Dr Shamanthi Jayasooriya

MRCPCH, DTM&H, PhD, MRCGP, DFSRH

Population Health, School of Medicine and Population Health

NIHR Academic Clinical Lecturer

s.jayasooriya@sheffield.ac.uk

Room 207B, Second Floor, Sam Fox House, Northern General Hospital

Full contact details

Dr Shamanthi Jayasooriya
Population Health, School of Medicine and Population Health
Room 207B, Second Floor, Sam Fox House
Northern General Hospital
Herries Road
Sheffield
S5 7AU

Profile

I am a NIHR Academic Clinical lecturer in primary care medicine and a General Practitioner based at Page Hall Medical Centre, a Deep End Clinical Research Cluster practice, in one of the most deprived and ethnically diverse areas of Sheffield.

My undergraduate medical training was completed at the University of Southampton in 2002. Prior to training in General Practice in Sheffield (2011-2016) I completed postgraduate training in Paediatrics in London and South Yorkshire (2004-2006). I was awarded Medical Research Council (MRC) PhD Scholarship (2007-2011) under the supervision of Professor Hilton Whittle (LSHTM) and Professor Alan Rickinson (Birmingham) to study immune responses to Epstein-Barr Virus in children in sub-Saharan Africa based primarily at the MRC unit The Gambia. I subsequently returned to MRC The Gambia (2017-2018) and was primary study clinician on Tb Sequel, a multi-centre study exploring lung impairment post Tuberculosis infection.

Research interests

My research interest centres around non-communicable chronic lung disease focused at both a local level through the Deep End Practice Clinical Research network (nine general practices in Sheffield serving the poorest communities) and at a global level through research into non-communicable chronic lung disease in low- middle- income countries, mainly in sub-Saharan Africa.

I have advocacy roles at both a national (British Thoracic Society Global Lung Health Group) and international level (The Union, Adult and Child Lung Health Section working group on Chronic Respiratory Problems) related to non-communicable chronic lung disease. This group involvement has allowed me to develop rich networks of peers and focus on approaches to influencing health promotion, reporting and dissemination of research and best practice in relation to non-communicable chronic lung disease.

Publications

Books

(2022) Evidence Based Global Health Manual for Preterm Birth Risk Assessment. Springer International Publishing.

Journal articles

Jayasooriya S, Inoue M, Allen H, Bojang M, Ceesay A, Touray S, Mortimer K, Cooper R & Balen J (2024) Beliefs surrounding the use of inhaled asthma medication inThe Gambia: a qualitative study of asthma patients andhealthcare workers. npj Primary Care Respiratory Medicine(34).
Jayasooriya S, Stolbrink M, Khoo EM, Sunte IT, Awuru JI, Cohen M, Lam DC, Spanevello A, Visca D, Centis R , Migliori GB et al (2023) Clinical standards for the diagnosis and management of asthma in low- and middle-income countries. The International Journal of Tuberculosis and Lung Disease, 27(9), 658-667.
Mitchell C, Fryer K, Guess N, Aminu H, Jackson B, Gordon A, Reynolds J, Huang Q, Jayasooriya S, Mawson R , Lawy T et al (2023) Underserved ‘Deep End’ populations: a critical analysis addressing the power imbalance in research. British Journal of General Practice, 73(732), 326-329. View this article in WRRO
Stolbrink M, Chinouya MJ, Jayasooriya S, Nightingale R, Evans-Hill L, Allan K, Allen H, Balen J, Beacon T, Bissell K , Chakaya J et al (2022) Improving access to affordable quality-assured inhaled medicines in low- and middle-income countries. The International Journal of Tuberculosis and Lung Disease, 26(11), 1023-1032.
Campbell F, Salam S, Sutton A, Jayasooriya S, Mitchell CAROLINE, Amabebe E, Balen J, Gillespie B, Parris K, Soma-Pillay P , Chauke L et al (2022) Interventions for the prevention of spontaneous preterm birth : a scoping review of systematic reviews. BMJ Open, 125(5). View this article in WRRO
Meghji J, Mortimer K, Jayasooriya S & Marks GB (2021) Lung health in LMICs: tackling challenges ahead – Authors' reply. The Lancet, 398(10299), 490-490.
Linton E & Jayasooriya S (2021) Story from a survivor of tuberculosis. The Lancet Respiratory Medicine.
Walker PP, J B, C E B, A B, J R H, S J, S J S, S W & K M (2021) Better lung health for all: A British Thoracic Society and Pan African Thoracic Society initiative. Journal of the Pan African Thoracic Society, 2(2), 73-74.
Meghji J, Mortimer K, Agusti A, Allwood BW, Asher I, Bateman ED, Bissell K, Bolton CE, Bush A, Celli B , Chiang C-Y et al (2021) Improving lung health in low-income and middle-income countries: from challenges to solutions. The Lancet. View this article in WRRO
Dodd PJ, Yuen CM, Jayasooriya SM, van der Zalm MM & Seddon JA (2021) Quantifying the global number of tuberculosis survivors: a modelling study. The Lancet Infectious Diseases. View this article in WRRO
Jayasooriya S, Mitchell C, Balen J & Darton TC (2020) Seasonal influenza programme expansion. BMJ, 371. View this article in WRRO
Vickers MA, Darboe F, Muefong CN, Mbayo G, Barry A, Gindeh A, Njie S, Riley A-J, Sarr B, Sambou B , Dockrell HM et al (2020) Monitoring anti-tuberculosis treatment response using analysis of whole blood Mycobacterium tuberculosis specific T cell activation and functional markers. Frontiers in Immunology, 11.
Jayasooriya S, Jobe A, Badjie S, Owolabi O, Rachow A, Sutherland J & Kampmann B (2019) The burden of non-TB lung disease presenting to TB clinics in The Gambia : preliminary data in the Xpert® MTB/Rif era. Public Health Action, 9(4), 166-168.
Jayasooriya S, de Silva T, Njie-Jobe J, Sanyang C, Leese A, Bell A, McAulay K, Yanchun P, Long HM, Dong T , Whittle HC et al (2015) Early Virological and Immunological Events in Asymptomatic Epstein-Barr Virus Infection in African Children . PLoS Pathogens, 11(3). View this article in WRRO
Stolbrink M, Ozoh OB, Halpin DMG, Nightingale R, Meghji J, Plum C, Allwood BW, Jayasooriya S & Mortimer K () Availability, cost and affordability of essential medicines for chronic respiratory diseases in low-income and middle-income countries: a cross-sectional study. Thorax.
Jayasooriya S, Dimambro-Denson F, Beecroft C, Balen J, Awokola B, Mitchell C, Kampmann B, Campbell F, Dodd P & Mortimer K () Patients with presumed tuberculosis in sub-Saharan Africa that are not diagnosed with tuberculosis: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Thorax.
Chertow JH, Alkaitis MS, Nardone G, Ikeda AK, Cunnington AJ, Okebe J, Ebonyi AO, Njie M, Correa S, Jayasooriya S , Casals-Pascual C et al () Plasmodium Infection Is Associated with Impaired Hepatic Dimethylarginine Dimethylaminohydrolase Activity and Disruption of Nitric Oxide Synthase Inhibitor/Substrate Homeostasis. PLOS Pathogens, 11(9), e1005119-e1005119.
Jayasooriya S, Hislop A, Peng Y, Croom-carter D, Jankey Y, Bell A, Dong T, Rowland-Jones S, Rickinson A, Walther M & Whittle H () Revisiting the Effect of Acute P. falciparum Malaria on Epstein-Barr Virus: Host Balance in the Setting of Reduced Malaria Endemicity. PLoS ONE, 7(2), e31142-e31142.
Walther M, Jeffries D, Finney OC, Njie M, Ebonyi A, Deininger S, Lawrence E, Ngwa-Amambua A, Jayasooriya S, Cheeseman IH , Gomez-Escobar N et al () Distinct Roles for FOXP3+ and FOXP3− CD4+ T Cells in Regulating Cellular Immunity to Uncomplicated and Severe Plasmodium falciparum Malaria. PLoS Pathogens, 5(4), e1000364-e1000364.

