Personal profile
Biography
Dr. Vibol Iem is a Postdoctoral Research Associate at Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine (LSTM), contributing to the Start4All and Leaving no on-one behind: Gendered pathways to health of TB consortia. He holds a PhD in Clinical Sciences from LSTM and dual master’s degrees in Public Health and Business Administration from Lyon, France.
With over a decade of field experience, primarily in Lao PDR, Dr. Iem has worked extensively to strengthen TB diagnostic systems and healthcare delivery in resource-limited settings. He has held various technical and coordination roles with the World Health Organisation and other global health partners, contributing to TB programme strengthening, laboratory network development, and diagnostic algorithm optimisation.
At LSTM, he serves as the Implementation & Trial Science Lead for the Start4All project, which focuses on evaluating and scaling innovative screening and diagnostic tools for tuberculosis. Within the Leaving no on-one behind: Gendered pathways to health of TB consortium, he investigates how social and gender-related determinants influence access to TB services, with a goal of improving equity in healthcare access.
Trained in both science and management, Dr. Iem brings a unique interdisciplinary approach to advancing global health.
Research interests
Dr. Iem’s research focuses on improving access to effective TB diagnosis and treatment in low-resource settings. He is particularly focused on optimising diagnostic algorithms, including non-sputum and pooled testing strategies, and ensuring their feasibility, acceptability, and scalability in real-world contexts.
His work also explores the social determinants of health, including gender, stigma, and geography, and their influence on healthcare-seeking behaviour and service uptake. By integrating qualitative and quantitative methods, Dr. Iem investigates how health system design, patient-provider interactions, and community engagement affect diagnostic success.
A strong advocate for equitable health systems, he aims to translate research into practical solutions that enhance diagnostic access and reduce disparities in care delivery. His multidisciplinary approach combines clinical sciences, public health, and operational management to support context-adapted implementation of diagnostic innovations.
Themes
- Tuberculosis and Antimicrobial Resistance
Expertise related to UN Sustainable Development Goals
In 2015, UN member states agreed to 17 global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all. This person’s work contributes towards the following SDG(s):
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SDG 3 Good Health and Well-being
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Collaborations and top research areas from the last five years
Recent external collaboration on country/territory level. Dive into details by clicking on the dots or
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All-Oral Shorter Treatment Regimens for Multidrug- and Rifampicin-Resistant Tuberculosis: Evaluating Their Effectiveness, Safety, and Impact on the Quality of Life of Patients in Lao PDR
Iem, V., Suthepmany, S., Inthavong, V., Sisouvanh, A., Choumlivong, K., Oh, K. H., du Cros, P., Sall, F. B., Merle, C. S., Sebert, J. & Inthavong, D., 25 Sept 2025, (E-pub ahead of print) In: Tropical Medicine and International Health. 30, 12, p. 1340-1353 14 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open AccessFile1 Citation (Scopus) -
Pooled testing for TB: revisiting a cost-saving innovation
Iem, V., Byrne, R. L., Garg, T., Santos, V., Yassin, M. A., Kathure, I., Donkeng Donfack, V. F., Vuchas, C., Bilder, C. R., Creswell, J., Squire, S. B. & Wingfield, T., 1 Nov 2025, In: The Lancet Respiratory Medicine. 13, 11, p. 958-961 4 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Comment/debate
Open AccessFile -
Programmatic approaches to screening for tuberculosis disease: a situational analysis of seven countries in the Western Pacific Region
Regional TB Consortium, Teo, A. K. J., Oh, K. H., Yanagawa, M., Miller, C., Falzon, D., Kanchar, A., Choi, Y., Lee, G. I., Morishita, F., Rahevar, K., Yadav, R. P. H. & Tran, H. T. G., 12 Dec 2025, In: Tropical Medicine and Health. 53, 1, 185.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open Access1 Citation (Scopus) -
Progress and challenges in tuberculosis preventive treatment in the Western Pacific Region: a situational analysis of seven high tuberculosis burden countries
Regional TB Consortium, Oh, K. H., Teo, A. K. J., Yanagawa, M., Kanchar, A., Falzon, D., Miller, C., Choi, Y., Lee, G. I., Morishita, F., Rahevar, K., Tran, H. T. G. & Yadav, R. P. H., 2 Sept 2025, In: Tropical Medicine and Health. 53, 1, 122.Research output: Contribution to journal › Review article › peer-review
Open AccessFile3 Citations (Scopus) -
Expanding molecular diagnostic coverage for tuberculosis by combining computer-aided chest radiography and sputum specimen pooling: a modeling study from four high-burden countries
Codlin, A. J., Vo, L. N. Q., Garg, T., Banu, S., Ahmed, S., John, S., Abdulkarim, S., Muyoyeta, M., Sanjase, N., Wingfield, T., Iem, V., Squire, B. & Creswell, J., 1 Aug 2024, In: BMC Global and Public Health. 2, 1, p. e52 52.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open AccessFile11 Citations (Scopus)
Thesis
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Pooling samples to increase testing capacity for Tuberculosis and COVID-19 diagnosis.
Iem, V. (Author), Wingfield, T. (Supervisor), Dominguez, J. (Supervisor) & Khan, J. (Supervisor), 2023Student thesis: Doctoral thesis
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