conducts research on the epidemiology and control of infectious diseases of public health importance in developing countries and in industrialized countries. The Unit has major field research programmes in Malawi, Tanzania, Zambia, Ghana, Brazil and Europe and numerous collaborative projects in other countries in Africa, Asia and Latin America. Also in EPH, the Nutrition and Public health Intervention Research Unit includes research conducted in collaboration with colleagues in over 50 countries on topics including Nutrition; Child and Maternal Health; Injuries; and Mental Health.

In the Department of Infectious and Tropical Diseases (ITD) all four units undertake research relevant to developing countries. The Clinical Research Unit has particular strengths in mycobacterial disease (tuberculosis and leprosy), malaria, sexually transmitted infections, HIV/AIDS, eye health, and tropical and travel medicine. The Disease Control and Vector Biology Unit focuses on the control of diseases that are insect-borne, water-borne or associated with poor hygiene, mostly in developing countries and the Pathogen Molecular Biology Unit focuses on the molecular biology and genetics of pathogens and their hosts in the context of improving the understanding and control of infectious diseases. The Immunology Unit investigates mechanisms of protection and pathogenesis and therapy of infectious diseases.

The Department of Public Health and Policy (PHP) aims to improve global health through research, teaching and the provision of advice in the areas of health policy, health systems and services, and individual, social and environmental influences on health. Interests and activities embrace the health needs of people living in countries at all levels of development. The Health Policy Unit conducts research to inform the development and implementation of health policy in low- and middle-income countries, and the Public & Environmental Health Research Unit does research on behavioural, social and environmental determinants of health and related interventions, and on global issues such as trade, climate change and global governance.

LSHTM also has a number of cross-departmental academic centres – some are of particular relevance to global health and international development, such as the Malaria Centre, the Centre on Global Change and Health, the Gender Violence and Health Centre, and the International Centre for Eye Health. The Centre for Maternal, Reproductive and Child Health (MARCH) was launched in September 2009, and LSHTM and King’s Health Partners will announce the launch of the Centre for Global Mental Health on 9 October 2009.

LSHTM is currently involved in six DFID Research Programme Consortia:

• Consortium for Research in Equitable Health Systems (ends March 2010)
• Towards 4+5 (Strategic Research to Inform Policy on Maternal and Newborn Care) (ends March 2010)
• Evidence 4 Action on HIV Treatment and Care Systems
• Realising Rights: Improving Sexual and Reproductive Health in Poor and Vulnerable Populations (ends March 2010)
• Research and Capacity Building in Sexual and Reproductive Health and HIV in Developing Countries (ends March 2010)
• TARGETS Consortium (Team for Applied Research Generating Effective Tools and Strategies for Communicable Disease Control) (ends March 2010)
  

These Consortia involve a total of about 16 partners in African and Asian countries.

Affiliated with LSHTM and hosted at LIDC, the Health Policy Unit of the Australia-based George Institute of Public Health undertakes policy research on the development of medicines for neglected diseases, evaluating present investment by the public and private sectors, performance, and future strategies for improving this through incentive systems and regulatory change.

Teaching
LSHTM has around 3,500 postgraduate students from about 120 countries studying in London or by distance learning (all courses are listed here. LSHTM students come with a range of backgrounds, including medical and social science degrees.

London-based MSc courses are offered full-time over one year or part-time over two years. Distance learning MSc courses may be studied over 2-5 years. Both types of course are comprised of teaching units which are taught by academic staff. The School is developing its programmes so that students may take a mix of London-based and distance learning units by 'blended learning'

The School's research training programme provides opportunities for research study leading to University of London degrees of PhD and DrPH in such areas as public health, tropical medicine and global health. An overview of research degrees is given here.

New distance learning courses in global health will be developed using the US $1 million Award for Global Health it won from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation in 2009.

Highlighted initiative
LSHTM is involved as a supportive northern partner in four of the seven new consortia funded under the Wellcome Trust’s African institutions initiative to strengthen health research capacity in pan-African consortia each led by an African institution

Participation in LIDC
LSHTM staff participate in LIDC’s three working groups: Agri-Health, Emerging and Zoonotic Diseases, and Access to Medicines. LIDC coordinates LSHTM and Royal Veterinary College (RVC) activities in partnership with the Southern Africa Centre for Infectious Disease Surveillance (SACIDS) to further the 'One-health' initiative to integrate human and animal health. LSHTM staff played a prominent role in the LIDC’s No Goals at Half-time: What Next for the Millennium Development Goals? conference and they have taken part in a wide range of cross-College workshops.