Chapters

Parris KM & Jayasooriya SM (2022) Prenatal Risk Assessment for Preterm Birth in Low-Resource Settings: Infection, Evidence Based Global Health Manual for Preterm Birth Risk Assessment (pp. 31-39). Springer International Publishing
Anumba DOC & Jayasooriya SM (2022) Prenatal Risk Assessment for Preterm Birth in Low-Resource Settings: Demographics and Obstetric History, Evidence Based Global Health Manual for Preterm Birth Risk Assessment (pp. 15-23). Springer International Publishing
Anumba DOC & Jayasooriya SM (2022) Global Antenatal Care Coverage and Content, Evidence Based Global Health Manual for Preterm Birth Risk Assessment (pp. 1-5). Springer International Publishing

Conference proceedings papers

Jayasooriya SM, Jobe A, Badjie S, Owolabi O, Rachow A, Sutherland JS & Kampmann B (2019) THE HIDDEN BURDEN OF CHRONIC RESPIRATORY DISEASE IN PATIENTS ATTENDING TB CLINICS IN THE GAMBIA. TRANSACTIONS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY OF TROPICAL MEDICINE AND HYGIENE, Vol. 113 (pp S212-S213)

Preprints

Jayasooriya S, Dimambro-Denson F, Beecroft C, Balen J, Awokola B, Mitchell C, Kampmann B, Campbell F, Dodd PJ & Mortimer K () Patients with presumed tuberculosis in sub-Saharan Africa that are not diagnosed with tuberculosis: a systematic review and meta-analysis, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory.

Teaching interests

I provided regular supervision of Registrars and Physicians Assistants while in clinical practice.

I teach on the Communicable Disease Control distance-learning module of the Masters in Public Health initially as an honorary clinical lecturer at the School of Health and Related Research (ScHARR). In addition I lecture on Key issues in Global Health: Non-Communicable diseases as part of the Masters in Global Health programme.

I have co-supervised a Masters Student at MRC Gambia exploring immunological markers of disease severity in Pulmonary Tuberculosis.

Professional activities and memberships

Session Chair at European Congress on Tropical Medicine and International health (ECTMIH 2019).

Member of the British Thoracic Society (BTS) Global Lung Health Advisory Group.

Peer Review: I review papers for Transactions for the Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene.

Working group co-lead on chronic respiratory problems, Adult and Child Lung Health Section, The Union.

Current projects

Systematic review into the health care needs of presumptive tuberculosis patients (patient with symptoms consistent with tuberculosis) in sub-Saharan Africa that do not receive a final diagnosis of active tuberculosis.

NIHR Research Capability Funds (10K): Exploring chronic lung disease in the Deep End Practice Clinical Research Network. There are three aspects to this pump priming work:

Service evaluation of chronic lung disease within the Deep End Practice Clinical Research Network.
Formation of a patient and public engagement group for chronic lung disease.
A global scoping review of representation of minority ethnic groups and socioeconomically deprived populations in primary care-based intervention studies for obstructive airways disease (COPD and Asthma).